08/08/07 Well, Olbia Monkey's Uncle! We're cruisin' on the 10nt Med Cruise!

[bellelinus]

We would like a beach day in Olbia too-preferably a snorkeling trip. I have also read that the small islands north of Palermo Sicily have some fantastic snorkeling / scuba areas.

I have not had any luck finding an outfit that would be able to snorkeling at either location

We neither . . . but Disney's own description of the port says that there are taxis, clearly marked, at the port . . . it's hard to imagine that someone won't be able to drive us to a place where we can do some snorkeling (although of course snorkeling from the beach is not the same as from a ship). I'm betting that someone on an earlier Med cruise this summer will figure it out and post in their trip report.

 

[UMTerp]

I'm hoping to get a taxi too. From what I've read it's an industrial port but hopefully word will get out that we will be there needing rides! I would say it might be harder to get back to the ship later in the day. Depending on earlier cruisers to figure this one out for us!

UMTerp

 

[bellelinus]

I'm hoping to get a taxi too. From what I've read it's an industrial port but hopefully word will get out that we will be there needing rides! I would say it might be harder to get back to the ship later in the day. Depending on earlier cruisers to figure this one out for us!

UMTerp

I am willing to bet that we can make a deal with the person who takes us to the beach to return at a certain time . . . they will want the cash, I'm guessing! Of course we will be able to profit from all the info the earlier cruisers are able to post.

 

[simonbg]

I don’t know about anyone else…
BUT we are TOTALLY DONE with planning and :: drum roll :: everything is PAID in FULL.

Yes… everything! From airfare to London… to hotels in Barcelona… to Disneyland CA to Disneyland resort Paris to the Cruise.

It feels so good to have all the money dealt with. And a word to the wise.. we are doing 4 night in Disneyland Paris (2 adults) w/room upgrade and lake view and meals included for less than the Disney Cruiseline add on. It pays to just make the long distance call to Paris and book yourself.

Check my Sig to see all we are doing in month we are taking off from work.

 

[astroth]

Congrats, simonbg! I wish I could say the same, but we're not quite there. We've got the air travel booked, an apartment in Barcelona for 3 nights before the cruise, and the cruise itself. I'm still dithering about a hotel to stay in for one night after the cruise (there are so many!), and we're mulling over the shore excursion possibilities.

Looks like you guys are going to have a lot of fun!

 

[bellelinus]

I don’t know about anyone else…
BUT we are TOTALLY DONE with planning and :: drum roll :: everything is PAID in FULL.

Yes… everything! From airfare to London… to hotels in Barcelona… to Disneyland CA to Disneyland resort Paris to the Cruise.

It feels so good to have all the money dealt with. And a word to the wise.. we are doing 4 night in Disneyland Paris (2 adults) w/room upgrade and lake view and meals included for less than the Disney Cruiseline add on. It pays to just make the long distance call to Paris and book yourself.

Check my Sig to see all we are doing in month we are taking off from work.

Congrats to you! I have all my plans in place, but didn't pre-pay everything in advance ( will have to pay hotesl in Barcelona, Paris, and DLP when I get there). You are very correct about doing the DLP booking on your own -- just like the land/sea vacations in Florida, you pay a premium for the added convenience of having Disney do it all for you . . . do the seperate components on your own and you will save a lot.

 

[simonbg]

Congrats, simonbg! I wish I could say the same, but we're not quite there. We've got the air travel booked, an apartment in Barcelona for 3 nights before the cruise, and the cruise itself. I'm still dithering about a hotel to stay in for one night after the cruise (there are so many!), and we're mulling over the shore excursion possibilities.

Looks like you guys are going to have a lot of fun!

I think it is going to be fun time. But to chime in about the post cruise hotel: we are staying at them Grand Marina after mainly because of the proximity to the ship after disembarkment [sp?]. As we ALL know the night before we get off the ship isn’t relaxing at all. When I cruise in Florida we book a room at the Hyatt to just relax and chill out and prepare for the flight home. I can only imagine what that 10hr flight to the west coast is going to do to me. I got a really good deal on hotels.com about $200/night for the Superior room. It was comparable to what I pay in Florida so it was a no brainer.

Yeah Hotels.com!

Congrats to you! I have all my plans in place, but didn't pre-pay everything in advance ( will have to pay hotesl in Barcelona, Paris, and DLP when I get there). You are very correct about doing the DLP booking on your own -- just like the land/sea vacations in Florida, you pay a premium for the added convenience of having Disney do it all for you . . . do the seperate components on your own and you will save a lot.

I know I was shocked at what I was quote for 2 adults with all the extras I wanted (Admiral club lever, Lake View, half board meal, and buffalo bill show) *AND* got the EuroStar added for less than the DCL add-on. This was one time that I was disappoint in the *deal* Disney Cruiseline was giving. It also seems to me that it’s was bad thinking on there part to NOT provide or suggest transfers from Barcelona to Disneyland Paris. Someone wasnt minding the farm on this decision.

Question are you doing DLPR before or after the cruise?

