August 13, 2011 Med - Mickey's Marauding Mates

[west&east]

I too just made a hair appointment for next week. Also scheduled "makeovers" with my mom and DD for next Friday which is my mom's birthday present. We pick up DD12 on Sunday morning. She has been at camp the last two weeks with no phone or email but they did have a good system for nearly daily letters. I can't wait to see her and then we'll really be counting the days til we leave!

Now to order one fun cruise tradition for our kids and our friends' kids- silly putty! Don't ask me why but we got some for the kids on one trip and it kept them so occupied at long dinners!

 

[Anal Annie]

Hi All!!

Been out of touch for a while.

Just 14 days for the cruise, I can't wait to heard "Wellcome aboard".

We are at deck 6 too. I have ready my FE, my door magnets,..., Now, waiting a couple of days for the weather to pack everything else.

Few questions.

What about the quick meet at the Promenade Lounge?, sill on? at what time is going to be?

Another one.

Does anyone know wich "Disney Princess" are comming to the cruise? And what day is gooing to be the princess meeting?

Pirate night is night 5? Love that one. ¡¡hohoho!!

Annie. Can I used your Mickey Head Maps? I would like to make a magnet.

Luke: Euromarina is a great hotel, we were there last year, close to the port, you can go to the ramblas walking. There were no place for us this year, ohh.. But we are going to park our car there. The blue bus is ok to go.

Hi Esther! Glad to see you're still around. I don't think we've planned an FE exchange for our group...that I'm aware of anyway. You can still certainly bring it to hang tho. I think we all pretty much decided it would be too much extra stuff to pack...BUT we ARE still planning a quick DIS meet in the Promenade Lounge around 2:30-3:00 - will you be there too?!?! I can try to make you a Mickey Head Map if you pop back in here to tell me what you would like on it!! Cannot answer any princess questions since all I have is a DS.

Thanks for the information on our room! Glad to hear that it's in a good location. It will be tight, but hey, it's just for sleeping right? We plan to enjoy the ship as much as possible.

I think I've caught LeeAnn's packing/shopping bug. Went shopping today and bought one more sundress and a pair of comfy capris to wear on the plane. I'll wear my light sweater on the plane. If I need anything warmer than that, I'll just have to purchase some Disney wear on the ship!

I've been hearing good things about DCL and celiac, so I'm really happy about that. Apparently they make their own fresh gluten-free dinner rolls, waffles, and desserts! Unfortunately, they don't have French dressing for salads, so I'll have to pack a bottle for DD as that's the only kind she'll eat, and salad is a pretty big part of our diet. At least I'll be able to toss it before packing for home!

Packing Question: In your past experiences with DCL, what time do the bags arrive at your stateroom? Should I pack a bag with swimsuits etc... in case we don't get our bags until later? Any other tips?

RE packing - YES, bring swimsuits & sunscreen WITH you!! No telling what time your luggage will be delivered. You can change in a bathroom near the pool!!

Well, I am packed for Bermuda - all in hand luggage too! Tomorrow I see how much I can get done for Barcelona and the cruise. And Figaro gets his bath so he can look his best for any picture opportunities

Hope your trip to Bermuda is stress free. Pop in if you can...we'll be out of here NEXT Sun. to head for Paris!! So guess if we don't touch base again we'll see you in Barcelona!

I too just made a hair appointment for next week. Also scheduled "makeovers" with my mom and DD for next Friday which is my mom's birthday present. We pick up DD12 on Sunday morning. She has been at camp the last two weeks with no phone or email but they did have a good system for nearly daily letters. I can't wait to see her and then we'll really be counting the days til we leave!

Now to order one fun cruise tradition for our kids and our friends' kids- silly putty! Don't ask me why but we got some for the kids on one trip and it kept them so occupied at long dinners!

Whatever works to entertain the kiddos!!
I will definitely be the shaggy one since I'll be almost due to go again before this trip is over!!

I had another get nothing done kind of day. Went to the bank to pick up my euros...they did NOT send the mixed denominations that I requested. SOOO I refused to take them!! I was like "I don't want big bills" I can't ask for CHANGE if I want to tip and I need small bills for the metro". SOOOO I ended up spending ONE HOUR in the bank trying to resolve this with Travelex and then buy our Travelers checks (which BTW they hardly had ANY OF.) You can call me that word that starts with a 'B' if you want. But I specifically ordered smaller denominations and the idiots at Travelex sent whatever they felt like sending. But so now I will have to go back to the bank again next week. Hopefully they will get it right next time!!

