7/13/13 ~~ Eastern Mediterranean Mouseketeers!

[LovesToRun]

I think you will be fine with the train- the ride from La Spezia is supposedly only like 10-15 minutes from what I've read. So even if its crowded, it wouldnt be the hardship it would be like stuck on a crowded train from Civitavecchia to Rome for over an hour. Also, cars are very limited in travel amongst the villages from what I've read- I think some towns in Cinque Terre even prohibit cars altogether. The ones that do allow car travel it says that parking is very scare, so even if you had a private driver, you still may have a lot of walking to meet up with him to go between each town. From everything I've read, it appears the fastest, most cost effective and easiest way to get to/from Cinque Terre and between the villages is the all-day train pass.

I've been to Cinque Terre a couple of times. Not sure how beneficial a private guide in Cinque Terre would be. You can't access most of the towns (or at least the interesting areas) with a car with the exception of Monterosso I think. If you're wanting to hike the trails, you don't need a guide for that. I think it's best done on your own IMO. Take the train, go to Vernazza, shop around, find a cafe, get some fresh pesto pasta and fish with some local wine and call it a day.

Your kids should do just fine. There's no need to stay out all day if they get tired or bored. Here's my son enjoying gelato...

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THANK you for these replies!!! Both of these confirms that just taking the train and doing Cinque Terre on our own is what we'll do (and it's MUCH cheaper!!). This is actually what I had planned on (doing it on our own), but then I started reading about how the train lines can be super long, and really crowded, and it can be long walks, etc. etc. And, for my husband and me, this is no big deal at all (we're both the adventurous type and fit, so walking lots is no big deal, and crowds don't bother us), but then I wasn't sure if my boys would keep up well with all the walking, crowds, etc (even though they are very active and energetic). BUT, this gives me confirmation that just doing it on our own is the best way!! And, you're right.... we can always head back to the ship early if the boys get worn out, etc.

Also, I would not want to spend the money on a private car only to find we can't even see all the different parts of the towns that we could see by foot.

'Cousin Orville', that is such a cute picture of your son!! I am positive I'll be getting the exact same Gelato shots with both my boys.

 

[LovesToRun]

Ok, so I have a question for those of you who have cruised the Med before with Disney.

I read one person's post (I think on the main Dis boards) somewhere that on their Disney Med cruise there were women who were topless at the pools on the Disney cruise ship. Now, I TOTALLLLY get this is Europe, and I 100% am expecting to see topless women at beaches, etc, etc.... I mean, it's part of their culture, so I totally get that, and I have no issues especially since this is part of the European culture (ie, if we didn't want to even be around that, we would not choose to go to Europe)...

But, it didn't occur to me that women might be going topless on the pool decks of the ship, I guess because I associate Disney with a family oriented atmosphere (that is, North American-minded family oriented atmosphere, to be more specific).

Just wondering if any of you past Med cruises saw topless women often on the pool deck of the ship, or just a few, or none at all? Just thinking about the kids, is all. And, so we'll know to expect this, rather than be caught off guard when hanging out on deck 10. If we know to expect it, it'll be fine.

 

[Hanover]

Ok, so I have a question for those of you who have cruised the Med before with Disney.

I read one person's post (I think on the main Dis boards) somewhere that on their Disney Med cruise there were women who were topless at the pools on the Disney cruise ship. Now, I TOTALLLLY get this is Europe, and I 100% am expecting to see topless women at beaches, etc, etc.... I mean, it's part of their culture, so I totally get that, and I have no issues especially since this is part of the European culture (ie, if we didn't want to even be around that, we would not choose to go to Europe)...

But, it didn't occur to me that women might be going topless on the pool decks of the ship, I guess because I associate Disney with a family oriented atmosphere (that is, North American-minded family oriented atmosphere, to be more specific).

Just wondering if any of you past Med cruises saw topless women often on the pool deck of the ship, or just a few, or none at all? Just thinking about the kids, is all. And, so we'll know to expect this, rather than be caught off guard when hanging out on deck 10. If we know to expect it, it'll be fine.

We did a DCL Med cruise in 2007 and I personally did not see any topless women at the adult pool or Mickey pool. I did see a few women in thong bikinis and a few topless younger girls at the Mickey pool. We also saw topless women in Nice at the beach. We just explained to our then 6 and 9 year old sons that is the way that those individuals were used to dressing in their native countries. I made sure not to take any pool photos of our sons with any of the topless girls in the background.

One thing I thought was bizarre was when a few little boy's parents let them pee in public when we were on excursions. They were not American families, so I just assumed they were used to doing this in their countries. The most shocking to me was when were in line to get into a church in Marseille when the dad in front of us pulled down his son's pants and had him pee in flowers next to us. This happened a few times on different excursions. We told our boys no way were they going to be doing that, we would just find a bathroom.

