August 7th, 2010 Mediterranean Cruise

[bellelinus]

I DON"T have the temperament to not worry - I am a stressy, so we will probably just stick with the canned DLC versions. One thing in their favor for us is that the webcast said they will be tailoring some of the excursions for families with kids - that's us!! I am a sit back and leave the driving to us person. Turn key travel? Can't think of any other analogies.

On the PC cruise, we took all Disney excursions, and they were great, but our tablemates took private ones and many of theirs were better.

There are some fabulous tours out there, and great tour guides.

I wish I could travel as relaxed as you, Julie...!

That comment about the night excursion to Monte Carlo is very interesting. Even the bling I do have would def. be modest by those standards!!

I am def. going to get a money belt thing...

?s - what is a "slash bag"? Something you put in the "boot"?

And is Andrew Andrew Derek - we met him on the PC cruise...

Yes, that's Andrew . . . the infamous Andrew . . .

Do whatever will make you have the best, more wonderful vacation you can -- for some that will mean DCL, and for others, doing it on their own. By the way, regarding pickpockets, I know that one does have to be careful, but I wouldn't want people to think it is so rampant that you need to hide everything all the time . . . simple precautions like keeping your bag with you at all times, with a zipper or snapped flap toward your body, not flashing a lot of money,etc., will be fine.

 

[MrsJobba1]

?s - what is a "slash bag"? Something you put in the "boot"?

And is Andrew Andrew Derek - we met him on the PC cruise...

Yes Andrew is Andrew Derek - he was on our last med cruise.

The slash bag - let me explain.

It is a small shoulder bag. Looks like a 'normal' bag but it has wire in the straps and also a wire mess inside it to prevent people cutting the strap and grabbing it. Also inside all the pockets have velcro fasteners over the top so you can't just reach in a pull something out.

I actually ordered it online form the states and had it sent here to the uk!.

Hope that makes sense.

See http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=21

 

[MrsJobba1]

Yes, that's Andrew . . . the infamous Andrew . . .

Do whatever will make you have the best, more wonderful vacation you can -- for some that will mean DCL, and for others, doing it on their own. By the way, regarding pickpockets, I know that one does have to be careful, but I wouldn't want people to think it is so rampant that you need to hide everything all the time . . . simple precautions like keeping your bag with you at all times, with a zipper or snapped flap toward your body, not flashing a lot of money,etc., will be fine.

I totally agree with you Julie - We had no problem - I think most major cities through out the world have exactly the same problem - if you are aware of the problem thats half the battle so to speak.

 

[bellelinus]

I totally agree with you Julie - We had no problem - I think most major cities through out the world have exactly the same problem - if you are aware of the problem thats half the battle so to speak.

I don't want to say that it doesn't happen -- I just don't want people to worry so much they can't enjoy themselves . . .

 

[kaseyC]

We do not worry too much about pick pockets. Of course, we are realistic and know it can happen in any major metropolitan area. A few things we do to make ourselves less attractive or accessible to the crooks are:

• Carry just what we need for the day, in my little day bag I could fit a bottle of water, my little wallet with cc and cash, copy of our passports, camera, charmin to go and small guide book.
• I carried my bag strapped across me in the front with all enclosures towards my body. DH used a money belt in the front and carried a bit of cash in his front pant pocket. He did not use his back pockets at all.
• The most important thing we tried to do is protect and be aware of our personal space.

 

[mndisfam]

Helen - that slash bag looks great. We will def. get one.

As to being too worried about pickpockets, I can't tell you the number of world travelers, my dear mother included, who told me they were pickpocketed in this part of the world!

It is nothing that worries us or stops us, but it will make us carry our valuables with extra caution. Just a little more spice for our day. In fact, if I know my kids, they wil be looking for pickpockets and not at the sites. For some reason, they are fascinated with pickpockets and Hobos??? What the hobo thing is about, I have no clue, except Hobos were in the last American Doll movie.

Did you all notice that in Naples, under safety, Disney advised taking a money belt, and not bag...

FYI: my mother is pretty sure she was hit waiting to get into the Colisseum. She said is was really hot and crowded...

Question for you world travellers: read a lot on cruise critics about gypsies, or Romelys (spelling..?) Is it a sensitive subject - seems people get pretty bent out of shape quickly onthe issue...

 

[kaseyC]

Question for you world travellers: read a lot on cruise critics about gypsies, or Romelys (spelling..?) Is it a sensitive subject - seems people get pretty bent out of shape quickly onthe issue...

That's who you have to watch out for in Rome. They use groups of children and teens to do the deed. That's why protecting your personal space is so important. Below is a link to a pretty good article on petty theft in Rome.


http://www.romebuddy.com/givesadvice/crime.html

My DH and I entertained ourselves by people watching and trying to spot the crooks.

 

[mndisfam]

Good morning everyone. Boy, its cold and windy in Minneapolis.

Just wanted to tell everyone something I saw on MSNBC web site today. Way down, under travel, is an article from Travel & Leisure called 20 trips that will change yr life. One of the 20 places mentioned is Cinque Terre - which seems to be an alternate stop to Pisa & Florence. We had already decided to go to Cinque Terre, or Lucca. Great picture.

 

[bellelinus]

Good morning everyone. Boy, its cold and windy in Minneapolis.

Just wanted to tell everyone something I saw on MSNBC web site today. Way down, under travel, is an article from Travel & Leisure called 20 trips that will change yr life. One of the 20 places mentioned is Cinque Terre - which seems to be an alternate stop to Pisa & Florence. We had already decided to go to Cinque Terre, or Lucca. Great picture.

