7/13/13 ~~ Eastern Mediterranean Mouseketeers!

[doberlady]

who do I make the table request to in advance. Should I let my travel ageny know?

Love this group already!

 

[slg]

It might be fun to know what people's pre-cruise and post-cruise plans are too!

For example:

At the moment, we're thinking of doing Paris pre-cruise and Barcelona and maybe Portugal post-cruise.

Of course, lots can change between now and then, but its nice to know what everyone else is doing.

Has anyone thought of hotels in Barcelona? We're a family of 5 and I always am anxious about hotels as sometimes we need two rooms and it costs so much! Love everyone's feedback!

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

I tell my travel agent about our dining preference and she calls DCL with our request. If you don't use a travel agent, then call DCL and they will make a notation in your reservation!

 

[doberlady]

at this moment we plan on 1 day before and 1 day after in Barcelona. Could change depending on how I feel about leaving my kids for that long.

My daughter stayed at the W Hotel last year and says we HAVE to stay there. I don't think it's in a great location to airport/cruise terminal etc so I think I will look for something else.

I know what you mean about having 5 as they is our usual number.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

I've been uncertain about what to do regarding room choice too. Our previous cruises with DCL have either been in concierge or a verandah. This time we've booked a porthole room because of cost, but mainly because of Hope's asthma. We've been lucky to have not yet encountered this on our previous cruises, but I'm fearful of getting a verandah with someone next to us who smokes. If that happened, it would mean we couldn't use ours so it would be a real waste of moolah.

 

[IrishCowboy]

I have added your thread to the cruise meet list

Have a great cruise!

 

[PVA]

Hi all,

We're in! We were on the July 9, 2011 sailing out of Barcelona last year and had such a great time we couldn't resist a return trip. We'll be joing two other families we met on the last cruise as well (HI Eleblanc!)

We are;
PVA
myself, wife and daughter (13 at cruise date)
From Southern California
Second seating
In for Fish Extender

Looking forward to 530 days of anticipation, planning and getting to know you all!


PVA

 

[LovesToRun]

hummm speaking of dining. What are the chances of DH and I having our own table? I love to meet people and have no problem sitting with others. To be honest I would rather not sit with a family that has 3 toddlers. How do they assign seating for 2?

Also. What do you think about cabin #6019. I didn't realize it was the corner room. I think it will be ok as it's at the front of the ship and my hallway goes to nowhere. Is it a "sideways" cabin?

http://travel.travelocity.com/cruis...?Service=TRAVELOCITY&SEQ=13279546536390302012

Our first few cruises, we were lucky in that we didn't have to share a table with another party. But, 2 cruises ago, we (family of 4) went to our table on the first night of the cruise, and it was a table for 8. I told the waiter there must have been a mistake because we are only a party of 4. Then, he said we were sharing the table with another party of 4! Not what we were expecting at all! The family we shared with was nice, but it just made it really hard for our family to just connect and talk with each other on a personal level at dinner... we always felt like we had to talk with this other family (and we didn't have a whole lot in common at all, so it was hard to find things to talk about). It just made the whole dining experience for us not ideal, especially when you think of the amount of money you are paying for this experience.

So, after that cruise, my TA said for our future cruises, she'd request a table for 4 (or if my parents are with us, then a table of 6), and she said if you have that request on your reservation, they do their best to honor it. Our last cruise, we requested a table of 6 (my family, and my DH's parents) and we got our table of 6 no problem.

But, I like the suggestion of going to Studio Sea first thing when you get on the ship to confirm you have a table only for your family. I'm going to do that for the Med cruise, even though we have a Table of 6 requested (our family and my parents)... after long days out and about, I'd rather just spend that time at dinner with my own family.

Kathy

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Hi all,

We're in! We were on the July 9, 2011 sailing out of Barcelona last year and had such a great time we couldn't resist a return trip. We'll be joing two other families we met on the last cruise as well (HI Eleblanc!)

We are;
PVA
myself, wife and daughter (13 at cruise date)
From Southern California
Second seating
In for Fish Extender

Looking forward to 530 days of anticipation, planning and getting to know you all!


PVA

Welcome Aboard! You have been added to our roll call!