 

[dormouse7899]

I have read the Rick Steve's book and LOVE it. I will read it a couple more times before the trip. I also looked for Youtube videos about where we are going and found these two great videos. They are both part of a "Drive Thru History" series This first one is about Ephesus and is only 6 minutes long but very informatiave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZM6lI8uw9o

This second one is 28 minutes long and specifically is about the journey of St Paul (you might remember his letter to the Corinthians is said at many weddings -Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. etc..). Anyway this is not a religious video, just historical and I learned about the Acropolis and many other places and I learned that Saint Paul visited Ephesus, Athens, Rome and Malta. Many of the places we are visiting. Enjoy!

http://www.itbn.org/index/detail/lib/Networks/sublib/TBN/ec/JodTJ2MjpQuDVjd8umF2Xd60p5frJb2C

 

[disfreaks]

Hi everyone! I have been lurking on here for quite some time and we are paid in full to go too! We are a family of 4, myself, DH, DD 18 and DS 15. We are taking this cruise to celebrate our daughter's high school graduation and we have never been to Europe before! We are so excited about this trip!
I was able to use airline miles for 4 tickets for us to fly in and out of Paris, and we have tickets to Barcelona and back on Air France. I booked the Four Points by Sheraton in Barcelona, 2 rooms for about $100 a night each. It is newer and has good reviews. I also have a private guide and car in Rome and Athens. The other ports I am looking into doing on our own, but I am still working everything out.
I have gotten some great tips from you guys, thanks so much!

 

[slg]

Welcome disfreaks;

We're celebrating our son's grad and my 50th and we're also flying into Paris!

Super excited and paid in full too!

 

[disfreaks]

Very cool slg!

We are also your neighbors to the south!

When does yours graduate? Mine graduates June 14!

 

[LovesToRun]

Hi everyone! I have been lurking on here for quite some time and we are paid in full to go too! We are a family of 4, myself, DH, DD 18 and DS 15. We are taking this cruise to celebrate our daughter's high school graduation and we have never been to Europe before! We are so excited about this trip!
I was able to use airline miles for 4 tickets for us to fly in and out of Paris, and we have tickets to Barcelona and back on Air France. I booked the Four Points by Sheraton in Barcelona, 2 rooms for about $100 a night each. It is newer and has good reviews. I also have a private guide and car in Rome and Athens. The other ports I am looking into doing on our own, but I am still working everything out.
I have gotten some great tips from you guys, thanks so much!

Welcome!

Sounds like a trip full of celebrations. My parents are coming with us, and they will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary!

We are from Washington, too! Will be nice to have other Washingtonians join the cruise.

We are still figuring out Athens, and we are looking into a private guide & car in Athens. Did you go with a particular company, or did you just hire a particular person that was recommended to you?

I'm just trying to get recommendations!

 

[LovesToRun]

We did a DCL Med cruise in 2007 and I personally did not see any topless women at the adult pool or Mickey pool. I did see a few women in thong bikinis and a few topless younger girls at the Mickey pool. We also saw topless women in Nice at the beach. We just explained to our then 6 and 9 year old sons that is the way that those individuals were used to dressing in their native countries. I made sure not to take any pool photos of our sons with any of the topless girls in the background.

One thing I thought was bizarre was when a few little boy's parents let them pee in public when we were on excursions. They were not American families, so I just assumed they were used to doing this in their countries. The most shocking to me was when were in line to get into a church in Marseille when the dad in front of us pulled down his son's pants and had him pee in flowers next to us. This happened a few times on different excursions. We told our boys no way were they going to be doing that, we would just find a bathroom.

Thanks for the reply! I just wasn't sure if the "clothing optional" thing would freely extend to the ship pool decks. But, from your experience, it sounds like it was fine on the ship!

That is funny about the boys peeing in public... my boys, I'm sure, would think they could just do that too since other boys were doing it. LOL!! But, I would do the same as you and tell my boys they will need to find a bathroom.

But, this is what I love about traveling to other countries...is experiencing the other cultures, and just seeing and learning about the different customs, etc. It definitely broadens our horizons!!

 

[disfreaks]

Thank you! Yes it does sound full of celebrations! Congratulations to your parents on their 50th!

I used the Rick Steves book and contacted Effie Perperi. She will either be our guide or will have a substitution and is coordinating our transportation as well. She is taking us to a lot of stuff, but I will be keeping a very close eye on the time as I will not miss the ship!!!!!

 

[pennymike]

Didn't someone have posted a while back the formal night/semi formal night schedule? I can't seem to find it.....Anyone know? Thanks!
P.

 

[ky71]

Actually I was just thinking the same thing - What is the schedule for formal nights? Is there a pirate themed night too? We are travelling from Australia and only have a 23kg weight limit per person for a month of travel...we will do laundry in Dubai, Paris and Barcelona and just maybe on the cruise too if needed. I was hoping we could keep single use clothing to a bare minimum!

