4/10/2010 eb ta "bound for barcelona"

[dee47]

Thanks for posting a the cactus picture for us Zonies. I would post a real picture, but I'm not sure how.

Susan,

You need an online photo sharing account like flicker or PhotoBucket. You upload your picture to that account and copy the direct link to the picture. When posting here, click the Inser Image icon (mountion w/sunshine) and paste the link in the dialog box.

Or just send PM me with the link and I'll upload it for you

 

[thossink]

Lynne enjoy your vacation, The new page looks great thanks for your work.
I too am looking at changing away from the unforgetable west excursion. We talked as a family and it might be just too long for us. The girls really want to go shopping. Go figure ;}

T

 

[susanowen27]

Thanks you so much, but it's like reading another language to me. I will ask my daughter to do it tonight. She is very smart with computers.

 

[ilovedale3]

This is me (Lorrie) and my husband Rex. Thankfully, I've lost weight since this pic, but y'all will still be able to recognize me!

 

[ilovedale3]

Have any of you previous TA cruisers ever done a day trip from Gibraltar to Morocco?

I have looked for info on this and it seems that the ferries that run from Gibraltar to Tangier only run on Fridays and Sundays? Is there another way?

One of my life goals is to step foot on every continent. It would be a shame to be so close to another continent and not get to go there!

 

[auntlynne]

...One of my life goals is to step foot on every continent. It would be a shame to be so close to another continent and not get to go there!

You could just stay aboard and do a B2B with the 11-night Med for $1K pp (+ all the port excursion costs); we are going to Tunisia.

I've done 5 continents so far: N America, Europe, Africa, Australia (New Zealand) and Asia.

Just have S America and Antartica to go - figure I'll hit them in one fell swoop with an Antarctic cruise out of Patagonia (I'm a dreamer and schemer). Won't make it by age 50, but it could be close.

Lynne

 

[dennisgirl]

Auntlynne, thanks for the new thread it's beautiful! Please add our anniversary 4/12. It will be our 20th.
ilovedale- are you doing the taste of Cadiz?
Anyone going to Seville?
Anyone going to Montserrat full day?
What about Scarlet and Gray for the laynard? Go Bucks! just kidding.
Cheers, Jennifer

 

[IngridRalph]

Anyone going to try to make it to the picasso museum in Barcelona? I was surpised that none of tours from DCL go there.

We are also thinking of booking a segway tour in Barcelona. I found a company that takes kids over the age of 12 but they have a weight limit of 250. I need to see how flexible they are with that. My son is 6'4" and about 255-260.

~Ingrid

 

[Michelle2]

Have any of you previous TA cruisers ever done a day trip from Gibraltar to Morocco?

I have looked for info on this and it seems that the ferries that run from Gibraltar to Tangier only run on Fridays and Sundays? Is there another way?

One of my life goals is to step foot on every continent. It would be a shame to be so close to another continent and not get to go there!

You sound exactly like me when I did the first TA in 2007. It drove me crazy being so close to a new continent for me.

After my research, (I had even found a private guide) I decided not to take the risk. I found that there were ferries that go over to Morocco, but the times were extremely limited, plus, it took forever. With the time in port, and the time to get all the way over there, there was hardly any time and that is if we can even trust that the ferries would be accurate and trustworthy.

Although it drove me crazy, I ended up being glad to have to stay and enjoy Gibraltar with my DH and DS (there was no way DH would have gone and taken our DS who was only 4). I think I would have been brave enough, but it was too big of a risk for even this risker extraordinaire. I just could not risk missing the ship....If you have any other questions, please ask because I did do alot of planning and research for it.

 

[dennisgirl]

IngridRalph, we walked to the picasso museum. It isn't too far if you're a regular walker. I'm sorry I can't remember how long it took to get there. You could take a taxi most of the way there. The streets become too small close to the museum as I recall. After we finished at the museum, we found a taxi stand and went to the Gaudi church (I know it's called something else but I can't remember, ah, the beginings of menopause).
cheers, Jennifer

 

[ilovedale3]

Michelle -- thanks for the feedback! I was afraid that what you encountered would be the case. I would be in constant fear of missing the boat too. My DH was not crazy about the idea of going over to Morocco anyway, but if we missed the boat b/c of it, I'd never hear the end of it!

Lynne -- I wish I could do the B2B with y'all! Unfortunately, DH couldn't get that time off work, and since my work "slow-down" (not quite unemployment), finances just wouldn't allow it. But I can dream....

 

[Mrs. Gumdrop]

Anyone going to try to make it to the picasso museum in Barcelona? I was surpised that none of tours from DCL go there.

We are also thinking of booking a segway tour in Barcelona. I found a company that takes kids over the age of 12 but they have a weight limit of 250. I need to see how flexible they are with that. My son is 6'4" and about 255-260.

~Ingrid

We are spending disembarkation day in Barclona and hope to hit the Picasso Museum and a few other highlights.

 

[PrincessMonkey]

LOVE the idea to start a new thread!

To those talking about dress code - its a very hot topic on all cruise boards... Could we maybe just agree to disagree or start another thread on dress code on the main DCL board?

Thanks! I was thinking the same thing.

Anyone going to try to make it to the picasso museum in Barcelona? I was surpised that none of tours from DCL go there.

Ingrid, the Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso) in Barcelona is one of my favorite museums! The entire visit on your own should only take about 2-3 hours. I admire Picasso's work (I did reports about him in Spanish class, 12+ years ago ). This museum is a must-see for Picasso fans; I've been to other ones featuring Picasso, but this is really the best. It is fascinating to see how his style progressed from beautiful, traditional art to his more unconventional style that's so famous today.

