4/24/2010 Med cruise: Friends, Romans, Countrymen lend me your Ears

[auntlynne]

Here are two banners:

 

[auntlynne]

- Lynne

 

[grlzmom]

What version of Bejeweled are you playing?

I think I have Bejeweled 2 on my itouch.

Just started this Bejeweled thing recently (on Facebook). I discovered Bejeweled while in the Oceaneers Lab with little little ones, addicting.

LOVE all the logos and keep debating which one to use for Tshirts. Is there any chance you are going to make a Logo that incorporates both cruises so I could print that onto everything?

 

[grlzmom]

Not so funny when they're "laughing" at 5am in the morning as they often tend to do. And once again, they're everywhere!!!! I'll see what I can do...

Also put me down for a Kukaburra. I can regift it to a certain family member

I play Bejeweled like one day a week when they reset the scores. If Lynne gets on there I am thinking we will have to get serious and play more often. I bet she can make our scores look so small

 

[susanowen27]

Yay Jill, glad you joined the thread!

I'm looking for 2-4 more people to join in with a private group in Naples...Amalfi coast drive with Positano and Sorrento, lunch in a "rael" Italian restaurant (family owned), Pompeii, and the musuem in Naples. Shopping will be mainly items made by locals, so not a ton of shopping, more exploring. Will be a long tour, 9 hours at least. 450 euro divided among the number of people (so far, 4...we can have up to 8). If you are interested, PM me...the guide is highly recommded by many, and I think it will be a wonderful, personalized tour with a lot of information provided by a guide that grew up in the area.

We have the option of a private guide in Pompeii for 100 euro, but we are leaning towards the headsets for 6 euro instead...unless we have 8 people, then we might as well spring for the guide.

We were contemplating many tours by Disney that day...none of them quite met what we wanted out of the day...and we were afraid we'd spend too much time trying to round people up for the next stop.

We would love to join this group if you still have room for 2?

 

[NC_Tink]

Can anybody see one as better than the other? I'm thinking the one on the right is a little more balanced top to bottom.

Help!

I personally like the one on the right -- but that's cause I'm a Libra and being the scales - like balance And, I think you're right - the one on the right is a little bit more balanced on top

Thanks Lynne!!!

 

[susanowen27]

.

Can anybody see one as better than the other? I'm thinking the one on the right is a little more balanced top to bottom.

Help!

PS Belinda - I'll make yours with Cinque Terre (in lieu of Florence/Pisa)

Love the one on the right! Thank you so much! I am glad I have this figured out (saving as a picture so I can print) Some of this computer can be a challange for me.

 

[friend of tinkerbell]

I wanted to pose a question to anyone who sailed the Mediterranian with disney in 2007. After reading the reviews on restrooms in Italy and elswhere, I must say we're spoiled in America! I won't go into details, as I'm sure others have read about them also! My question is, are there restrooms on the busses from port to Rome, port to Pompei, etc.? I know the tour books say to try not to consume lots of liquids on tours, however, when the kids have to go.... Does anyone have any tips or insite on this?

thanks! Michaela

 

[carpenta]

I wanted to pose a question to anyone who sailed the Mediterranian with disney in 2007. After reading the reviews on restrooms in Italy and elswhere, I must say we're spoiled in America! I won't go into details, as I'm sure others have read about them also! My question is, are there restrooms on the busses from port to Rome, port to Pompei, etc.? I know the tour books say to try not to consume lots of liquids on tours, however, when the kids have to go.... Does anyone have any tips or insite on this?

thanks! Michaela

The tour bus has a rest room BUT they don't let you use them. On the trip to Rome we stopped 1/2 way at a highway rest stop. The trip to Sorrento we stopped when we reached the town and there was small restrooms and the line went out the door.If you are on a tour bus and they stop for some shopping from the group then the proprietors allow the use of the restroom.If you go into a store or resturaunt it is expected that you buy something to use the restroom. Pompeii has a welcome center with baths.The resturaunt has great cappacino and desserts at least when we were there. The tip I have is not to consume alot of liquids like they recommend. In France and it is "customary"( re: expected) to tip the attendee a couple coins to get toilet paper. But the restrooms are super clean at least the ones we used. We stopped last time in Italy on our way to Orvietto (BEAUTIFUL Etruscan wall city north of Rome and to see the real Italy see this) And the highway stop not only was beautiful but one of the most idealic spot in the Italian countryside.The same restroom situation is in Spain and Greece. I think that the Europeans have huge bladders. The last thing we do is take our child to the bath on the ship and make her do something.
When in Rome...do as the Roman's do.. hope this helped.

 

[Dicecatt]

I wanted to pose a question to anyone who sailed the Mediterranian with disney in 2007. After reading the reviews on restrooms in Italy and elswhere, I must say we're spoiled in America! I won't go into details, as I'm sure others have read about them also! My question is, are there restrooms on the busses from port to Rome, port to Pompei, etc.? I know the tour books say to try not to consume lots of liquids on tours, however, when the kids have to go.... Does anyone have any tips or insite on this?

thanks! Michaela

Wanted to mention...it might be a good idea to bring little restroom packets with you...I bought them online at a travel store, or you can make some yourself...hand wipes, toilet paper, seat liner. Egypt's restroom situation is more extreme (can't flush toilet paper, for example) but you may run into unsanitary conditions in Europe as well. Those little packets were wonderful to have!