 

[linkandclover]

@alexander -- have a wonderful cruise!
@Im A Princess -- sounds good. I will switch you over to the FE organizer and will remove you from the M and G.

We are at Great Wolf Lodge today in Williamsburg. Quite a place -- my twins are in seventh heaven!

Beth

I love Great Wolf Lodge. Keeps the kids busy, DH and I get to relax. Only problem is the food which leaves a lot to be desired

 

[linkandclover]

Just thinking about where to stay in Barcelona...or should we go to Paris for a few days instead and then fly to Barcelona.

I saw that ABD is going to be having 3 and 4 day precruise tours in Barcelona but I bet they will be outrageously expensive. I checked out Rick Steves and Cosmos Tours, but there are so many options.

It'll all come together I'm sure. We're not made of money and we live on the West Coast of Canada so airfare for 5 is going to be about $10,000. Sigh.

What is everyone else's plans? Maybe we can all book into one hotel and get a group discount!

We stayed In Barcelona and it is a fun vibrant city. It is very easy to get around there via metro. A lot of what we did was walking around and people watching. The port is actually quite close ( walking distance or a very cheap cab fare) to Las Ramblas. This is a main street with street performers in elaborate costumes and many great shopping options (so many winding streets to entertain you and many great restaurants). You could really get on by yourself and pick a few key places to go to. There is also a really neat park that is fun to walk around and take in the amazing architecture (It was built by Gaudi and is a free attraction)

 

[ejw]

Welcome Aboard! You have been added to the roll call!

Hi Beth,

on the roll call please change my line from new jersey to new york.

thanks, ellen

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

Oops. Sorry about that Ellen!

 

[Im_A_Princess]

Already changed cabins LOL
Can you please change me to 6019
Trying to get as close to Mid as possible. I am so annoying and am a frequent room changer.

Also. What do you think about cabin #6019. I didn't realize it was the corner room. I think it will be ok as it's at the front of the ship and my hallway goes to nowhere. Is it a "sideways" cabin?

Hi
just FYI... Did u read the room reviews for this room? http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/roomreport.cfm?Room=6019
It is noisy because next to the "crew" door. Wonder reviews and Magic are same cuz of ship's layout. That is what the gray wall/space is on the ship floor plan where it looks like you do not have a neighbor. http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/cruise/deck6.htm

 

[doberlady]

thanks for thinking of me

I did look that up. I am slowly trying to inch towards the mid. I keep checking available each day.

 

[MrsG]

We stayed In Barcelona and it is a fun vibrant city. It is very easy to get around there via metro. A lot of what we did was walking around and people watching. The port is actually quite close ( walking distance or a very cheap cab fare) to Las Ramblas. This is a main street with street performers in elaborate costumes and many great shopping options (so many winding streets to entertain you and many great restaurants). You could really get on by yourself and pick a few key places to go to. There is also a really neat park that is fun to walk around and take in the amazing architecture (It was built by Gaudi and is a free attraction)

Yes, we did the same. We really loved Barcelona, although it is a little seedy at night. We were with fellow Dis'ers getting on the metro to watch the Dancing fountains at the university and my DH stopped a pickpocket. There were about 3 working together. As someone was pretending their metro card was not working in the turnstile in front of our friend, the person behind him had a jacket over their arm while their hand was on his back pocket. They already had the pocket button opened when DH yelled "Jim, they are pickpocketing you". Immediately they scattered. So just be aware (and don't put your wallet into your back pocket). He is a retired NYC cop and said he didn't feel a thing.

Other than that incident (which could happen anywhere) we are so happy to be going back. It is really easy to get around. Almost everyone speaks & understands English. There are plenty of places to see and to eat. We did the hop on hop off bus which worked great and really allowed us to see so much in a short time. You will love the city! We even did a mini dis meet for dinner and to see the dancing fountains the night before the cruise. Maybe we can do something like that again.

 

[Newfoundland Sailor]

Just thinking about where to stay in Barcelona...or should we go to Paris for a few days instead and then fly to Barcelona.

I saw that ABD is going to be having 3 and 4 day precruise tours in Barcelona but I bet they will be outrageously expensive. I checked out Rick Steves and Cosmos Tours, but there are so many options.

