August 10, 2013 Magic 7 Day Med!!

[CBEB]

Hi all, just wondering if it's not too late, could we add our staterooms for the FE Gifts? This will be our first time to participate. We're getting all our ideas together! Getting very excited.

Sure! Join the fun Here's the list:
CBEB
SR 7524
2 adults
DD16

texasgirl29
SR6618
2 adults
DD16
DD13

1travelgirl
SR 6612
2 Adults

GW45
SR 2112
2Adults
DS 13
DD 8 1/2

SR: 2120
2 Adults

SR: 2122
1 Adult
DD 16
DD 13

SR: 2124
1 Adult
DS 9

 

[texasgirl29]

Three weeks until we leave and I'm already getting that "short timer" slacker thing here at work.

This morning I booked tickets for Sagrada Familia on Friday, Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. online to avoid the outside line.

And I booked a tour of Barcelona's Old City with Runner Bean Tours at 4:30 on Friday. It's a "free" tour which means pay what you wish -- 10 or 15 euros per person.

I've also confirmed our French Riviera Tour with Ingrid, meeting her at 9 a.m. on Monday, August 12. I figured that gives us time to tender in without worrying about not making it on time.

 

[Magic 2013]

Is everyone starting to get excited?

We’re getting both excited and nervous and the cruise gets closer.

This is My and DD’s first cruise, DW has cruised before but not with Disney. Does anyone with past Disney experience have suggestions for regular meals and formal night attire? On vacation I’m typically not a shirt and tie kind of guy. I see cruise casual for most nights and formal for one. I don’t want to be under dressed how do most people dress?

Our Daughter is 12 and looking forward to activities are there any that can/should be booked in advance?

 

[texasgirl29]

Hi, welcome to the group.

Formal is a rather subjective term. Most men will wear a shirt & tie, maybe a sportcoat. But there will be some in shorts although technically that is a no-no. I think this cruise tends to be a little less formal than even the other DCL cruises because of the weight restrictions on airplanes.

Personally, my husband will be in a shirt, tie and most likely khaki pants. A sport coat will just take up too much room in his suitcase. I have a long black knit dress that I'm accessorizing with a wide belt and a necklace. My daughters will have sundresses. So, that's not terribly formal.

If you have not yet done so, you can register your daughter for the Edge, the pre-teen hang out. I don't think there's anything else on the ship you need to register her for. If you and your wife want a nice dinner or brunch, there's Palo, for adults only.

 

[GreenAcres]

Hi, welcome to the group.

Formal is a rather subjective term. Most men will wear a shirt & tie, maybe a sportcoat. But there will be some in shorts although technically that is a no-no. I think this cruise tends to be a little less formal than even the other DCL cruises because of the weight restrictions on airplanes.

Personally, my husband will be in a shirt, tie and most likely khaki pants. A sport coat will just take up too much room in his suitcase. I have a long black knit dress that I'm accessorizing with a wide belt and a necklace. My daughters will have sundresses. So, that's not terribly formal.

If you have not yet done so, you can register your daughter for the Edge, the pre-teen hang out. I don't think there's anything else on the ship you need to register her for. If you and your wife want a nice dinner or brunch, there's Palo, for adults only.

This will be our 5th cruise with DCL. We love our meals in the MDRs and actually go all out on formal night with tuxes and long dresses. We've seen lots of nice dresses and suits as well as much less formal attire. On our Alaskan cruise the family that showed up late in super casual (jeans and tee shirts) did get lots of dirty looks from the other guests. Most people, if not in formal wear, at least made an attempt to respect the spirit of the occasion.

Getting SUPER excited!!!! Three weeks to go!

 

[GW45]

You don't need a shirt and tie normally- just best to have shirts with collars- My dh wears a lot of light chinos and short sleeved shirts or Polo shirts. Having said that lots of people come to the MDR in shorts/tshirts/jeans/flip flops and nothing is ever said to them but I like to stick to cruise casual- casual but smart. You do need a shirt and tie for Palo or maybe its just a shirt and jacket (check that!).

