7/13/13 ~~ Eastern Mediterranean Mouseketeers!

[dylan'smom]

Can't remember if I said this earlier or not, but the reasoning why I only had Millipie do our cruise dates as "July 2013" instead of "July 13-25" is because many of us want to keep it vague because of pre and post cruise Med plans. Plus, I think a couple of people said that they might be doing a B2B so this works for that too....Beth

Oh, that's a great idea! We're still trying to decide about dates & probably won't make any final decisions until ABD comes out with any add-ons for Barcelona....hoping for maybe a few days there too. (Dreaming big...lol)

Thanks, Beth ! I already have it saved and printed out on magnet paper !!

You have inspired me!! I thought I might as well print a door sign for the cruise too - maybe this will mean we really do get to go!!!!

Guys. I was really struggling with keeping this cruise or doing a 14 night Fantasy b2b.
I am so overwhelmed with the planning. I feel better about it this morning and I think I need to take care of one port at a time. I am second guessing everything I am planning.
I think it will be easier once DCL releases their port adventurers. The travel links that you posted at the beginning of this thread is very helpful.

I agree - decisions, decisions (!), plus it seems so far out. And in reading through the posts I see people coming & going, and do wonder about starting the FE spreadsheet yet.

So, here's my thought so far.......maybe it would make the most sense at this point if everyone who is interested in doing FEs just PMs me their info (Dis name/s, first names, adults, children [ages of children], Room number or GTY), and then when we are closer, I'd also like to know if you would like to exchange FE gifts with a group of 20-25, or the whole group.

I say this because this group may get pretty large by 2013 & some like to say the more the merrier, while some like to keep it down.....luggage & all that..... and I've been on 3 cruises now that reached 100 rooms....!!

Anyway, it's always fun, so if you know you will be interested, plz PM me here, and when things settle down more, I'll post a link to a spreadsheet for checking & updating. Sound ok to everyone??

.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Beth, when you get a chance can you please change my room numbero on the roll call. I am now in 6313. I rebooked while on the Dream last week and was able to get an 11B instead of C and got deck 6 which is much more preferable to me, I'll be more apt to take the stairs then whereas on deck 2, forget it I would have always been in the elevator to the top decks. I ended up still having a cheaper total with the onboard booking discount than my 11C was anyway, plus a great OBC. Thanks for making the change for me!

Done.

 

[tink&cinderella]

Anyone know of any hotels in Barcelona that Disney has used/recommended when they were cruising the med the last time??

 

[pirateluv]

Hi Beth,
Love the magnet designs!! Would be great on a T-shirt too. DD and I love the T-shirt idea. Especially with Toga Mickey on the front and the itinerary map on the back.
I've been reading "Rick Steve's Mediterranean Cruise Ports". It's great; filled with lots of info!
Most importantly, I've started buying my cruise shoes!!
-Joan

 

[FloridaMom3461]

Anyone know of any hotels in Barcelona that Disney has used/recommended when they were cruising the med the last time??

Last year we stayed at La Meridien in Barcelona which was one of the Disney stops for transport to the port. It is in the midst of activity in Barcelona which was good but we were so jet lagged that we really just slept there. The hotel itself was great albeit a bit on the expensive side.

Randi

 

[Cousin Orville]

We also stayed at Le Meridean. It was very good, but nothing outstanding. (TripAdvisor gives it 5 stars. I'd give it 4). It's benefits are it was right off of the Las Ramblas and close to the Gothic Quarter. My parents (scrapycruiser) stayed at the hotel right next to Le Meridean, which was cheaper and seemed to be of the same quality class. We did book Le Meridean ourselves rather than thru Disney.

 

[FloridaMom3461]

We also stayed at Le Meridean. It was very good, but nothing outstanding. (TripAdvisor gives it 5 stars. I'd give it 4). It's benefits are it was right off of the Las Ramblas and close to the Gothic Quarter. My parents (scrapycruiser) stayed at the hotel right next to Le Meridean, which was cheaper and seemed to be of the same quality class. We did book Le Meridean ourselves rather than thru Disney.

Good point about booking - we also booked ourselves via hotels.com rather than through Disney and it was less expensive to do so.