 

[ky71]

Next question - besides Malta, we were thinking to do the port excursions with DCL as we do not want to be late back to the ship. Are we crazy for outlaying that much $$$ vs chancing being late?
We are travelling with another family so total 9px and most guided tours we have researched allow for 8px so we would be in two vans anyway. DCL excursions just look to be the easier option right now. Yes I have the Rick Steeves guidebook and the Passporter Disney Cruise Guide too. I am very concerned that we will be unable to get any of our choices as we are not able to book until 29.04.13 (first time cruisers). What are our chances of getting last minute private tours if DCL's sell out?
Thanks for your advice!

 

[FloridaMom3461]

Ok, so I have a question for those of you who have cruised the Med before with Disney.

I read one person's post (I think on the main Dis boards) somewhere that on their Disney Med cruise there were women who were topless at the pools on the Disney cruise ship. Now, I TOTALLLLY get this is Europe, and I 100% am expecting to see topless women at beaches, etc, etc.... I mean, it's part of their culture, so I totally get that, and I have no issues especially since this is part of the European culture (ie, if we didn't want to even be around that, we would not choose to go to Europe)...

But, it didn't occur to me that women might be going topless on the pool decks of the ship, I guess because I associate Disney with a family oriented atmosphere (that is, North American-minded family oriented atmosphere, to be more specific).

Just wondering if any of you past Med cruises saw topless women often on the pool deck of the ship, or just a few, or none at all? Just thinking about the kids, is all. And, so we'll know to expect this, rather than be caught off guard when hanging out on deck 10. If we know to expect it, it'll be fine.

I was amazed to see your question. We did Disney Magic Med in 2011 and definitely did NOT see anyone topless on the ship....not even in the adult pool. Oh but yes, in France we did see topless folks on the beach - just didn't take our DD down to those beaches.

 

[LovesToRun]

Thank you! Yes it does sound full of
I used the Rick Steves book and contacted Effie Perperi. She will either be our guide or will have a substitution and is coordinating our transportation as well. She is taking us to a lot of stuff, but I will be keeping a very close eye on the time as I will not miss the ship!!!!!

That is so funny, because I have his Med Cruise Ports book, and today I JUST put Effie Perperi in my list of guides when I read about her in his book (I just started researching ideas for our time in Greece today). But, then the way he wrote about her in his book, it sounds like she is the only guide (ie, like she doesn't have a business with other guides who work for/with her), so I figured she would already be booked.

But, from your post, it sounds like she uses other guides, too, who work with her, so maybe she can handle multiple private tours.

I like Rick Steves and I really trust his references.

 

[FloridaMom3461]

We are still figuring out Athens, and we are looking into a private guide & car in Athens. Did you go with a particular company, or did you just hire a particular person that was recommended to you?

I'm just trying to get recommendations!

We are using a private tour company in Athens - Nikos Loukas. Website is www.privategreecetours.com . My mom was in Athens in November and used them also and raved about it.

Randi

 

[FloridaMom3461]

Actually I was just thinking the same thing - What is the schedule for formal nights? Is there a pirate themed night too? We are travelling from Australia and only have a 23kg weight limit per person for a month of travel...we will do laundry in Dubai, Paris and Barcelona and just maybe on the cruise too if needed. I was hoping we could keep single use clothing to a bare minimum!

Previously posted was

Formal night is the night after Rome (first sea day).

Pirate night is Mykonos.

Semi-formal is the night after Pirate night.

I'll be calling the concierge in the morning to do my bookings and plan to confirm so I'll post if anything is different.

Randi

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Actually I was just thinking the same thing - What is the schedule for formal nights? Is there a pirate themed night too? We are travelling from Australia and only have a 23kg weight limit per person for a month of travel...we will do laundry in Dubai, Paris and Barcelona and just maybe on the cruise too if needed. I was hoping we could keep single use clothing to a bare minimum!

I agree. There will be a pirate night, and as much as I love dressing up with my costume, I dont think I can justify packing it for this cruise, because I want to do formal night. I never have anything formal to go to at home so I won't skip that even though I'm only wearing the dress once. But I think that will be my one "splurge" for luggage space; as you said, we need to have mostly multi-use garments since we are also limited to only 1 checked bag of 50 lbs. each. That is reached very quickly. I am planning to do laundry at least once, hopefully not more, but it is what it is- certainly better than paying $100 for a 2nd checked bag.

 

[LovesToRun]

We are using a private tour company in Athens - Nikos Loukas. Website is www.privategreecetours.com . My mom was in Athens in November and used them also and raved about it.

Randi

Thanks for the recommendation! I adding this to my list, too.

I also found Yanni Athen's tours on Trip Advisor.

http://www.athenstaxitours.org/

They have excellent reviews. But, I only have Trip Advisor for my recommendation for this one.

 

[Hanover]

Just finished (18 minutes total) booking all 7 of our excursions that we wanted, 2 spa appointments, Palo brunch and Palo dinner. I was able to also book my MIL's 3 separate and the rest joint excursions with us. She's a silver member, but our dsthen 16 is in her room and he's a platinum member. Didn't think we'd be able to book her, but she showed up as eligible. Any questions?