You can be as formal as you like on Formal night or just dressed a bit fancier than other nights. That's when my dh wears a shirt and tie and blazer
(wears the same thing for Palo so he gets two nights out of that outfit)and I wear a dress/cocktail dress but some families go all out and wear evening dresses and men in tuxedos (little boys look adorable in their suits but I know my ds would have been battling with me on that one- he has always just worn a smart shirt and pants)....so whatever you're comfortable in is the answer.

I always feel that nothing special really happens on Formal Night and other than if you want to get formal photographs taken ....we get dressed up and then...what now? I know every night is special on DCL but after dinner on Formal night we always get changed again for the show and feel more comfortable in the theatre that way than in formal clothes (and heels I can't walk far in!). I do like getting dressed up for Palo though and feel I'm 'going out' on the cruise but that's just me.

Can't think of anything you really need to book for a 12 year old on board. My
ds was just turning 12 last year and he just hung out at the Edge-we hardly saw him he loved it there so much.

 

[Magic 2013]

Thanks for the input.

I'm glad no tux! I'll bring a shirt, tie, and jacket. I typically wear polo's most of the time so I think I'm set.

I'm sure my DD will spend a lot of time at the club. She's been looking forward to it.

Has anyone done the wine package? We are considering it.

 

[GreenAcres]

We've done the Premium wine package every time. I have always felt it was worth the price. If you take the time to do a little wine menu research online before you go, you can see which selections are the best "deal". We enjoy reds mostly and always have the Fairy Tale cuvée at least once per cruise.

The servers are happy to store any leftovers for you and have also helped us apply a discount to a wine we wanted to try that wasn't one of the Premium wine choices (in place of that night's bottle).

 

[Magic 2013]

Thank, I have been toying around with the Idea of the wine package.

I have also been thinking about trying to get a bottle of local wine in each port to enjoy once back on the ship as we reflect on the adventures of the day Do you know if the allow you to bring wine back from the ports?

The only problem I see with bring it back is we would have to enjoy it on our veranda perhaps with room service cheese and fruit platters and not have it with dinner as I don't want to incur corkage fees every port day.

I'll pack a corkscrew just in case...

Has anyone done this?

 

[GreenAcres]

Thank, I have been toying around with the Idea of the wine package.

I have also been thinking about trying to get a bottle of local wine in each port to enjoy once back on the ship as we reflect on the adventures of the day Do you know if the allow you to bring wine back from the ports?

The only problem I see with bring it back is we would have to enjoy it on our veranda perhaps with room service cheese and fruit platters and not have it with dinner as I don't want to incur corkage fees every port day.

I'll pack a corkscrew just in case...

Has anyone done this?

Yes! Your stateroom host will provide a corkscrew and glasses for you.

 

[Magic 2013]

Thanks!

Now we have to think about which way to go.

I finished online check-in this morning and am really getting excited...

 

[texasgirl29]

Sure! Join the fun Here's the list:
CBEB
SR 7524
2 adults
DD16

texasgirl29
SR6618
2 adults - Paul and JoAnn
DD16 - Stephanie
DD13 - Rachel

1travelgirl
SR 6612
2 Adults

GW45
SR 2112
2Adults
DS 13
DD 8 1/2

SR: 2120
2 Adults

SR: 2122
1 Adult
DD 16
DD 13

SR: 2124
1 Adult
DS 9

I was working on a spreadsheet so I could figure out who gets what and it dawned on me that if it just says "adult" I don't know if it's male or female. I also wanted to go ahead and put names with my family -- if anyone else wants to do the same, it would be nice to start getting a little familiar.

My girls are off to Camp Grandma and Grandpa and I'm trying to finish up FE's while they are gone. I need to get organized because I need to get some additional supplies.

JoAnn

 

[sajilunni]

Checking back in and saw that there's lots of new information. For anyone who doesn't want to go back through the whole thread, some information I found valuable was that the Sistine Chapel will be closed the day that we will be visiting there. And someone helpfully posted the movies that will be showing onboard:
Tangled
Chimpanzee
Avengers
Brave in 2D and 3D
Oz
Monsters University
Finding Nemo 3D
Frankenweenie
Wreck It Ralph
Lincoln
Iron Man 3
The Lone Ranger

And I found Personal Navigators from a June sailing if anyone would like a general idea of what to expect: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/201...-7-night-mediterranean-cruise-june-8-14-2013/

Now I thought from the original information I received that we would be spending 11 hours in Naples, but I thought I read something about that day being shortened to 5 hours because it's an Italian holiday? Has anyone else heard anything about that? We were planning on DIYing Naples, by taking a train to Herculaneum and then the 4x4 up Vesuvius (Busvia Del Vesuvio is 20 euro per person). The same trip booked through Disney would have cost exponentially more.