 

[jd99]

We got our Euros today. And Traveler's checks yesterday. Converter and adapters for the Greece part of our trip. New luggage that weighs LOTS less than our old stuff so we should have an easier time keeping within our weight limits for the flight from Athens to Barcelona.

My latest "Should I or shouldn't I" is - should I buy a USAirways Club 90 day membership so that we can use it on this trip? It's 120 bucks but we have a 5+ hour layover in Philly on the way to Europe and 3+ on the way home. We booked our going out flights VERY early because (if you read my trip report from last year) you would know that we almost missed our flight in Philly due to a 3 hour delay in Pittsburgh. So I am trying to decide if it's worth it to make us more comfortable for the trip (We can use in Pittsburgh too on the day we leave). What to do. What to do.

 

[Anal Annie]

We got our Euros today. And Traveler's checks yesterday. Converter and adapters for the Greece part of our trip. New luggage that weighs LOTS less than our old stuff so we should have an easier time keeping within our weight limits for the flight from Athens to Barcelona.

My latest "Should I or shouldn't I" is - should I buy a USAirways Club 90 day membership so that we can use it on this trip? It's 120 bucks but we have a 5+ hour layover in Philly on the way to Europe and 3+ on the way home. We booked our going out flights VERY early because (if you read my trip report from last year) you would know that we almost missed our flight in Philly due to a 3 hour delay in Pittsburgh. So I am trying to decide if it's worth it to make us more comfortable for the trip (We can use in Pittsburgh too on the day we leave). What to do. What to do.

I dunno Jeff...what exactly does this membership do for you? I'm pretty tight myself. Does it provide a Lounge? Beds? Bar? TV for the kids? What exactly do you get for $120? Our flight to Paris is at 4:30 & I arranged for the Groupon parking deal at the Hampton Inn Dulles for their 2:00 shuttle to the airport. So we should only have 2 hrs. 15 min. at the airport if the flight is on time. I haven't been in the international part of the airport before so I hope there's something good to eat for lunch over there in that terminal.

Good move on the new luggage. I am planning on 2 lightweight duflles and either our garment bag or an old "suiter" suitcase for our dress clothes if I can't fit everything in the garment bag. I am debating about ordering some more packing cubes. DH thinks we have enough but of course I don't think so. What day do you leave??

We had another 100 degree day here today. One of those kind that made your skin prickly when you went outside from the AC. Only mid-90's tomorrow. Glad the swim season is done - those Saturday meets were killn' me!! Hope to get some serious packing done this weekend!! THEN I can maybe CLEAN this house - but packing is first on my list!! OMG have I ignored the house tho lately!! And the WEEDS!! I weeded back in May then quit once it got hot. The other day DH was like "have you SEEN those weeds out front"?! Uhhh....yeah!! But I ain't pullin' weeds when it's 95 degrees out!! Not sure anything will get done about those before we go!! No real big cool downs in sight!!

 

[criscoloo]

So you are just 1 day ahead of us heading to Paris and no, you will not be very far from us!! I did actually work on my plans for Paris a little bit today while I was waiting at the vet!! I pulled out my notes & the map of the city & started making an itinerary. We only have 2 days to see the city after we finish at DLP. I have not checked the metro website yet to verify any times between stops so I just ballparked 30 min. to get from one place to the next. Going to plan to stay on the left bank for the first day & then will plan out the right bank for the second day. How does this sound as a tentative plan?

8:00 breakfast
9:00 - 10:00 Notre Dame (it's the earliest thing to open & is within walking distance of our hotel)
10:00 - 10:30 metro to Invalides stop
10:30 - 12:30 Hotel des Invalides (Napoleons Tomb & the Army Museum)
12:30 - 1:30 lunch someplace
1:30 - 2:00 metro over to the Eiffel Tower
2:30 entrance tix for the Eiffel Tower (I'm allowing 2-2:30 for some extra time should we be "off schedule" due to a long lunch or getting lost or something)
2:30 - 4:00 tour the tower
4:00 - 4:30 metro over to Musee d'Orsay (Impressionist museum)
4:30 - 5:30 Musee d'Orsay (it is open until 6:00)
5:30 - 6:00 metro over to Jardin du Luxembourg
6:00 - 7:00 walk around the gardins & over to the Pantheon for a quick look
7:30ish dinner
8:30ish go over to the Pont Neuf to catch a twilight cruise on the Seine
Walk back to Saint Germain
BED!!! LOL...

