All in one place: Please Post info from your DCL Med excursions HERE

[jmsaunders75]

Marseille France---Marseille City Tour
Reception from the people amazing…be first off the boat to see their culture and music. The passed out lavender pouches to all of us. They also had a shops right off the boat of wonderful things from their city in case you don’t want to go into town. Prices here are great for the quality of the items.
A bus took us to several places for great pictures. The basilica was a beautiful area and I am glad we did it. We then drove to the heart of the Harbor. Loved it! This is what I had thought it would be like at every port and has not been. The shops in France were just a step up in quality and not “junky” like Italy. The soaps they sold were cheap and wonderful. Something that I did not know is that Disney is providing a free shuttle from the boat to this harbor and it runs about every 30 minutes. I am glad we did the tour and saw the basilica but I would have been 100% happy with just taking the free bus. This harbor area was fantastic! Shops were cute and restaurants were lined up down the streets for just enjoying the view. You could spend the whole day just sitting and relaxing. Once our tour brought us to this area we asked if we could just stay longer and catch the free shuttle back and it was not a problem. We were so happy they let us do that and several others did it too.
In this harbor you could catch tours to the basilica and other places but those lines were long to get tickets so all in all I am happy the way we did it. But if you are wanting to cut costs, take the free shuttle and you can get pictures of the basilica on the hill from the harbor. You can get pictures of the Count of Monte Cristo prison from the boat too. You will love the stroll in this area very much! We were told by our Palo waiter that night that this area has a great shopping mall (like Harrods in London) but that it is closed on Sunday’s. The staff can’t wait to go there next time so that may be something to look into.
Villefranche, France---Highlights of Monaco and Monte Carlo
By far the prettiest port we have been at. We took the kids with us for this one also. They really did not understand anything about Grace Kelly and the royal family from Monaco so they really did not get into it. They loved looking at all the building, church, palace and race track. Cool thing was while we were at the palace, Prince Albert drove in his car right past us while we were walking back down to the bus. We waited at the top by his palace to try to see him because our guide was positive he was about to come out because of the security and where they were placed. We waited for him to come out but then had to leave. And while walking down there he comes driving in his car. Pretty cool! Kids can’t go in the casino so I sat at the casino square with the kids while my DH went into the casino. We tried to shop but everything was out of our price range. Really high end shops! We did get some great pictures! After the tour was over and we were back at the port, we walked down to the beach. The sand was more like rock. This small beach was packed during the day but very empty for us. The kids enjoyed the water. The view from this beach within walking distance was awesome. We were staring right at the Magic. The port area was really nice and we enjoyed the shops. There are tons of small restaurants too. All in all, we were happy to see the things on the tour but would have been happy with the beach and port area only. So this is a place to cut back on money. But something to keep in mind I heard today…the tender people apparently like to strike but if you booked an excursion through Disney we are guaranteed to get a tender while others may not be able to get off the ship.
Hope my three part series helps!!!!
ENJOY!!!!!!:grouphug:

THANKS so much for all the information. It really did give us alot to think
about...I am glad I was told about your info.

 

[disneymagic316]

A little bit of everything ;-) ...but generally people dressed better than what you would typically see at the Disney parks.

For the most part, the men are wearing long pants or khaki walking shorts and "golf" shirts. Also a number of men were in muted "Hawaiian" shirts, both woven fabric and knitted.

The women were in slacks, lots of capri length pants or walking shorts and short sleeve or long sleeve knit or cotton shirts. We only saw a couple of ladies in sleeveless tops or tank tops, probably because of the church restrictions and I don't remember anyone except kids in short shorts.

...and there were some women on the excursions in beautiful "cruise casual" ...nice slacks or skirts and lovely top and shirt combinations, accessorized by beautiful belts and/or sun hats and scarves.

Shoes were generally sneakers or walking sandals, with a few folks in nicer/dressier sandals.

...but obviously, the more casual the excursion (like the beach excursions) the more casual the clothes.

Thanks for the info.

We didn't do that particular excursion (Did Florence and Michaelangelo), but just remember that the day of the excursion was a Saturday and a national holiday of some sort as well. Consequently, both Florence and Pisa were extremely crowded, much more crowded than you willprobably experience on a later cruise.