 

[carpenta]

Wanted to mention...it might be a good idea to bring little restroom packets with you...I bought them online at a travel store, or you can make some yourself...hand wipes, toilet paper, seat liner. Egypt's restroom situation is more extreme (can't flush toilet paper, for example) but you may run into unsanitary conditions in Europe as well. Those little packets were wonderful to have!

Great idea. Also you should look at the CDC web site to get tips about eating in forgien countries especially "fresh" vegetables, any street foods as well as drinking water or drinks with ice. Only eat foods that were cooked thoughly in 3rd world countries.You should take bottled water from the ship especially in Tunisa. Hand sanitizer is a must. Spain, Italy and France are first world countries and are basically the same as the US. One funny story we were on a trip to a questionable country and warned our daughter not to drink the water with ice and sure enough she quickly grabbed the glass and tried to drink. My wife flew across the table and with one swoop grabbed the glass and spilled it over the side of the table. The owner was standing over us at the time and with a meek smile we explained we were Americans and not exposed to alot of which the natives are and have a weaker immune system. She was very nice and she understood and we proceeded to have a wonderful cooked meal.
It is always good to take percautions for nothing is worse than spoiling the trip with gastric problems. My family is well versed in Infectious disease having a doctor specializing in that study in the house

 

[shushh]

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Can anybody see one as better than the other? I'm thinking the one on the right is a little more balanced top to bottom.

Help!

PS Belinda - I'll make yours with Cinque Terre (in lieu of Florence/Pisa)

Lynne, thanks for the all the images and for our personalised name tags. I think the one on the right is a bit more balanced.

Any idea how to make the banner be displayed at say 80% so that it doesn't take up my whole post!

 

[friend of tinkerbell]

Thanks for the information. With the stops I think we'll be O.K.

Michaela

 

[skoi]

Sure! Marcello Maresca, but booked with his associate Marco, not with Marcello. although I do believe we may meet up at lunch with his group. He is booked with someone on the Magic, perhaps you know who? But we were leaning towards Marco anyway so it worked out well.

They have been incredibly prompt and attentive in email. And while I've read a couple of negative reviews, mostly dealing with shopping and that Marcello talks too much...almost all are positive and the ones involving Marco that I've found are all positive. I contacted many guides and companies, but I "like" them the best. He answers me immediately, with detail, and I really like that. He made me feel that he'll do what we want, including the museum and seeing churches in some of the small villages.

That's us!
We don't want to do Pompeii. Maybe we should talk and combine? I have to run out and pick up my Arabic teacher, but if you want to see if we can work out something, email or pm me.

Julie

 

[Dicecatt]

That's us!
We don't want to do Pompeii. Maybe we should talk and combine? I have to run out and pick up my Arabic teacher, but if you want to see if we can work out something, email or pm me.

Julie

Coincidence, how cool!

I PM'd you.

 

[Happy Goofy]

Lynne- We also would be interested in a logo for both cruises for sweatshirts.

Saw both the Magic and Wonder in port today. They never are in port together but since the Magic had problems it came in a day late. The Wonder was at the Disney port so the Magic had to dock at the gambling ship dock. It was kind of neat- The Wonder took off first and went along side the Magic and you could hear the people shouting to one another- then The Wonder played When you wish upon a star- the Magic replied and they went back and forth for a while. There were a lot of people on shore and they were all singing to the whistles.

 

[Postman]

What type of problems did the Magic encounter?

 

[carpenta]

What type of problems did the Magic encounter?

High winds 50 mph and 20 to 25 foot waves.

 

[skoi]

We're experts on less than meeting American standard restrooms! And once we get back from Morocco, we'll know even more. In China, you can't flush the paper, same in Kazakhstan. And our first trip to Italy- in the train station in Rome, there were squat toilets. Dd (at age 4) nearly had a heart attack. Same thing in China. She would go 12 hours with no bathroom break if there were no "Western" toilets/

She made me ask my Arabic teacher if there was a real toilet in his house in Morocco. Thankfully, there is, but he me to tell her she should try a squat, because she might like it better. This was our conversation of the night after our Chinese dinner and fireworks in the alley behind the house.

Enough toilet talk. Good night all.
Julie

 

[shushh]

JUlie I take it your chinese new year dinner went well then!

I love toilet stories (yeah sick I know...)

When I first went to China, it was not uncommon to find just one long drain in the ground and partitions spaced apart with NO doors. You just do your business and go. And occasionally you might see a floater go pass from up the drain! No toilet paper either.

Squat toilets are still common in south east Asia. In fact, I often prefer them as I don't have to "touch" anything to go or strain my quads trying not to touch the dirty toilet seats.

Off to celebrate the new year with the extended family tonight. Time to part with some cash...