 

[scrapycruiser]

Yes, we stayed next to our son who was at the Le Meridian. We were at the Hotel 1898. We liked it so much that we're going to stay there again next year. We were able to wheel our suitcases across the street to the Le Meridian and use DCL's transportation to the pier. Disney took care of our luggage and we were also able to check in for the cruise at the Le Meridian.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

We also stayed at Le Meridean. It was very good, but nothing outstanding. (TripAdvisor gives it 5 stars. I'd give it 4). It's benefits are it was right off of the Las Ramblas and close to the Gothic Quarter. My parents (scrapycruiser) stayed at the hotel right next to Le Meridean, which was cheaper and seemed to be of the same quality class. We did book Le Meridean ourselves rather than thru Disney.

Kevin, Even though you didn't book Le Meridian through DCL, since you were using one of the hotels they used for other cruisers, did they let you check in and also use their transfers from the hotel to the Port? I've heard different things about this from people so I'm curious about your experience with this.

Whoops, I just read your mom's post and that answered my question. Gosh, the convenience of doing this does have its appeal. So then I have another question... Did you all pay for the transfers from the hotel to the port well in advance? Is it just a simple phone call to DCL to arrange this after you booked your hotel?

Beth

 

[Cousin Orville]

We paid for our transfers a couple of months in advance trough our agent (Dreams). I'm sure it's a simple phone call. As you enter at Le Meridean, there will be a check in desk to the left of the very small lobby. We checked in the day before the cruise and gave them our hotel room number. The morning of the cruise they will pick up your bags and everyone congregates downstairs in a big meeting room with Disney movies playing. If you do as my parents did, you can still check in. The only difference is that morning you have to wheel your bags over to Le Meridean and give them to the DCL check in counter yourself.

Bottom line is if you have small children and don't want to mess with your bags, stay at Le Meridean. (It's a high price to pay for that luxary though). If you don't mind wheeling over the bags and you can save a lot of money, I'd stay where my parents stayed. I've been in both lobbies and both hotel rooms. The rooms are the same quality, and the lobby where my parents stay is actually nicer - much larger and relaxing. For us with small kids, we may still stay at Le Meridean next summer. Not sure as I havent researched the other hotels/options.

 

[FloridaMom3461]

fyi - I received this response from Hotel 1898 - guess it's not a great option for those with kids:

Good afternoon,

First of all we would like to thank you for considering H1898 for your next visit to Barcelona.

We are very sorry to inform you that our hotel does neither have family nor triple rooms. Also we inform you that our rooms do not have connecting doors.
The only option for more than 2 people is to book 2 different rooms that we can try to assign one next to each other. However, we are not able to guarantee any special location as it depends on availability.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank your comprehension.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information you may need.

Best regards,


Edurne V.
Departament de Reserves

 

[Cousin Orville]

While we're on the subject of family rooms...

We stayed with our 2 boys (1 & 6) last summer. I can't remember if we were technically allowed to have 4 in a room, if the 1 yr old didn't count, or if we just "snuck" in. We had a queen size bed I think and chair that pulled out into a single. I'm fully expecting to have to book a jr suite somewhere next yr. If anyone come up with an alternative, let it be known please.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

I have been reading with great interest some of the links about hotels in Barcelona. It does seem that hotels accommodating 4 people in one room are a bit harder to get. Our situation is such that we definitely want to all be in one space, that, or our least favorite option would be to have connecting rooms with mom in one room with a child and dad in the other room with a child. So we are on the hunt for that type of a suite room, apartment or adjoining room situtation. I have been doing "hypotheticals" pretending that we'd be booking this year for what our needs would be for next year. It does seem that anyone over the age of two has to be plugged into the computer as an adult.

I did come across a site that lists lots of options for families with kids all over Barcelona. Here it is: for apartment rentals: http://www.travelforkids.com/Family-hotels/Spain/barcelona-family-apartment-rentals.htm and family hotels: http://www.travelforkids.com/Family-hotels/Spain/barcelona-family-hotels.htm

That said, since we've never traveled to Barcelona and since we will have several pieces of luggage, I also am weighing convenience versus cost. Being at a DCL hotel to get the benefit of checking in and transfers to the pier does have its appeal. Thank you to Kevin and Gina for highlighting that opportunity! That would certainly relieve some of the stress of embarkation day. On the flip side, my husband and I have traveled widely and we do realize the benefit of having our kids experience things with us that aren't so seamless is a great life lesson. So we'll see. I wonder when DCL will let us know the hotels they are using.

What is everyone else thinking?

Beth

 

[ky71]

Ky71
Me(41), DH(41), Jared(16), Alana(14), Brody(7) plus another family of 5
Perth, Australia
second seating for dining
#7039 plus two other cabins -unsure of #
FE - unsure if it's going to be a very large group (cost of extra baggage!)

