August 13, 2011 Med - Mickey's Marauding Mates

[Kels Sem]

Hey Annie, Hope you had a great day out for DS's birthday and you escaped any rain!

 

[DoeWDW]

Excursions all booked. I figure if I get brave enough to do a port or two on my own, I can always cancel the DCL excursions.

DH is adamant about doing the Top Car tour in Villefranche - any chance to see rare cars is a must-do for him.

I also snagged Palo - we've never dined here before and it will be our 26th wedding anniversary on August 17th. Good reason to splurge!

 

[Anal Annie]

Greetings from Bermuda! Woke up in the middle of the night so made my reservations! Got Palo for Rome day. Shame you can only book one.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

YAY! Congrats - that is the day we're going as well! We got home around 10:30 & I was exhausted but had to make myself stay up until midnight. I also booked brunch for the sea day - still not 100% about keeping that one or not. We have not tried brunch before & I really want to...but I don't want to futz around with it all morning as I want to snag a lounge chair by the pool too!!

So how is Bermuda!? Hope you're having a great time!

Hey Annie, Hope you had a great day out for DS's birthday and you escaped any rain!

Thanks, Kelly - we DID have fun! The park opened at 10:30 and we got down there around 10:15. Drove in rain & mist most of the way...it stayed misty until around Noon or so then it stopped. Not enough to need ponchos but just sort of a nuisance. I put a hat on bcuz my glasses were getting wet & that was making me crazy. The sun never really came out nor did it get as warm as the forecast said it would. (It stayed in the 60's all day & it was supposed to reach 78 - but it was VERY humid so it didn't feel too cold since it was so muggy.) ANYWAY, there were lots of large band & chorus groups so it was busy but not AS PACKED as it would be in the summer. Most things had waits of 30 minutes or less. ONE roller coaster, the Volcano Blast, was an hour wait...but that's 'cuz it's a slow loading one. So we rode everything except for about 4 things by about 7:00 pm. We kept pushing bcuz DH could check the radar on his phone & we could see a REALLY BIG severe storm coming right for us. DS wanted Dipping Dots and we kept passing them so we could get the rides in before they shut them down for this storm...well, so they started closing the rides around 7:00 or so and so I said we should just LEAVE but NOOOO they wanted to find these dumb Dipping Dots. THEN we were in the back of the park when it CUT LOOSE on us with this TORRENTIAL downpour. We had cheapy disposable type $1 ponchos with us & they helped SOME but this was a DRIVING RAIN with lots of wind & no sign of stopping. Of course all of the Dipping Dots stands were closed by this point and like IDIOTS we had to trudge in the lightening & wind and flooding paths back to the exit. I was wearing capris & I rolled them up as far as I could get them above my knees & I still got soaked up to my thighs because the wind was whipping my poncho around. ANYWAY, so we rode home tired & soaking wet but satisfied that we had a good day. There were a couple of things that DS wanted to ride a 2nd time but there wasn't anything we could do about that.

Excursions all booked. I figure if I get brave enough to do a port or two on my own, I can always cancel the DCL excursions.

DH is adamant about doing the Top Car tour in Villefranche - any chance to see rare cars is a must-do for him.

I also snagged Palo - we've never dined here before and it will be our 26th wedding anniversary on August 17th. Good reason to splurge!

Palo will be a nice treat for your anniversary. I didn't book any excursions last night. I read thru them tho. I saw a couple of things in Villefranche said "No reservations available". So I don't know if that means they were booked up already?! They were a couple of the ones that included Monaco & Eze I think. I was planning to just do 3 ports on our own but I should probably have DH read thru the stuff today just to be sure he's OK with that. I know, I should've done that already.

OK, I have to go get dinner into the Crock Pot & get it going (my turn to cook again for our neighbors with the sick kid.) Happy Sunday!!!