Note: The connecting medieval palaces that house this Picasso collection are architecturally beautiful and well-kept! Rick Steves has a good basic tour of the Picasso museum in his Spain book.

My fiance, Dr. Dave, was not a Picasso fan before our visit because he preferred classical artists that painted in a more conventional style. After he visited THIS museum, reviewed that progression of styles in the collection's chronological order, he turned to me and exclaimed, "I get it now!"

If you love the large, complex painting "Las Meninas" by Velazquez (the original hangs in The Prado in Madrid, another great museum!), then you MUST see Picasso's version of "Las Meninas." It is outrageous in person!

They even show small sketches/related studies of how his mind got there, which is even more fascinating.

PrincessMonkey

 

[woody73]

I found the new thread and am pleased at how it is taking shape.

Before I vote on lanyard colors, does anyone know if DCL is giving away free lanyards to Castaway Club members? If so, what are the colors?

I would vote for different colors than those used for Castaway Club members so our lanyards stand out from the rest.

On prior cruises, it was nice having colors that stood out, making it easier to approach people. We felt more comfortable asking to join a table at Cookies' BBQ or in a dimly lit Rock 'n' Bar D, or asking people at Castaway Cay if they could watch our stuff while we went in the water.

Woody

 

[Beauty & the Best]

Auntlynne, thanks for the new thread it's beautiful! Please add our anniversary 4/12. It will be our 20th.
ilovedale- are you doing the taste of Cadiz?
Anyone going to Seville?
Anyone going to Montserrat full day?
What about Scarlet and Gray for the laynard? Go Bucks! just kidding.
Cheers, Jennifer

We are going to Seville. We will take a train there for the day.

I am toying w/ the idea of doing Montserrat on our Barcelona day...not sure yet.

 

[Brooklyn]

I found the new thread and am pleased at how it is taking shape.

Before I vote on lanyard colors, does anyone know if DCL is giving away free lanyards to Castaway Club members? If so, what are the colors?

I would vote for different colors than those used for Castaway Club members so our lanyards stand out from the rest.

On prior cruises, it was nice having colors that stood out, making it easier to approach people. We felt more comfortable asking to join a table at Cookies' BBQ or in a dimly lit Rock 'n' Bar D, or asking people at Castaway Cay if they could watch our stuff while we went in the water.

Woody

This is a picture of the three different color lanyards handed out by DCL now for silver, gold and platinum

 

[woody73]

the Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso) in Barcelona is one of my favorite museums!

This museum is a must-see for Picasso fans; I've been to other ones featuring Picasso, but this is really the best.

Princess M,

We've been to the Picasso Museum in Paris. Do you know how the one in Barcelona compares?

Woody

 

[dennisgirl]

PrincessMonkey, I spoke to my husband about the wii, he said it had the basic games, bowling,darts,baseball, ect. It has four controllers.

I'd like to know your recomendations for Barcelona. We will be staying until Sunday morning. We've been to Picasso, we would like to do something more in depth. We don't plan on coming back, since we can write Barcelona off our bucket list.
Thanks, Jennifer

 

[woody73]

This is a picture of the three different color lanyards handed out by DCL now for silver, gold and platinum

Thanks Stephanie. I'm voting for Red as I think we should have lanyards that stand out from the others.

Woody

 

[PrincessMonkey]

We are also thinking of booking a segway tour in Barcelona.

Dr. Dave and I rode Segway tours in several countries (we were the first to do so in Rome... We actually had to teach our private tour guide how to use the Segway!! Numerous Roman adults and children stared and asked questions (moreso than in other countries we visited) because they had never seen one before. Even with Segways everywhere now, be prepared that strangers will take pictures of you.

Segway tours are a very easy way to get the lay of the land, can be informative if you have the right guide with you, and we highly recommend them.

Anyone going to Montserrat full day?

We visited Monsterrat and spent 3/4 of a day to do it. The travel from Barcelona is further than we thought, since you have to drive up into the serrated mountains (...the literal meaning of Mont serrat) and it's a twisty road--think California's Yosemite National Park.

This entire area feels very sacred (and we're just spiritual if not anything else). The monastery was the main point-of-interest for us, especially seeing the Lady Madonna or Black Maddona of Monterrat (La Moreneta). We waited in a line that was about a half an hour long, through dark hallways and ancient stairwells, and it was worth it...

The Black Madonna is royally perched in a GORGEOUS gold mosiac-lined room that is the size of a walk-in closet... only 1-2 people at a time can enter or fit! It is a very personal encounter with the statue. Also, I cannot truly describe the beauty of that Madonna's room... It rivalled the gold mosaic walls of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.

We ate at the large outdoor patio restaurant that was connected to the Montserrat gift shop, right at the mouth of the entryway/parking lot. There was a very long line of people waiting for the tram/"funicular" all day, and we were so glad that we had taken a car! We did not do any hiking while we were up there, but there was a trail on the edge of the mountain, behind the tram, which led to a cave in the mountainside... and that seemed nice.

I decided not to take the risk. I found that there were ferries that go over to Morocco, but the times were extremely limited, plus, it took forever. With the time in port, and the time to get all the way over there, there was hardly any time and that is if we can even trust that the ferries would be accurate and trustworthy.

We have also decided not to go to Morocco from Gibraltar, because Tangier (the closest point by ferry) is NOT REPRESENTATIVE of the true Moroccan city that we idealize as Americans. Tangier is similar to Tijuana... and we all know that Tijuana is not representative of Mexico.

On a future visit to this part of the world, it would be better to spend some time and visit Marrakesh, Fez, and perhaps even Casablanca.