Rick Steve's Paris says the Louvre is open from 9-18:00 (6:00) Wed.-Mon. It is closed on Tues. So he says the crowds are worse in the mornings and on Sun., Mon. & Wed. so we'll try to run by there sometime on Thurs. The other things on our list for Thurs. include the Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre & the Sacre Coeur and maybe the Pompidou Centre.

The Museum Pass runs about $40 for a 2-day pass & it covers the Louvre, Orsay, Army Museum, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, the Pantheon & the Pompidou Centre. Not necessary for kids under 18 as most of these places are free for kids. Rick Steve's book says it's usually cheaper to buy it IN Paris but not sure where to get it (want it before we go to Notre Dame). I will look for it at the airport maybe if we have time before our transport company arrives.

That's one jam-packed itinerary, Annie! We're such late-risers that I'll be lucky if we head out of the hotel before lunch. Which car company are you using in Paris for the airport transfers? We'll be at the Hotel Le Petit Paris, though I don't know much about it. Frankly, you are light years ahead of me in terms of logistics/planning. I'm hoping to figure out everything on the plane, but we're doing the red-eye so I'll be tired to begin with.

If you get a Museum Pass in Paris, then you wouldn't get advance tix online? With a museum pass, do you have to wait in line like everyone else? Lastly, I have to get some Euros too. Hope you don't mind me following your lead in terms of planning. Every time you write something, it reminds me of something else I need to do!!!

 

[Kels Sem]

I got my euros as well. I need to get some more travel adapters, I can only find 1 of my US ones.
I'm getting my hair cut on Tuesday and I have a pedicure booked for the day before we go. DD is coming with me and the girl is going to paint her nails. Annie, I'm not doing a manicure either- my nails would be a mess again before I even get one the boat.

I'm going to get DH to get the cases down from the attic this weekend so I can start packing some stuff.

Karen - great idea about the silly putty, I really must try and source some. I haven't seen it in years here. My kids use play doe but I find it leaves a mess.

I need to buy myself a new sunhat but I'm thinking I may have left it too late to buy one here as the shops are starting to bring their autumn/winter collections My head always gets burnt as I'm so blonde and I never learn and always forget the hat.

 

[mikki.young]

Karen - great idea about the silly putty, I really must try and source some. I haven't seen it in years here. My kids use play doe but I find it leaves a mess.

How about amazon? They seem to have several on the .co.uk site which I assume would cover you too?

 

[luke]

Up early for some holiday shopping...

 

[Kels Sem]

How about amazon? They seem to have several on the .co.uk site which I assume would cover you too?

Yip, we use amazon a lot so I'll try there. I have found some on ebay as well.

Thanks Mikki

 

[Anal Annie]

Morning peeps!! Lovin' all the new chatter!!

Now that the swim meets are over I hope to have a more productive weekend - want to get some stuff packed so I can determine if I want to order more packing cubes - running out of time to get stuff delivered with std. shipping since we leave next weekend. Last night I managed to not get anything done bcuz my next door neighbor came home from a trip to Maine & she didn't have to beg me very hard to bring a drink & come over to chat with her & another neighbor. Now of course I made like a 20 oz. Mojito so then I was "done for" by the time I finished it off!

So now with Esther & Chriscoloo popping by our DIS meet my head count has the kiddos up to 26 with 16 girls & 10 boys. The most popular age group appears to be the 5 year old girls with 4 of them. Sailing - hope you can get onboard & swing thru to wave at us before the muster drill. I have everyone down as yes's now except for Luke, LNRP, Sharon L, UKWizard, Rexalite, MJWBCV and NJ_Ohana. Canadian Crew sorta mentioned it but didn't really commit before they left for Norway so I dunno 'bout them. Sounds like a P-A-R-T-Y!!

Kelly - I'm sure you can find a sunhat online...I got one to bring but not expecting to need it all that much until we reach Southern Italy.