I know for us and others, the huge crowds really diminished the enjoyment of the experience. Just keep that in mind when you read the not-so-glowing reviews.

How did you like the Florence and Michelangelo excursion? We have this one booked.

 

[konslerg]

How did you like the Florence and Michelangelo excursion? We have this one booked.

Basically, I think this will be a good excursion for future groups. Our experience was hampered by the awful crowds in Florence on the Saturday we visited. In addition to it being the weekend, it was some sort of holiday (Museum admissions were discounted!) and the streets were jam packed. The pick pockets were also out in droves. Our tour guide stopped three different times to yell at young men filtering through our group (and the rest of the crowds) and then told us they were up to "no good," to hold onto our bags, purses and to guard our pockets. She even called the police a couple of times on her cellphone, but that didn't help much at all.

When we got to the Ponte Vechio, she led the group maybe 40 feet and then said, "This is impossible! The crowds are just too bad. We can't go any farther." and we turned around and left the area. :-(

...but if it's not a holiday, I think you'll love this excursion UNLESS you want a LOT of time to shop. We sure didn't have much.

...but we did get to see the original "David" without much of a wait. In addition to the Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore, the Duomo, the Piazza della Signoria and the things in that area. we also got to see Santa Croce on the other side of the Arno.

...and lunch at the Palazzo Borghese was an exceptional treat. What a beautiful place! However, for those yearning for some free time to shop, the hour or hour and a half spent on lunch might seem a bit too long. We happened to love the leisurely pace but YMMV.

If it hadn't been for the crowds, this would probably have been one of my favorite excursions. As it was, it was tough to try and keep together with the group because of the crowds. The "whispers" helped a lot, but darn! are those things uncomfortable!

 

[jima53]

Thank you folks for so much helpful info. One thing, what is the average exchange rate for dollars to euros. I know this changes almost daily but what was your average experience with this and where did you change money, if you did.


I've been to rome, naples, nice, athens with another federal tour groups and wonder how you did the exchange of currency.

Jim

 

[konslerg]

One thing, what is the average exchange rate for dollars to euros. I know this changes almost daily but what was your average experience with this and where did you change money, if you did.
Jim

We only needed to make the exchange once and did it right on the boat. I think the rate was something like 1.45. You can probably get a bit better than that, but it wasn't worth the hassle. The good thing is that, if you have Euros left over, you can convert them back to $US at the same rate you paid for them if you keep your receipt from Guest Services. (We did convert back to $US before we left the boat.) Disney does not charge for this service.

Although we got a tad better rate of exchange from our bank back in the US before we left, they charged us a $15 fee, so it probably would have cost just about the same to have done everything on the boat.

Also, don't forget that about the best exchange rate you can get is by using your credit card, assuming you have one that doesn't charge a service fee for each European transaction. (Capital One does not charge any service fee.)

 

[scrapycruiser]

Can you get Euros using your KTTW card at Customer Services ?

How much can you exchange each time ?

 

[konslerg]

Can you get Euros using your KTTW card at Customer Services ?

How much can you exchange each time ?

You can't get Euros with your KTTW card. You have to have $US to exchange. I do not know if there is a limit.

 

[miclen]

I've seen several people talk about going to either Floence OR Pisa on their own, but has anyone gone to both on their own? We orignally booked the DCL Florence and Pisa tour, but after reading all the posts about his excursion, thought it best to use a private tour. Now I am wondering if we could possible get to both citys on own. Our goal in Pisa is simply to climb to the top of the Leaning tower. In Florence I don't have any specifics planned.

I'd appreicate everyone's thougts.

 

[MrsJobba1]

The ship docks in a very industrial area. You can't walk to the town, you will need to take the shuttle. Disney provided the free shuttle to the center of the town. Once there, you will see the little trains and the booth to purchase tickets. We took the panoramic route and it took us all the way to the notre dame de la garde---beautiful cathedral and spectacular views. You can see the famous Chateau D'If (from Count of Monte Cristo). YOu are dropped off at the cathedral and whenever you are ready, you get back on th train for the trip back to town. They run every 20 minutes. There is a recording while you are on it that tells you the important things you see on the way up. Well worth the 8 euros. The kids loved it! If you check out DCL website of tours, you'll see the little white and blue train. That's how I got the idea of doing it. I think DCL charged around $50 for the trip and we did it for 8E.