We're booked a table for two at Palo at 8:30PM on Sunday, August 11. I've pre-registered my son (almost 13), and daughters (10 and 7) for the Youth Activities (I'm hoping that means the same thing as Edge and Oceaneer Lab). I bought these lanyard fans: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003DGPWLK/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and walking/water shoes for the kids. I booked private tours for all the destinations except Naples, and I'm planning on confirming them next week. Is there anything I'm forgetting??

Speaking of private tours, it seems that most of the European companies want cash in Euros. I wish they would accept credit cards or Paypal because I'm not used to carrying that kind of cash around. Do you think it's better to try to convert dollars into Euros before leaving the US, or once we land there (or onboard)?

Does anyone know which day of the week the formal night will be? And I know that "cruise casual" means no shorts to dinner, but does that apply to children as well?

 

[texasgirl29]

We have a tour booked through Can't Be Missed Tours for the Naples port -- if our time is shortened to five hours that would be a problem. Can that be confirmed?

We have per paid online for Sagrada Familia and two tours with CBM which I like because we don't have to carry so much cash and it helps with that vacation hangover!

 

[CBEB]

I was working on a spreadsheet so I could figure out who gets what and it dawned on me that if it just says "adult" I don't know if it's male or female. I also wanted to go ahead and put names with my family -- if anyone else wants to do the same, it would be nice to start getting a little familiar.

My girls are off to Camp Grandma and Grandpa and I'm trying to finish up FE's while they are gone. I need to get organized because I need to get some additional supplies.

JoAnn

Great idea!
CBEB
SR 7524
2 adults - Charlie and Liz
DD16 - Lizzie

texasgirl29
SR6618
2 adults - Paul and JoAnn
DD16 - Stephanie
DD13 - Rachel

1travelgirl
SR 6612
2 Adults

GW45
SR 2112
2Adults
DS 13
DD 8 1/2

SR: 2120
2 Adults

SR: 2122
1 Adult
DD 16
DD 13

SR: 2124
1 Adult
DS 9

This waiting is driving me crazy!!!

 

[CBEB]

Does anyone know which day of the week the formal night will be? And I know that "cruise casual" means no shorts to dinner, but does that apply to children as well?

I think Sunday night is formal night

 

[kel585]

Great idea!
CBEB
SR 7524
2 adults - Charlie and Liz
DD16 - Lizzie

texasgirl29
SR6618
2 adults - Paul and JoAnn
DD16 - Stephanie
DD13 - Rachel

1travelgirl
SR 6612
2 Adults

GW45
SR 2112
2Adults
DS 13
DD 8 1/2

kel585
SR: 2120
2 Adults Deirdre & Kelly-Marie

SR: 2122
1 Adult Grace
DD 16 Dara
DD 13 Finn

SR: 2124
1 Adult David
DS 9 Rían

We're getting very close!!!!

 

[texasgirl29]

Now I thought from the original information I received that we would be spending 11 hours in Naples, but I thought I read something about that day being shortened to 5 hours because it's an Italian holiday? Has anyone else heard anything about that? ?

I checked the published itinerary this morning and it still says 7:30 to 5:30.

JoAnn

 

[1travelgirl]

SR 6612

2 adults- Candice & Jay

 

[sajilunni]

I checked the published itinerary this morning and it still says 7:30 to 5:30.

JoAnn

Oops, I think I misread a previous post: "With the 15th being a major public holiday in Italy, the traffic will be horrible apparently which is why we have slightly limited time in each place.

We'll only be off the ship from 8am-1pm, so back onboard for quiet lunch while everyone else is still seeing the sights. ".

I now realize they were just talking about their own tour hours and not the ships. So glad we'll have enough time to do our DIY tour there!