Chris - even tho we have DVC & visit WDW fairly often we are commando types at WDW too. So far DS refuses to sleep in and is always up on his own between 6:30-7:00 (I am still waiting for that teenager sleep all day thing to kick in.) We just don't know when or if we will ever get the chance to go back to Europe so we're gonna cram it all in as much as we can. Since we're spending 2 days at DLP we only have 2 days for sightseeing in the city. In addition to Rick Steve's Paris book on my Kindle I also have a small pocket size guide by Frommer's called Paris Day by Day. I am not following it exactly as what we want to see & what they do are a bit different, but they have a section on the best you can see in 1 day, in 2 days & in 3 days. It lists the metro stops for each & then also a short timeline of how long you can allow at each place before you need to move on. So I am sort of editing their 3-day plan to fit what we're interested in into 2 days. Other than the Eiffel Tower & the Arc, DH is most interested in the Army museum & less about the Orsay or the Louvre so while they allowed 2 hours for Orsay & 1 hour for the Army one I switched that around & am allowing 2 for the Army & 1 for Orsay. They actually list about 10-11 things per day so I figure 6-8 things / day should be doable. There is also a foldout map in the back + conversions for the metric system. OH, and I am bring small purse size phrase books for French, Italian & Spanish. I know Barcelona is more Catalonian but there were no small phrase books at Borders for Catalonian so I hope the Spanish will be some help.

 

[Anal Annie]

Hi Annie, they dont vaccinate over here for chickenpox, you can pay privately and I did look into that last week but as they'd already been exposed it was too late. If Lauren comes out with it in the next couple of days she will be OK for the cruise, it's just that I havent had it before. Ive got visions of me developing it whilst on the cruise and being confined to my room! We do have trip insurance and will have to cancel worse case scenario. We've looked and all the other med cruises are sold out so we wouldnt be able to rebook. I'll keep you all updated on "spot watch"!

Cheryl - Been thinking about you! How goes your "spot watch"?!

 

[jd99]

I dunno Jeff...what exactly does this membership do for you? I'm pretty tight myself. Does it provide a Lounge? Beds? Bar? TV for the kids? What exactly do you get for $120? Our flight to Paris is at 4:30 & I arranged for the Groupon parking deal at the Hampton Inn Dulles for their 2:00 shuttle to the airport. So we should only have 2 hrs. 15 min. at the airport if the flight is on time. I haven't been in the international part of the airport before so I hope there's something good to eat for lunch over there in that terminal.

What day do you leave??

!

I am kind of spoiled because I used to have a membership when I traveled a ton for business and we used it a few times on family vacations and it was so nice to be able to get out of the madness of the terminal. If it wasn't 5 full hours in Philly I wouldn't even consider it but the other side of the issue is that i could work for that time and get some last minute client stuff done so I can write it off too. With my luck, I'll buy the membership and then our flight from PIT will be delayed again and we'll be running to the connection again. I was going to just buy a day pass but it would actually cost us almost as much (they require one per person though I think if just the adults bought them they would let us all in) but then we couldn't use it on the way home. I think what i need to find out is if I can buy the 90 day AT the airport so that I will know if we will actually use it.

We leave Wednesday SO we are in major panic countdown mode now. Hoping to actually pack today and tomorrow so that we don't have the usual last minute stay up all night nightmare that we always have on these trips. The biggest challenge is to try to remember we can pack for the first half of the trip and then stay up late the first night on the ship and do some laundry to get us through the second half. We have never done this before but with the luggage weight restrictions we are going to give it a shot. And guess who has the hardest time with this. Me. I've become the worst overpacker in the family. Used to be so good at this when I traveled constantly on business. I'm so out of practice and thus overpack and realize it - literally - as soon as I open the case when we arrive at the destination. I can even visualize what I should have left out.

Just got some unplanned client work done so now I'm going to go and see if i can get myself packed. Kids are getting ready to start their part of the job too. It's way too beautiful a day to be stuck in the house packing so I just want to get it done and get to the pool.

Happy weekend everyone.

 

[criscoloo]

Morning peeps!! Lovin' all the new chatter!!

Now that the swim meets are over I hope to have a more productive weekend - want to get some stuff packed so I can determine if I want to order more packing cubes - running out of time to get stuff delivered with std. shipping since we leave next weekend. Last night I managed to not get anything done bcuz my next door neighbor came home from a trip to Maine & she didn't have to beg me very hard to bring a drink & come over to chat with her & another neighbor. Now of course I made like a 20 oz. Mojito so then I was "done for" by the time I finished it off!

So now with Esther & Chriscoloo popping by our DIS meet my head count has the kiddos up to 26 with 16 girls & 10 boys. The most popular age group appears to be the 5 year old girls with 4 of them. Sailing - hope you can get onboard & swing thru to wave at us before the muster drill. I have everyone down as yes's now except for Luke, LNRP, Sharon L, UKWizard, Rexalite, MJWBCV and NJ_Ohana. Canadian Crew sorta mentioned it but didn't really commit before they left for Norway so I dunno 'bout them. Sounds like a P-A-R-T-Y!!

Kelly - I'm sure you can find a sunhat online...I got one to bring but not expecting to need it all that much until we reach Southern Italy.