Thankyou for this info - we've just cancelled the panoramic bus excursion to di this instead and it will save us quite a bit

 

[MrsJobba1]

Kayak in Gallura (Sardina) & Italian Island and Beach resport (Naples)

Just wondering if anyone has done or heard any feedback on these excursions?

Many thanks

 

[MrsJobba1]

Does anyone know is the shops open in Marseille on a Sunday?

 

[funnybunny921]

ok I'll try to make this short as I'll be writing up my trip report and my blog has our experience as it happened:

Barcelona:

We did our own thing since we were there for a few days. One thing to know since the party is at night for leaving it isn't like how people described the send off on the normal cruises no ship horn no one waving, and if you have a late dinner chances are you'll miss the party.

Palermo:

If you are considering the mysterious palermo one you might reconsider. We paid for the hop on/off bus which got us close to that church and then walked about 5-10 min to the church and paid 1.50E a person to see the crypts. and then we could take the bus around the rest of town which was nice. They sell the tickets for that bus at the port terminal. one of our table mate couples did the greek ruins and liked it but had a very disappointing guide. another table mate couple did the marrionette/ ceful or however you spell it they said it was just ok

Naples:

We hired a private guide to do the amalfi coast and pompeii. it was very worth it since were were able to share and cut costs. one of our table mate couples did the capri, pompeii, amalfi for families because it was "lower impact" and the wife had knee problems. there really didn't like that family tour... too many over tired crying kids, and it isn't "the same" as the non family one... which they were told it would be. Another couple at our table did the disney version of what we did (amalfi and pompeii) they seemed to like it though they weren't impressed by lunch.

Olbia:

We didn't plan anything and the town was DEAD when we got off the boat. Sunday is a hard day to visit anything. One of our table couples did the costa smerelda and they weren't very impressed, another couple did the La Cinta beach and they really enjoyed it. i think if you like going to the beach the disney beach excursion seem good but otherwise on the 10 day trip at least there isn't much to do in town.

Rome:

We were on one of 5 bus groups doing highlights of rome and the vatican. Two of the 3 couples at our table did this excursion too. one of the couples did the vip and they were dissappointed for the price they paid. I wasn't happy that we only got 40 min of free time instead of the advertised 2 hours but one of our table couples only got 20 mins which wasn't enought to do anything. Our bus guide was so-so but our vatican guide was great. You need more time to really see anythign indepth but i fealt like she gave us a good idea and feel for the vatican museum, chaple and basilica.

La Spezia:

We opted out of the florence tours and are happy we did. La Spezia is a beautiful town and well worht a bit of time if you aren't on a florence excursion. lots of shopping freindly people good food. We took the train north to Cinque Terre which was beautiful. I wish we had more time as we only got to see one of the 5 towns. One of our table couples had done Michelangelo and florence. they liked it but there was a strike and they got into the accidemia 2 hours late... almost not at all. other groups had problems in pisa. and a large group of diser almost missed the last tender.

Marseille:

We did the disney half day Aix en Provence. For the price i think it was a good tour. our guide gave us a decent tour (though our tablemates i think had the better guide on this one) and then about an hour and a half on our home. which was enough time for us to walk and see Cezanne's birth place and to walk around the markets and shops. As i said one of our table mates was on a different bus of the same tour and they really relaly enjoyed this one. Marseille it self... DON'T PAY FOR THE DISNEY LITTLE TRAIN TOUR. the little train is about 50 ft or less from where the shuttle drops you off at the old port and certainly doesn't cost what disney is charging.

Villefranche:

ok this is the one that we screwed up on. we booked the Night time casino excursion and after finding out what we were missing on the ship and what the minimums were at the tables we really didn't want to pay the 99/person for the excursion. we were able to change on the ship but the only thing that was left was the bus tour. they did credit us the 99 and then charge us the 49 for the bus tour but ours left at 815 and i woke up that morning not feeling well so we skipped it anyway.