 

[astroth]

The Grand Marina looks great, and is definitely one of the few I'm seriously considering. I have a slightly complicated situation in that my wife and I are traveling with our two sons (8 and 4) and my father. We're trying to find out if there's any way we can avoid booking 3 rooms. I'm waiting for email responses from a few hotels...

 

[catjammies]

We're on Deck 7 on the cruise -

But where's everyone stayin before & after?

We're at the Hispanos 7 Suizas - or something like that beforehand. How bout joining us? google it!

We're staying that one nite after we dock coming in...... Where are you stayin? We have no ressies yet! But will be flying back to the states!

 

[catjammies]

That's what we're doing.

We're staying IN Barce right beforehand -
but even prior to that -

I think we're doing the Sunway in Sitges - almost 4-7 days before.

Anyone interested? & we'll hook up!!

 

[scrapycruiser]

DH,myself, and GS age 11 will fly non-stop from Philadelphia to Barcelona via US AIR on Aug 5. We're staying at the Hilton. We have a gty Cat. 6 so not sure which deck or cabin we'll have ( drives me crazy ). I hope we find out before we get our docs. Has this happened to anyone else ?

 

[bellelinus]

Question are you doing DLPR before or after the cruise?

We are doing it after -- we will go straight to Paris when we get off the ship, and after 5 days there we will go to DLP.

 

[bellelinus]

The Grand Marina looks great, and is definitely one of the few I'm seriously considering. I have a slightly complicated situation in that my wife and I are traveling with our two sons (8 and 4) and my father. We're trying to find out if there's any way we can avoid booking 3 rooms. I'm waiting for email responses from a few hotels...

Try Hispanos Siete Suiza . . . I know they have a few three bedroom suites that would fit your situation perfectly. And, based on the price we got for a two bedroom, I think the price would be better than 3 rooms somewhere else. The all-suite hotel is near La Sagrada Familia, so not near the port, but not that far away, either . . .

 

[bellelinus]

DH,myself, and GS age 11 will fly non-stop from Philadelphia to Barcelona via US AIR on Aug 5. We're staying at the Hilton. We have a gty Cat. 6 so not sure which deck or cabin we'll have ( drives me crazy ). I hope we find out before we get our docs. Has this happened to anyone else ?

Luckily I was able to get a room assignment when my travel agent made the reservation (the first day of booking) . . . but on the Panama Canal repo in 2008 I started out as cat 6 GTY and got my room assignment shortly after. So I would say there is hope that you might find out before your get your docs. On the other hand, you know you will be on the ship, in a room with a veranda, so you know everything will be great in the end even if you do have to wait to find out exactly where you are.

 

[UMTerp]

catjammies - We are going to stay at the Hispanos Siete Suiza for one night prior to the cruise also. Hope to see you there.

We are flying home the day we return... no fun!

We are not paid in full and will not be until sometime closer to excursion booking time. Need to find some trip insurance next.

UMTerp

 

[astroth]

Try Hispanos Siete Suiza . . . I know they have a few three bedroom suites that would fit your situation perfectly. And, based on the price we got for a two bedroom, I think the price would be better than 3 rooms somewhere else. The all-suite hotel is near La Sagrada Familia, so not near the port, but not that far away, either . . .

You're right! I had looked at the Hispanos 7 Suiza for our 3-night stay before the cruise, but the online booking process didn't show any 3-bedroom apartments available, so I thought they didn't have any. But I guess they were just full for those nights, because I just booked us for the 18th! Thanks for the tip.

 

[contemp_mj]

thanks for the info

 

[bellelinus]

You're right! I had looked at the Hispanos 7 Suiza for our 3-night stay before the cruise, but the online booking process didn't show any 3-bedroom apartments available, so I thought they didn't have any. But I guess they were just full for those nights, because they I just booked us for the 18th! Thanks for the tip.

I'm glad it worked out . . . I am really looking forward to staying there -- it looks lovely and gets great reviews on tripadvisor.

 

[giggles_32181]

Hey there it has been a while since I posted last. It has been crazy at home. Looking forward to this great vacation. I was just wondering if anyone has heard about Themed night. I had heard that we are going to have the formal and the semi-formal night, but no Pirates night. Anyone heard anything else? I am starting to roughly think about packing now and wanted to know what to plan for.

 

[bellelinus]

Hey there it has been a while since I posted last. It has been crazy at home. Looking forward to this great vacation. I was just wondering if anyone has heard about Themed night. I had heard that we are going to have the formal and the semi-formal night, but no Pirates night. Anyone heard anything else? I am starting to roughly think about packing now and wanted to know what to plan for.

It's been a while since anyone has posted last! This is a quiet thread -- not a lot of Disers on this cruise, it seems. I had heard that there would be perhaps 2 formal nights and 1 semi-formal,and then I read that there might still be a pirates night after all -- Pirates in the Mediterrean???? We will know a lot more once the first cruise has returned. That's the big advantage of going later in the summer. I think we wil be getting some kind of pre-cruise planning packet soon, since earlier cruisers have had them for a while.