Chris - even tho we have DVC & visit WDW fairly often we are commando types at WDW too. So far DS refuses to sleep in and is always up on his own between 6:30-7:00 (I am still waiting for that teenager sleep all day thing to kick in.) We just don't know when or if we will ever get the chance to go back to Europe so we're gonna cram it all in as much as we can. Since we're spending 2 days at DLP we only have 2 days for sightseeing in the city. In addition to Rick Steve's Paris book on my Kindle I also have a small pocket size guide by Frommer's called Paris Day by Day. I am not following it exactly as what we want to see & what they do are a bit different, but they have a section on the best you can see in 1 day, in 2 days & in 3 days. It lists the metro stops for each & then also a short timeline of how long you can allow at each place before you need to move on. So I am sort of editing their 3-day plan to fit what we're interested in into 2 days. Other than the Eiffel Tower & the Arc, DH is most interested in the Army museum & less about the Orsay or the Louvre so while they allowed 2 hours for Orsay & 1 hour for the Army one I switched that around & am allowing 2 for the Army & 1 for Orsay. They actually list about 10-11 things per day so I figure 6-8 things / day should be doable. There is also a foldout map in the back + conversions for the metric system. OH, and I am bring small purse size phrase books for French, Italian & Spanish. I know Barcelona is more Catalonian but there were no small phrase books at Borders for Catalonian so I hope the Spanish will be some help.

Hey Annie,

I wish we were the early risers like many others, but it's never been the case unfortunately. Anyway, wondering if you want to meet for lunch in Paris somewhere assuming you have time. LMK.

 

[Anal Annie]

Hey Annie,

I wish we were the early risers like many others, but it's never been the case unfortunately. Anyway, wondering if you want to meet for lunch in Paris somewhere assuming you have time. LMK.

Hummm....that would be nice and probably lots of fun but I'm afraid that I had a hard enough time just trying to figure out what time to buy tix for for the Eiffel Tower (which I still haven't purchased yet)!! I think I might feel too stressed to try to plan anything else for a specific time. KWIM?! DH is also not real tolerant of me making tooooo many plans that involve specific timelines. We don't even plan ADR's at WDW for every day because we don't like to commit to having to be any place in particular at a certain time. I have NO IDEA where we're going to eat in Paris AT ALL...just hoping we'll run across places that look good whenever we're hungry! I could give you DH's cell phone # (we're only taking mine as a backup phone) and we could play it by ear if you want...

OH, and sorry, I forgot to answer a couple of your questions that you'd asked. We booked this transportation company called rstransports that I found on the DLP board. They don't communicate a lot and their website is a bit tacky but they seemed to get fair reviews (Jon says they have used them a few times and he likes them OK). http://www.rstransports.com/ I emailed them to see if I booked them for 3 transfers if I could get a discount & they did offer a few euros off. Not a lot but something. At first I was going to just try to use the RER & metro but then I had visions of us at the Chatelet les Halles metro station trying to transfer with all of our luggage on an escalator screaming at each other to watch for pickpockets & stay close & watch out for this & watch out for that & I decided for 30 or 50 euros more it would be worth the convenience. SOOO, I booked their "shared shuttle" from CDG to the Hotel Cheyenne at DLP then I booked private transfers for the next day from DLP to our Hotel Odeon and then again for our last morning from the Odeon back to CDG. I believe the total for the 3 of them came out to be about 171 euros back when I booked it. I think the one from DLP to the Odeon is about an hour so that should definitely be more comfortable than taking the RER.

And about the Museum Pass - it is supposed to be cheaper for adults if you visit 4 or more things that accept it. Pretty much everything does take it except for the Eiffel Tower. And yes, I think there is a separate line for anyone that has a pass so you can sort of skip the reg. admission lines. Individually, admission for adults at the Arc is 8 euros each (free for under 18), admission for the Louvre is 9 euros (free under 18), Musee d'Orsay is 8 euro for over 31, 5,50 euro for 18-30 & free under 18, des Invalides (the Army museum) is 8 euro for ages 27+, 6 euro for 18-26 & free under 18; the Pompidou Centre is 10 euro for 26 & over, 8 euro for 18-25 & free under 18. So you can see that the pass (at around $40 is a bargain for adults). I find it hysterical that the French charge different prices for different aged adults too!! Not sure what that's all about but I sure do feel like the senior citizen now!!

 

[Cumbley]

Cheryl - Been thinking about you! How goes your "spot watch"?!