The train to nice is pretty easy but don't trust the time tables disney gives you it was off about 5 min which made the difference of us missing our train. give yourself enough time that if you don't speak frech you can find out what platfor you are on. as it was we had bought tickets to monte carlo and to nice so we got to take a train that didn't stop at villefranche and we were only out 20 min instead of the 2 hours that we would have been had we had to go to villefranche. TWO things: IF YOU WANT TO GAMBLE OR SEE THE CASINO YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR ORIGINAL PASSPORT. Every one we talked to loved this area and every one was happy with what they did (on there own or with disney) had we had more time i think we would have wanted to get to Eze which many people really liked and the palace area of monaco. i think the general thing is just get off the boat and go some where at this stop you'll be happy you did no matter if it is on your own or with disney.

 

[Valencia Joe]

Tours our family did and our comments—this is based on DD16, DD16, DD11, DH and myselffrom the first Med Cruise 5/26/07
Palermo---Palermo For Kids
Our biggest concern for this was our kids ages---wondering if they were too old. They were the oldest but the three of them liked it despite what I thought. The craft was difficult for even my DD’s ages. They wanted them to make an egg with a nativity scene which was way too difficult. On our excursion, the parents were doing the craft not the kids. The puppet show was interesting. It was about knights and fighting for a girl. I will say that my kids laughed through most of it. But if I would have had younger kids, I would have been upset. They fought with swords and even a head was cut off and a body cut in half. We all received evaluation forms for the excursion and several wrote the same things I did---craft too difficult and puppet show inappropriate for kids---not Disney quality in my opinion. I was shocked they approved it. So I don’t know what to say for this one. I would bet that this company was talked to and I would hope they will be making changes. The rest of the tour was great for me and the kids and if they changed those 2 things it will be awesome.
Naples Italy---Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri
The Capri part of our excursion was cancelled that morning due to extreme rough seas. I hear about others that did take that jet foil boat on their own and everyone was very sick. But Disney cancelled all excursions that went there. Pompeii was fantastic! Very interesting! My kids liked it very much! They liked the quick tour of the cameo factory too. There was a Furla purse store in the cameo shop. We had about 20 minutes to browse these two shops. There were tent shops at Pompeii with little trinkets of stuff to buy. We had about 15 minutes to look around.
The Sorrento part was good too. We first saw a demonstration of how to make these inlay tables. Then we went to lunch. Lunch was very good. They had water and wine bottles at every table. Someone even asked to buy the wine and they only charged 5 euros per bottle---great deal because it was very good. You can bring up to 2 bottles back. Different groups went to different restraints. They allowed us about 1 hour to shop because the Capri part was cancelled. The only bad part is that everywhere in Italy they close down the shops from 1-4 to rest and here it is right at that time. So all the really good shops were closed! There was a long skinny street that had shops open during this time. We found some good things in this area. The guide told us where it was so just ask your guide. FYI—we did get a credit for the cancelled part.
Olbia, Sardinia---Costa Smeralda
For our family the start of this one was slow. We did the winding bus ride to the area where the rich and famous stay. The train ride was ok. Once we got to the hotel area with shops, it started to pick up for us. Once again the time we got there, the shops were closed. They were opening during the last 30 minutes being there. But that was ok because we could not afford anything. Very rich and expensive area! But the kids were able to walk to the yacht area and put their feet in the Med waters. They enjoyed just sitting on the pier and watching boats. My pictures from this area are awesome. Next the bus stopped at another tourist/beach area. My kids took off their shoes and walked in the waters. Great pictures. There were little shops here (cheap ones) but we did not really get to do them since the kids wanted the beach. If we could have spent the whole day here, then we would have been very happy.

Was this the Pompeii, Sorrento & Capri for families or just the plain 'ol Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri tour that they offer? I tried to get the family version but it was sold out.

BTW, since we noticed that the Rome and Florence tours were quite restrictive as to time, we opted to get the "on your own" busses since we've been there before.