 

[FloridaMom3461]

Found this in my old emails: info from 2011:

Ground transfers can be added for $60 per person round trip from any of the preferred resorts, which are listed below with pricing.

Le Meridien Barcelona: $718.00 plus tax
Hilton Diagonal Mar: $421.00 plus tax
Hotel AB Skipper: $534.00 plus tax

As mentioned previously, you can get a much better rate on your own....
Randi

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Ky71
Me(41), DH(41), Jared(16), Alana(14), Brody(7) plus another family of 5
Perth, Australia
second seating for dining
#7039 plus two other cabins -unsure of #
FE - unsure if it's going to be a very large group (cost of extra baggage!)

Welcome Aboard! You have been added to our Roll Call!

 

[Stimpy]

Found this in my old emails: info from 2011:

Ground transfers can be added for $60 per person round trip from any of the preferred resorts, which are listed below with pricing.

Le Meridien Barcelona: $718.00 plus tax
Hilton Diagonal Mar: $421.00 plus tax
Hotel AB Skipper: $534.00 plus tax

As mentioned previously, you can get a much better rate on your own....
Randi

I assume that's per night & then the transfers are additional? When they say ground transfers are round trip does that mean from airport to hotel then to ship and on return to airport?

Sorry if these are stupid questions! Last time we took a red eye flight in and took DCL ground tranfers right to the ship & right back to the airport on return.

 

[dylan'smom]

Hi all,

We have stayed in Barcelona a couple of times - once with DCL & once on our own. I'm not experienced with adding the transfers on with any variation - except that we added one transfer after booking just 2 in the room. With DCL they would not allow 3 to a room in any of their hotels that year, so we booked for 2 & called the hotel directly to make sure we had room in there for a 3rd. It was the AC, lovely view of the water, ultra modern, spacious, and right on the HOHO bus line. It's really tough to get DCL to give you a room for more than 2 people, unless things have changed. Most hotels are like that in barcelona, but we also stayed on our own once right on Las Ramblas, at the Hotel Continental, and had no problems with more than 2.

It's not for everyone --- old building, funky & loud (we were right over the "action" below, but I brought my squishy earplugs & was fine), but we LOVED it, and they do allow 3 or 4 in a room. It is clean & has a nice modern bath & free wifi (but bring a converter). Super *pink* decor...lol You can read about it in Rick Steve's Spain book, & it has a food bar & beer/wine on tap that is also included. We went for the whole experience & got a balcony room overlooking the "show" below on La Rambla & had a great time - small balcony just seats 2, but it's a hoot. It's within walking distance of the HOHO buses, but you need a taxi to get to the port (around $20 euros, including luggage, as i recall). For the extra persons, they bring in thick foam temporary beds & it is tight, so think of it as an option for a different experience (different than DCL's generic hotels )!


FE update....

I have received a few PMs, the official list is started, and when we get a bit closer to the 6 month mark, I'll also go back to the Roll call list & check with anyone originally signed up there.

In my experience, when a cruise is this far out so many people move around that you end up doing a whole new list anyway, lol, but I will post it from time to time for verification & please continue to PM me if you know for sure you would like to do this, including all first names, plus children's gender/ages & whether you would like to opt for one or more groups of 20-25 or the whole group.

.

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Found this in my old emails: info from 2011:

Ground transfers can be added for $60 per person round trip from any of the preferred resorts, which are listed below with pricing.

Le Meridien Barcelona: $718.00 plus tax
Hilton Diagonal Mar: $421.00 plus tax
Hotel AB Skipper: $534.00 plus tax

As mentioned previously, you can get a much better rate on your own....
Randi

Are those PER NIGHT? That is crazy. I may have to rethink staying a few nights pre-cruise and do just 1-night instead- those numbers are a lot higher than I anticipated, since you have to figure in cost of food, souvenirs/sightseeing in Barcelona as well. I would rather cut back on Barcelona than cut back on Disneyland Paris post-cruise which from my rough numbers so far looks like its going to cost at least $2k for 3 nights. Does anyone know if there are hotels in Barcelona that are under $300 a night? I would think that would be a halfway decent place for that price but maybe this is an expensive city?

 

[slg]

We're a family of 5, so we will most likely need 2 rooms! Yikes. If I can't get a reasonable rate, we will probably just stay one night too.