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

[funnybunny921]

The excursion tickets are in your stateroom. Make sure you double check that you have everything right.

yes, check them when you first get them as to not expereince the problem we had of being issued & charged tickets for an excursion we had canceled a month before

disney refunded the money but it was still annoying.

 

[Lyn]

In a previous post I've asked if anyone went on the Day on the Farm excursion in Palermo and
"SweetSue" was referred but I can't find her user id on this forum

 

[AnnaS]

Hi everyone,

A silly question from me - did you guys leave personal belongings on the bus? Just wondering if we want to bring an extra pair of sandals to switch from sneakers/walking shoes, hats, extra water bottle, etc. and such.

thanks.

 

[MrsG]

Hi everyone,

A silly question from me - did you guys leave personal belongings on the bus? Just wondering if we want to bring an extra pair of sandals to switch from sneakers/walking shoes, hats, extra water bottle, etc. and such.

thanks.

Good question, Anna. I'd like to know too.

Maryann

 

[funnybunny921]

Good question, Anna. I'd like to know too.

Maryann

we left ponchos and i left flip flops.... i figured it was good to bring both but i didn't want to lug them around.

 

[konslerg]

Hi everyone,

A silly question from me - did you guys leave personal belongings on the bus? Just wondering if we want to bring an extra pair of sandals to switch from sneakers/walking shoes, hats, extra water bottle, etc. and such.

thanks.

Yes, we were told we could leave things on the bus, but were cautioned not to leave anything of value (like a camera). It's not that OUR bus driver might steal it, but often there are a number of buses parked right next to each other. Sometimes the drivers leave the doors open so the buses don't get so hot ...and then the bus drivers chat in little groups while they wait for their passengers to return. It would be fairly easy for someone to sneak onto a bus, pilfer and then get back off again totally unseen.

I would think sneakers, sandals, water bottles, etc. would be safe, but I wouldn't leave any sort of good back pack, tote bag or expensive clothing articles.

 

[Hygiene99]

In a previous post I've asked if anyone went on the Day on the Farm excursion in Palermo and
"SweetSue" was referred but I can't find her user id on this forum

Lyn, I sent you a pm.

Peter

Day on the Farm was a fun excursion although they still had some bugs to work out. I imagine they've fixed most of that.

It was a pleasant drive through the countryside (about an hour) to our destination. The farm doesn't look so much like a running farm as it does a country house and grounds. We first went to the house to use the facilities. Then we walked (transportation by private car is available to those with specific needs - just ask) about half a mile up to another country house. There we watched them make ricotta. It was DELICIOUS. The kids help make fresh bread (only the dough part). Once done, they uncovered a bunch of already baked thick-style cheese pizza and bread. I enjoyed it but my daughter did not. The bread and pizza was highly spiced for American tastes.

Afterwards, we returned to the farm house for swimming in the pool. They also have a very small playground with two swings and a see-saw. It was cold when we were there and the pool is not heated. If the weather was warmer I'm sure it would be just fine.

After pool time (we wandered the grounds instead), we had a sit-down family style dinner. Tables are setup for about twelve. They come around with about 20 different dishes for you to try. It starts with antipasto, then the pasta dishes, finally the main courses and then dessert. There wasn't a lot that my daughter liked though since it was all somewhat unfamiliar food. Hopefully they've Americanized it a bit for the kids. Some of the other excursions we went on had already done that.

Due to time constraints and people generally being tired, we did NOT see them milk a cow or any other animal. We also did not go to the grotto. I am positive this was corrected before the next tour.

The tour was nice because it wasn't so overly busy like the ones that follow. It is a good break - especially with the jet lag.

Hope that helps!

 

[Doingitagain]

We are on the June 27 cruise. DCL called today and said that for our "Highlights of Rome and VIP Vatican" tour we would not be stopping at the Trevi fountain. That is disappointing because I really wanted to see it.

Any thoughts?

 

[konslerg]

We are on the June 27 cruise. DCL called today and said that for our "Highlights of Rome and VIP Vatican" tour we would not be stopping at the Trevi fountain. That is disappointing because I really wanted to see it.

Any thoughts?

That would be disappointing!

On our "Behind the Scenes" tour we did not have time to walk to the Colisseum during our "on your own" time, but the bus circled it, so at least we got to see it that way. I'm almost positive there's no way to get a bus anywhere near where you'd be able to see Trevi from the bus.

The only reason I can think of that they'd eliminate visiting there is the crowds. The Trevi area is VERY crowded and, if everyone on your tour wanted to toss coins over their shoulder into the fountain and take pictures of it, it would really take a chunk out of your touring time. All the excursions are times pretty closely and they may have found that this is one place where they were always late getting away and on to other sights.

...but still disappointing, whatever the reason.

 

[taysmom]

Hi everyone,

A silly question from me - did you guys leave personal belongings on the bus? Just wondering if we want to bring an extra pair of sandals to switch from sneakers/walking shoes, hats, extra water bottle, etc. and such.

thanks.

Yes, in rome you could leave stuff on the bus. Which I did. Including my purse, which did not have any cash or cc in it.

That would be disappointing!

On our "Behind the Scenes" tour we did not have time to walk to the Colisseum during our "on your own" time, but the bus circled it, so at least we got to see it that way. I'm almost positive there's no way to get a bus anywhere near where you'd be able to see Trevi from the bus.

