Med cruisers--anyone nervous because DCL has never sailed the Med before?

[jcl]

I wouldn't sweat the inexperience of disney. We did Royal Carb in the med and you would have thought that it was their first europe cruise. No organization at all.

 

[Skallywag]

Olbia is our one port at which I have been unsuccessful at engaging any well-reviewed private guide. Furthermore, I have received zero responses to several e-mail inquiries attempting to schedule a sport-fishing charter.

• 
  
  Dont know if this is going to work for you or be any help.
  
  http://www.vancharter.com/v_english/index.htm
  Brenda

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Olbia is our one port at which I have been unsuccessful at engaging any well-reviewed private guide. Furthermore, I have received zero responses to several e-mail inquiries attempting to schedule a sport-fishing charter.

• 
  
  Dont know if this is going to work for you or be any help.
  
  http://www.vancharter.com/v_english/index.htm
  Brenda

• 
  
  Yes I havent been able to book a private tour there either.

 

[MrsJobba1]

Just wondering myself where the Ugly American quoted came from, not from our family most definitely wherever we have been in your country we have met some wonderful people and made some good friends.

Email is a wonderful thing as we can keep in touch with them wherever they live.

I just want to agree with Brenda - We too have made some wonderful friends (thanks to the dis) and despite living thousands of miles via the computer they are close.

I personaly am looking forward to my med cruise with DCL. From the cruises I have had in the past and the standards disney has I am sure they will have checked and double checked everything - hence the delay in posting the excursion info. I am very confident that Dcl will have everything in hand.

I also agree with what has been said before - variety is the spice of life -

and it will be so nice to get a tan without those nasty strap lines !!!













Ps only joking

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I also agree with what has been said before - variety is the spice of life -
and it will be so nice to get a tan without those nasty strap lines !!!

Ps only joking

Now now! You can get a spray on one!

 

[webray]

Believe me, Disney has been all over the med ports to make sure they are ready for disney people, otherwise they wouldn't be going there. You can expect nothing but the best..enjoy!

 

[FutureSailor]

Thanks for all the responses. I agree that Disney has probably put a lot of effort into planning the Med cruises. But sometimes planning alone is not enough--it takes experience to know what sorts of things will go wrong. As a minor example, on the westbound repositioning cruise in 2005 there was some uproar about pins--Disney had planned to make available a new pin every day but had to scrap that plan in the middle of the cruise because people were complaining that getting the pin interfered with other activities (or something like that). Disney decided to release all the remaining pins at once. This led to a bunch of people literally sleeping in the atrium one night so they could get the pins. Was this a big deal? Not to me but perhaps to people who really wanted the pins. But Disney has released pins before, and even so messed this up. They have never tendered passengers in La Spezia, which seems to me to make potential problems more likely.

 

[Skallywag]

I am certain that the Italian ports are quite capable of handling a cruise liner even if it is a Disney one. Being one of the oldest seafaring nations their lives are on and around the coast and have been for many years.

I really cannot see what the problem is regarding Disney and the Med. The only thing I am sad about is that the did not do at least one med cruise for DVC members from this side of the Atlantic. Someones it is almost as if they do not really care about us over here and that I feel is something they should address.

 

[tiggr33]

Thanks for all the responses. I agree that Disney has probably put a lot of effort into planning the Med cruises. But sometimes planning alone is not enough--it takes experience to know what sorts of things will go wrong. As a minor example, on the westbound repositioning cruise in 2005 there was some uproar about pins--Disney had planned to make available a new pin every day but had to scrap that plan in the middle of the cruise because people were complaining that getting the pin interfered with other activities (or something like that). Disney decided to release all the remaining pins at once. This led to a bunch of people literally sleeping in the atrium one night so they could get the pins. Was this a big deal? Not to me but perhaps to people who really wanted the pins. But Disney has released pins before, and even so messed this up. They have never tendered passengers in La Spezia, which seems to me to make potential problems more likely.

As someone who was on that cruise, and a pin collector I can speak of that incident. In a nutshell, there were a few individuals who ran amuck the first night . Their greed, rudeness, and physicality left a bad taste in many peoples mouths. Many of us, complained bitterly about those individuals and that situation. DCL had to make a safety decision as well as a logistics one. The daily pins did become a problem, ONLY (IMHO) because Disney did not make enough, and because of the actions of certain individuals. Additionally, a few people who believed they were above standing in line and claimed to know people, made phone calls, and the whole darn thing snow balled. Yes, people did not show up for dinners or shows, because of the announced nightly release. THIS WAS THEIR CHOICE. The pins were scheduled to be released the same way other LE releases have and do occur on DCL. A LE 500 simply wasn't enough for a ship of the size of the Magic on a Repo. The only way you were going to get the remaining pins was to get in line prior to 5am (sorry cant remember the exact cut-off time). Disney made the correct decision (again IMHO) by doing the one shot deal. On the other hand, those of us who have been collecting pins since Disney started pin trading (and in my case years before) have been yelling at the top of our lungs to make smaller edition sizes like they did in the past. Well for once, they listened, and it did backfire to a degree. I for one, as a veteran pin collector EXPECT a line for a pin. We the pin community can tell you horror stories of pins (The Search for Imagination Pin Event). This situation was of non-concern to me. I got up and was in line at 4am. Hey, its vacation after all...I don't vacation to sleep. For cruisers who did not want pins this whole situation was a non issue. It did no effect everyone on board.

As to your tendering concern. IMHO it should be of no concern. On the same repo cruise mentioned above, it was the first time the Magic tendered in Cabo. We had no problems. The crew is highly experienced. The pilots are experts. Italy and all the Med have been hosts to countless ships (passenger and commercial) for hundreds of years. Once we tender and get the all ashore, there may be a line for the boats that take us in. That will be well scheduled and well organized. DCL and all cruise lines are logistic masters.

As with anything in life, if you go looking for problems you will find them.

 

[Skallywag]

That sounded like a nightmare cruise - wondered what it was about the pins. We have been given some when we have toured the disney resorts but did not know they were so sought after.

 

[tiggr33]

That sounded like a nightmare cruise - wondered what it was about the pins. We have been given some when we have toured the disney resorts but did not know they were so sought after.

It really wasn't a nightmare. The night/day they released all the pins it was actually a lot of fun. I knew alot of other cruisers and made some new friends in the line. There was a lot of camaraderie that day/night. The first night at the store was just ghastly. But a situation, is what you make out of it. I simply bought my one pin, went to dinner and enjoyed my night. Yes, I missed the show that night, but then again it was like my 9th cruise and it wasn't one of the special shows exclusive to that cruise. The nightmare on that cruise was Bob Saggett (sp), from Americas Funniest Video. What a jack a**...but that isn't a story for here or now.