 

[vegs1]

ok I'll try to make this short as I'll be writing up my trip report and my blog has our experience as it happened:

Barcelona:

We did our own thing since we were there for a few days. One thing to know since the party is at night for leaving it isn't like how people described the send off on the normal cruises no ship horn no one waving, and if you have a late dinner chances are you'll miss the party.

Palermo:

If you are considering the mysterious palermo one you might reconsider. We paid for the hop on/off bus which got us close to that church and then walked about 5-10 min to the church and paid 1.50E a person to see the crypts. and then we could take the bus around the rest of town which was nice. They sell the tickets for that bus at the port terminal. one of our table mate couples did the greek ruins and liked it but had a very disappointing guide. another table mate couple did the marrionette/ ceful or however you spell it they said it was just ok

Naples:

We hired a private guide to do the amalfi coast and pompeii. it was very worth it since were were able to share and cut costs. one of our table mate couples did the capri, pompeii, amalfi for families because it was "lower impact" and the wife had knee problems. there really didn't like that family tour... too many over tired crying kids, and it isn't "the same" as the non family one... which they were told it would be. Another couple at our table did the disney version of what we did (amalfi and pompeii) they seemed to like it though they weren't impressed by lunch.

Olbia:

We didn't plan anything and the town was DEAD when we got off the boat. Sunday is a hard day to visit anything. One of our table couples did the costa smerelda and they weren't very impressed, another couple did the La Cinta beach and they really enjoyed it. i think if you like going to the beach the disney beach excursion seem good but otherwise on the 10 day trip at least there isn't much to do in town.

Rome:

We were on one of 5 bus groups doing highlights of rome and the vatican. Two of the 3 couples at our table did this excursion too. one of the couples did the vip and they were dissappointed for the price they paid. I wasn't happy that we only got 40 min of free time instead of the advertised 2 hours but one of our table couples only got 20 mins which wasn't enought to do anything. Our bus guide was so-so but our vatican guide was great. You need more time to really see anythign indepth but i fealt like she gave us a good idea and feel for the vatican museum, chaple and basilica.

La Spezia:

We opted out of the florence tours and are happy we did. La Spezia is a beautiful town and well worht a bit of time if you aren't on a florence excursion. lots of shopping freindly people good food. We took the train north to Cinque Terre which was beautiful. I wish we had more time as we only got to see one of the 5 towns. One of our table couples had done Michelangelo and florence. they liked it but there was a strike and they got into the accidemia 2 hours late... almost not at all. other groups had problems in pisa. and a large group of diser almost missed the last tender.

Marseille:

We did the disney half day Aix en Provence. For the price i think it was a good tour. our guide gave us a decent tour (though our tablemates i think had the better guide on this one) and then about an hour and a half on our home. which was enough time for us to walk and see Cezanne's birth place and to walk around the markets and shops. As i said one of our table mates was on a different bus of the same tour and they really relaly enjoyed this one. Marseille it self... DON'T PAY FOR THE DISNEY LITTLE TRAIN TOUR. the little train is about 50 ft or less from where the shuttle drops you off at the old port and certainly doesn't cost what disney is charging.

Villefranche:

ok this is the one that we screwed up on. we booked the Night time casino excursion and after finding out what we were missing on the ship and what the minimums were at the tables we really didn't want to pay the 99/person for the excursion. we were able to change on the ship but the only thing that was left was the bus tour. they did credit us the 99 and then charge us the 49 for the bus tour but ours left at 815 and i woke up that morning not feeling well so we skipped it anyway.

The train to nice is pretty easy but don't trust the time tables disney gives you it was off about 5 min which made the difference of us missing our train. give yourself enough time that if you don't speak frech you can find out what platfor you are on. as it was we had bought tickets to monte carlo and to nice so we got to take a train that didn't stop at villefranche and we were only out 20 min instead of the 2 hours that we would have been had we had to go to villefranche. TWO things: IF YOU WANT TO GAMBLE OR SEE THE CASINO YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR ORIGINAL PASSPORT. Every one we talked to loved this area and every one was happy with what they did (on there own or with disney) had we had more time i think we would have wanted to get to Eze which many people really liked and the palace area of monaco. i think the general thing is just get off the boat and go some where at this stop you'll be happy you did no matter if it is on your own or with disney.

funnybunny921 - thank you for the great shore descriptions. Very good information.