The only reason I can think of that they'd eliminate visiting there is the crowds. The Trevi area is VERY crowded and, if everyone on your tour wanted to toss coins over their shoulder into the fountain and take pictures of it, it would really take a chunk out of your touring time. All the excursions are times pretty closely and they may have found that this is one place where they were always late getting away and on to other sights.

...but still disappointing, whatever the reason.

I heard they eliminated on this trip too. don't know why...

Today we did the Pisa tour. It was very disappointing. Pisa was great, but it was a little square. Basically, this was an on your own tour but not advertised as such. Our tour guide was ok, but I switched channels and listened to the other guide as he was much better. We had a bad bus!

Again, my friends did it on your own with a train and they had a lovely time. Found it very easy to get there and back with plenty of shopping time.

 

[jokicha]

Pisa is only about an hour away from the port. Everybody going to Florence has to go through Pisa. This is a definite on your own port.

 

[shortkathleen]

We are signed up for the 1/2 day Pisa trip but after reading the last two post I am reconsidering doing it on our own. I am sure it has already been discussed somewhere along the way but could some sweet person out there let me know how to do it on our own and how much it would cost? Thanks a million.

 

[debnal]

For those of you wondering the Fountain is no longer on the tours, apparantly so over zealous road crews dug up part of the old viaduct which supplied water to the fountain and then thinking it was just old piping left from Roman days filled the whole thing in with cement. The city of Rome has been recirculating the water but with the hot weather they have been having it is getting too hard to continue safely using the old water.

 

[sharolyn]

we did florence and pisa and you do not necessarily have to go through pisa to get to florence, I assumed you would, but you can go another way. just thought I would let you know, there is a way to go that actually makes a triangle, which is kind of what we did, well, actually we came back towards port and then cut over to pisa, but if we were not going to pisa to climb the tower, we would not have gone through pisa to get to florence. IF you are taking the train, then what you say is true, you would go through pisa to get to florence, but by car or bus you do not have to go through pisa to get to florence.

 

[jokicha]

I apologize, I should have specified that it was the train route that I was talking about.

Here is the link to trenitalia, just print out the schedule of the train for the day that you are there. If I remember correctly, it will say Pisa C. (for Centrale).

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

If you are returning from Pisa, print out the return times of the train.

Have fun and do it on your own!

 

[lzj21428]

For those of you wondering the Fountain is no longer on the tours, apparantly so over zealous road crews dug up part of the old viaduct which supplied water to the fountain and then thinking it was just old piping left from Roman days filled the whole thing in with cement. The city of Rome has been recirculating the water but with the hot weather they have been having it is getting too hard to continue safely using the old water.

This is to bad. I was so looking forward to throwing my coin in the fountain. We have a private tour, so maybe we will still be able to see it, but doesn't sound like it would be the same without water. Think they could have it fixed by Wednesday?

 

[AnnaS]

I know it was cool when you guys cruised, but did anyone notice young men/men wearing cargo shorts below the knee for the vatican/churches? They will probably wear pants - but just in case it's 100% when we cruise.

My dh will probably wear the zip-off pants - not sure if I should purchase a pair for son.

Thanks again.

Everyone has been very helpful.

 

[shortkathleen]

Thanks Jokicha for you helpful info. I am going to bug you with another question. How far is the train station from the port in LaSpezia? Can we walk there? Thanks!

 

[dcpjudge]

I will be traveling with my 4 year old, 2 teens, and my 82 year old grandmother. We decided to book this rather late and I am now stuck playing Julie the cruise director for this very varied group.

A few questions I would love to have answered . . .

Several people metioned leaving the kids on the ship. On past Disney cruises I was under the impression someone had to stay on board with the beeper. Is there anyone who has left their pre-schooler for an entire day? If so, please let me know how that went.

Also, for the most part my grandmother will be very content with just cruising around but I do want her to see a few ports. Can someone tell me the easiest tours for the elderly - or even the ports that she can enjoy for a couple of hours and then return easily when she tires. Seems Marseille may fit the bill - anywhere else?

Last question - did anyone see any surfing opportunities? I have a teen who is a fanatic and is dying to say she surfed in the Mediterranean (as if satisfying an age range of 4 - 82 isn't difficult enough!).

Any advice greatly appreciated. The thread has been great - just wish we had booked earlier and I had time to print it all out.

Thanks,

Tiffany

 

[sharolyn]

I would say that if you do the train to Cannes, or just stay in Villefranche, your mother would be ok. Also, taking the train to Monte Carlo, and then taking a taxi ride home is wonderful!!! Even if you do not pay to go into the casino, just walk into the place, it is beautiful and this is an easy do for any age. You would have to probably take a taxi from the train station to the casino, but the town is beautiful and something you all would enjoy.

There are probably other things you can do other than kill yourself trying to see all the major sights in all the ports, for sure you can do that!! I just happened to have a majority of teenagers with me and thus we geared our tours around trying to do it all, and it was a lot!! And left us all tired, but satisfied. Trying to go with the wide variety you have would be challenging, but doable. I went through all the Disney excursions with my group and let them decide what they would want to try and see, and then we hired a private tour company to provide transportation and the guide. Anyway,that might be an option, so that you have more flexibility is hiring a private tour company. Also, I am thinking that if you do a tour, if someone got really tired, they could possibly stay on the bus and rest. I dont know that for sure, but just thinking, it makes sense. Good luck...