Hi Annie - Eleanor is doing well with most of her spots already scabbed over. No sign on Lauren or me yet! Feel a bit stuck in limbo really, don't know whether to do some planning/preparation for packing or whether that will lead to more disappointment if we can't go! On the other hand I can't leave it all to the night before!

Thanks for thinking of us x

 

[DoeWDW]

Compared to everyone else, I seem very under-prepared. I MEANT to do more planning and preparation but it looks like work for DH and I is just going to be crazy until we leave. So I've decided to just wing it and see what happens. I do not advise this because it will make me more anxious but there is nothing to be done about it.

So if anyone sees DH and I wandering around Europe looking lost, you will know why. Please point us toward the ship and all will be fine.

Annie, when you called Verizon, was there no option to get a smartphone? I know your DH will have one so you didn't need one, but I think a smartphone would work so much better for me. Europe would be easier with Google Maps and a translation app.

Our other option is to just buy a disposable phone in Barcelona but I don't know if it will then work in France, Monaco, and Italy. So many questions!

 

[Anal Annie]

Compared to everyone else, I seem very under-prepared. I MEANT to do more planning and preparation but it looks like work for DH and I is just going to be crazy until we leave. So I've decided to just wing it and see what happens. I do not advise this because it will make me more anxious but there is nothing to be done about it.

So if anyone sees DH and I wandering around Europe looking lost, you will know why. Please point us toward the ship and all will be fine.

Annie, when you called Verizon, was there no option to get a smartphone? I know your DH will have one so you didn't need one, but I think a smartphone would work so much better for me. Europe would be easier with Google Maps and a translation app.

Our other option is to just buy a disposable phone in Barcelona but I don't know if it will then work in France, Monaco, and Italy. So many questions!

Hi - FIRST, how's Casey? Better by the day I hope!! Second, no I didn't inquire about a Smartphone as I don't have one now & didn't want to pay for a data package. When I gave them my cell # they could see what kind of phone I have now so we really didn't discuss any upgrades. My loaner phone came & it's just a simple Samsung flip phone. I agree that there would be some advantages in having a smartphone - so we're lucky that DH's company will cover that for him. He got his phone yesterday in the mail too & it was not the model that he ordered (I don't know one Droid from another I just know he said it wasn't the one he requested). I think that Hope was going to buy a prepaid phone of some sort...maybe she'll chime in about what she got!!

Meanwhile, my TSA locks came today - HOWEVER instead of being in a 2-pack there was only 1 lock per package!! So I flipped out 'cuz there were 4 locks rather than 8. WHY is everything going screwy?? So I started an online Chat with Overstock.com & the guy said he would send it to their Product Quality Control people & that I would have to wait 1-2 BUSINESS DAYS for someone to get back to me!! I was like OH NO I want help today!! So I ended up CALLING them then and I begged & pleaded for someone to help me TODAY. She finally agreed to go around the procedure & get more sent out on Monday. She also said that she could see where this had happened at least 2 other times with this same product!! So either their description is wrong or someone put the wrong sku sticker in the wrong place!
Anyway, just 1 more wasted hour of my day.

OK, back to laundry & packing!!

 

[Anal Annie]

OH peeps!! I have all of DH's stuff laid out all over our bed in piles. Shorts...slacks...t-shirts...polos...swim suits....underwear....dress socks....and a few button up shirts for dinners...it's a LOT of stuff!! I have a handful too many out right now & wanted DH to look at the piles so see what his preference might be on some things but he's napping on the couch... Funny thing I noticed about my piles was that I have like 10 blue shirts for him in various shades of blue!! I guess blue goes with everything, right? But he will look like he's wearing the same shirt in all of our pictures if you don't look closely to see the difference!! Not sure why I've bought him so many blue shirts!

 

[criscoloo]

No worries about lunch. I totally understand. At least you have a plan...I haven't even started yet! If you want to try to meet in Paris, let me know and we can trade cellphone numbers. Otherwise, see you on the boat!

 

[jd99]

Ok one less panic and one new panic.

The less panic. If we go closer to our US carrier 50 pound limit on one of our bags, we will only have to pay about 5 Euros for one singular flight. So the panic to keep to 44 lbs (20 kilos) for our one flight from Athens to barcelona is officially over.

But the new panic. Why are you ordering world phones? I have been assured that my iPhone WILL work in Europe and getting the discounted phone rate in case we need it. Suspecting we may need to text a little bit - but told it was 50 cents per text. So..............why the need for a world phone? Curious, potentially freaked out minds what to know.