Since we did Pisa and Florence last year, Cinque Terre is exactly what we are planning for La Spezia in 2010 . . . I will have to look at that article!

 

[magicgg]

We did Cinque Terre when we did the Med last year it was absolutely breath taking. Try and do it on your own we did not get to spend as much time there as I would of liked to. This time we will be doing Florence and Pisa on our own. That's where the family would like to go. You will love Cinque.
Genny

 

[bellelinus]

We did Cinque Terre when we did the Med last year it was absolutely breath taking. Try and do it on your own we did not get to spend as much time there as I would of liked to. This time we will be doing Florence and Pisa on our own. That's where the family would like to go. You will love Cinque.
Genny

I do everything on my own, so that is not a problem! I just hope we have good weather that day. We have 12 hours in port, and it is only about a 15 minute train ride to the first of the towns, and we would like to walk the Cingue Terre from there, taking time to explore each of the towns and eventually maybe even taking a dip in the Med . . .

I will warn you that it is going to be difficult to do both Pisa and Florence on your own without a private diver, or renting a car yourself (and there are very stringent rules about driving within Florence) . . . La Spexia is a lot more difficult than Livorno to do via train.

 

[MrsJobba1]

Good afternoon all -from a very cold England brrrr its 5 degrees here or 41 in your working out

Last time we did the med - we did the Pizza tour with DCL and were very happy with it. After your talk on Cinque Terre I have gone back over and looked at what excursions DCL offered for that. I never really looked at them before because I'd wanted to do Pizza.

I am kinda limited on what excursions I can do as I have discs that have degnereated in my spine and I find sitting / standing for long periods of time painful. I think its because of my back problems I like to stick with DCL excursions - if any thing happens I know Mickey will get me back to the ship

Florence is just too far from the port for me same with Rome -last year my dh and I were virtaully on the ship by ourselves on Rome day. (or at least it felt like that)

Anyway last med DCL offered
Cinque Terre Scenic Boat Tour -Activity Type: Nature
Activity Level: Moderate
Duration: 4.5 - 5 hours
Price: $109



I hope they offer this again as it looks good

 

[mndisfam]

That's interesting about the scenic boat tour - just what I wanted. In one article I was reading, it said the best way to see the towns - by far - was by boat. They said it was the most expensive option...I am glad that we would be given thebest way to see this beautiful area. Hiking looks wonderful too - I wish I could think of the article I read. Showed the gorgeous hiking trails btwb the 5 towns - very narrow beautiful pathe - it looked like most towns are 90 minutes apart.

I have a feeling I will love it there.

Never been to Italy - everyone I know is blown away by it. Such a big part of our culture too...

 

[Travelbee]

Just a quick shout out to you all! We booked on the first day and snatched the last SPH room. It will be me, DH and DD(7 at the time of sailing). We are hoping she would be old enough to appreciate this type of trip because it is a long way for us to travel. Her only European trip was when she was 7 months old and we stayed in a narrowboat in Nottingham!

 

[Disney Fool]

Age 7? on a Disney cruise? Perfect!!! Don't worry about her. Disney will do all kinds of things to spark her interest. the rest is ...Magic.

 

[bellelinus]

Just a quick shout out to you all! We booked on the first day and snatched the last SPH room. It will be me, DH and DD(7 at the time of sailing). We are hoping she would be old enough to appreciate this type of trip because it is a long way for us to travel. Her only European trip was when she was 7 months old and we stayed in a narrowboat in Nottingham!

Welcome! Which room did you get? I agree, she will have a wonderful time o this cruise at the age of 7.

 

[MrsJobba1]

Just a quick shout out to you all! We booked on the first day and snatched the last SPH room. It will be me, DH and DD(7 at the time of sailing). We are hoping she would be old enough to appreciate this type of trip because it is a long way for us to travel. Her only European trip was when she was 7 months old and we stayed in a narrowboat in Nottingham!

Welcome !

 

[Travelbee]

Thanks for the warm welcome! We're in Room 5020. I know she'll love the cruise. This will be her fourth Disney cruise. We did a 3-day Bahama cruise May 2007 and were hooked. We went back for a 7-day in April and signed up for the 2009 double dip while on board. And well, when we found out 2010 itinerary, we just had to do it. What I'm worried about is how port intensive this cruise is and whether she can keep up with all the sight seeing. Any suggestions?? She loves to watch Rick Steve's Europe and begs to go all the time. But it could be too exhausting for a 7-yr old?

 

[bellelinus]

Thanks for the warm welcome! We're in Room 5020. I know she'll love the cruise. This will be her fourth Disney cruise. We did a 3-day Bahama cruise May 2007 and were hooked. We went back for a 7-day in April and signed up for the 2009 double dip while on board. And well, when we found out 2010 itinerary, we just had to do it. What I'm worried about is how port intensive this cruise is and whether she can keep up with all the sight seeing. Any suggestions?? She loves to watch Rick Steve's Europe and begs to go all the time. But it could be too exhausting for a 7-yr old?

We are in 5024! I think this itinerary will be less exhausting than either the Baltic (with long trips to Berlin, long days in St Petersburg) -- most ports have things to do relatively near the ship, and you can do half day excursions if you want. I think she will be fine!

 

[kaseyC]

Just a quick shout out to you all! We booked on the first day and snatched the last SPH room. It will be me, DH and DD(7 at the time of sailing). We are hoping she would be old enough to appreciate this type of trip because it is a long way for us to travel. Her only European trip was when she was 7 months old and we stayed in a narrowboat in Nottingham!

Welcome! Our youngest DD wil be 7 at the time of the cruise as well. I think she will truly enjoy the itinerary and have fun, especially if there is Gelato involved.