It'll all come together I'm sure. We're not made of money and we live on the West Coast of Canada so airfare for 5 is going to be about $10,000. Sigh.

What is everyone else's plans? Maybe we can all book into one hotel and get a group discount!

Hello fellow Canadian. My family is originally from BC so I feel your pain regarding airfares. Although I can tell you, it is no better being the furthest East and only 4 hours away from Europe...because the prices out of Nfld are outrageous and usually you have to go backwards to Toronto or Montreal and then connect to get to Europe (to only fly over your house - literally - about 10 hours after you left your house).

A little trick I learned with Air Canada to Europe is after you choose which flight you want - check the codeshared airlines. Last year to Barcelona we saved over $2,000 by booking the same flight with Lufthansa direct vs. Air Canada. The cost was only $6K then...lol...for 3 adults and a baby.

In terms of Barcelona...we stayed in an apt last time instead of hotel. Mainly because the hotels (unless an American chain) don't have rooms big enough for 4+ people. And in the end it ended up being cheaper than getting two rooms in a hotel and it included laundry facilities and the comfort of having a fridge, etc. Location wise, the subway goes everywhere and it didn't matter where you were located you could get anyway. We stayed down by Las Ramblas...it was a great location.

We booked all of our cars in advance to make things easier. And thank goodness we didn't have a taxi cab meter running when we went to embark because the line-up to get into the port was crazy because sooo many ships were loading at the same time you were stuck in a lot of traffic. Some people were over an hour in that lineup of vehicles and were getting out of their cabs and walking.

Don't know what we are going to do this time in terms of how much time we are going to spend in Barcelona. I think we are going to try and sneek in a few days in Northern England again.

I know that you have boys...so I will tell you that my eldest son really enjoyed going up the mountain to Tibidabo (one of the oldest amusement parks in the world) for a dayoff of touring. The view from up there was abolutely amazing and the venicular & street car was fun to get there. But overall, Barcelona was very easy to do on your own.

I have a snow day today...so I could ramble on forever....I shall stop now.

~Heather~

 

[Im_A_Princess]

We have had one disaster dining experience so far out of 13 cruises. It was a big one!
DH and I were traveling alone on a B2B 14 day. They stuck us at a family reunion table of about 8 others. The first night the family was fighting with each other. Yelling.The young daughter about 8 yrs did not want anything on the menus. Threw a FIT! She wanted a BOWL of croutons. They brought it out for her.The family complained through out the entire meal.
DH and I did not come back the second or 3rd night. At the boarding day buffet, the Head Chef from Parrot Cay mentioned he would make us a special Indian dinner the 3rd night. We weren't there in PC that night. The family at our table was a TERROR to all the CM's. The Dining Head Server (who we knew) tried calling us. They called Palo looking for us. Then the Host at Palo (who knew us) started calling looking for us. Palo Host finally found us back in our room. Invited us up to Palo where we were seated in the Palo Private Dining Room. They served us the Indian Dinner in Palo. It was a most magical experience. They cared enough to "find" us.
They gave us a table for 2 at a different dining rotation.
That family was a nightmare and I have never heard CMs complain about guests before or since.
Still take a chance each time we are on though because we have met some of the nicest people. Including 2 sisters from Hong Kong.

 

[slg]

Well flying to Paris this year on Air Transat is about $4000 cheaper than flying direct to Barcelona and there are lots of cheap flights from paris to barcelona so we might do that. Also, my boys have all done french immersion and are keen to spend time in Paris. My thought is to spend some time in Paris, fly to Barcelona,spend a couple of days there, then on the way back try a couple of days in Disneyland Paris. This depends on whether we can afford all that for a family of 5. Trying to get some info on DLP but the site is hard and I feel rather overwhelmed with everything. Sigh. I think there should be a med planning thread where all of us can share our ideas about our planning, and this thread where we can be more specific and meet those on our cruise.

 

[tinkerbelltwins]

A few pages back Chrissy provided a Disthread link that is all about Fish Extenders. Lots of pictures of different FEs appear in that long thread. I reposted it on our first page in post two for anyone who might be looking for it.