We are hoping to do Villefranche on our own. We were going to take the train to Eze and then on to Monte Carlo/Monaco. Was there a stop for Eze? Is Nice worthwhile and in Nice, when you get off the train are you within walking distance to the Old area and the Promenade?

Thanks for the info?

 

[Hygiene99]

Was this the Pompeii, Sorrento & Capri for families or just the plain 'ol Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri tour that they offer? I tried to get the family version but it was sold out.

BTW, since we noticed that the Rome and Florence tours were quite restrictive as to time, we opted to get the "on your own" busses since we've been there before.

You may want to try the train....WAS EASY..

 

[Valencia Joe]

You may want to try the train....WAS EASY..

What train are you talking about? Are you talking about the basic commuter trains/subways to take you from one place to another?

 

[Valencia Joe]

Hi,

We reserved the DVC shore excursion Pisa(LS-05) 4.5-5.5 hours in La Spezia and DVC excursion The Hidden Treasures of Herculaneum (NP-09) 4.5-5.5 in Naples for the August 8th cruise. We will be taking our kids ages 12 and 10 with us on both of these excursions. Any information would be appreciated if you did these excursions.
Thank you!

DVC? Is the Vacation Club offering special tours for its members?

 

[figment52]

What train are you talking about? Are you talking about the basic commuter trains/subways to take you from one place to another?

Peter was referring to the train to Rome from port. The train station is about a 10 minute walk from the bus (industrial port so there is a bus to the entrance that you have to take). Be sure and validate your ticket in the yellow boxbefore you bord the train. A BIRG ticket will give you the train, buses and metro in Rome.

 

[arbitrage]

Med cruise on our own with 3 kids



Rome --- again, we were off the ship as soon as they let us, walked to the train station and took the 8 am train into Rome (about an hour). We got off at S. Pietro and started our day at the Vatican. We had a reservation at Vatican Museum for 10:30 and were able to skip the line that went around the block a few times. You do pay extra for the reservation (about 10-12 E more) but well worth it. Send a fax to the Vatican, check out their website at Vatican.va. We hadn’t received our conf code when we left the US but we emailed home and got the number. The tour lasted about two hours and you do get to go into the Sistine chapel. After the tour, we had a nice lunch and took a bus to the Colosseum where we also had a reservation. Again, we skipped the line and were able to just walk in. We chose to see it on our own to save time and not follow the guide. We then took the metro to the Spanish Steps and walked to Trevi Fountain and Pantheon. After shopping and walking around, we took the train at the termini station back to the port.

:

Just wanted to thank you for telling me about faxing in my request to the vatican. I sent in my fax last week and received confirmation today for the 6/27 cruise. No lines!!!!

 

[arbitrage]

Your Post:

Rome --- again, we were off the ship as soon as they let us, walked to the train station and took the 8 am train into Rome (about an hour). We got off at S. Pietro and started our day at the Vatican. We had a reservation at Vatican Museum for 10:30 and were able to skip the line that went around the block a few times. You do pay extra for the reservation (about 10-12 E more) but well worth it. Send a fax to the Vatican, check out their website at Vatican.va. We hadn’t received our conf code when we left the US but we emailed home and got the number. The tour lasted about two hours and you do get to go into the Sistine chapel. After the tour, we had a nice lunch and took a bus to the Colosseum where we also had a reservation. Again, we skipped the line and were able to just walk in. We chose to see it on our own to save time and not follow the guide. We then took the metro to the Spanish Steps and walked to Trevi Fountain and Pantheon. After shopping and walking around, we took the train at the termini station back to the port.

I went to the Vatican.va site and could not figure out how to get a reservation. Other sites claim that you can only get a reservation by booking through a tour operator??? Also, is there a specific site for the Coliseum? And the train? ** We are on the July 18 departure

Did you figure out how to fax them?? I received my confirmation today for my tour by faxing them directly. PM me if you still need help