 

[luke]

Got Palo booked for La Spezia day, wanted brunch for sea day but no availability so will keep trying

 

[criscoloo]

Finally pulled the trigger and got my flights all set. I followed Annie's advice and decided to stay in Barcelona for a couple of days so that I wouldn't have to worry about getting to the airport from the cruise for an 11:20 a.m. flight, though I'm sure it would've been quite doable. So, now I'm going to look thru all the previous posts to figure out hotels in Barcelona and Paris. (I'm new to this board.) Looked at the shore excursions last night and those full-day tours are quite costly. Think I'm going to look at Romeinlimo like some others have suggested.

 

[Anal Annie]

Got Palo booked for La Spezia day, wanted brunch for sea day but no availability so will keep trying

Got my fingers crossed for you! I'm sure there will be some openings for brunch here & there...and there's always the chance of getting it once we board...we were able to switch our Palo dinner ressie from one night to another once we boarded on our last cruise.

Hey, BTW, are you up for our little DIS meet on the first afternoon?! We were kicking around the idea of a quick meet in the Promenade Lounge around 2:30-3:00 or so...before the muster drill. Just to say hey...put a face to a name...

Finally pulled the trigger and got my flights all set. I followed Annie's advice and decided to stay in Barcelona for a couple of days so that I wouldn't have to worry about getting to the airport from the cruise for an 11:20 a.m. flight, though I'm sure it would've been quite doable. So, now I'm going to look thru all the previous posts to figure out hotels in Barcelona and Paris. (I'm new to this board.) Looked at the shore excursions last night and those full-day tours are quite costly. Think I'm going to look at Romeinlimo like some others have suggested.

Ahoy and WELCOME aboard!!! Glad to see you found us. Always looking for more peeps. We've all been thru the grueling hotel search so ask away if you have questions. Are you going to Paris too?? Before or after the cruise?? We are going there for 4 nights before we head to Barcelona...I found hotels harder to decide on there than in Barcelona. At least in Barcelona there's lots of previous Med cruisers to "talk" to. And Paris is much bigger - at least 3x more hotels to pick from!

Let me know who's cruising with you (names, ages, kiddos, where you are from etc. and I'll add you & your group to our roll call on the first post of the thread - trying to keep track of who's cruisin')!!

 

[MJWBCV]

Just a quick note to say our GTY booking has now changed to a confirmed cabin number - no upgrade, but happy with room assignment as positive reports on the DIS. The way I look at it is we got a great price (UK resident special offer) and we wont be spending too much time in the room - and we wont be bringing the cat as there isnt enough room to swing it !

We managed to get a Palo reservation for my Wife's birthday so im chuffed to bits with that, plus we have booked several shore excursions - more expensive I know going through Disney, but with the kids in tow I would rather take what I consider the slightly safer option.

 

[DoeWDW]

I had booked Palo for 8 PM but just changed it to 6:30 PM, after reading that the view during the daytime is breathtaking but the view after dark is not. Apparantly after dark, there are bright lights that come on outside Palo so that you can't see past them. All you see are the bright lights and the reflections of the inside of the restaurant. Just wanted to warn others in case you were headed to Palo for the view (as well as the great food).

Has anyone else had experience with Palo after dark? Did I make the right decision to rebook at 6:30 PM so we could enjoy the view?

 

[luke]

Oh yeah ours has changed from GTY now too, category 11c on deck 2 like we paid for. Should be fine for just the 2 of us

 

[Anal Annie]

I had booked Palo for 8 PM but just changed it to 6:30 PM, after reading that the view during the daytime is breathtaking but the view after dark is not. Apparantly after dark, there are bright lights that come on outside Palo so that you can't see past them. All you see are the bright lights and the reflections of the inside of the restaurant. Just wanted to warn others in case you were headed to Palo for the view (as well as the great food).

Has anyone else had experience with Palo after dark? Did I make the right decision to rebook at 6:30 PM so we could enjoy the view?

Oh, I don't know. We went late last time (after dark) and I don't remember any bright lights. But it's a personal preference that would have to be up to you. We go for the food not the view - not sure what the view would be other than the ocean...but with DS's swim schedule we're typically very late diners so 8:00 suits us perfectly - that's actually kind of EARLY for us! I think you should go at a time that is comfortable for you & that suits what time you're used to eating whether it's 6:30 or 7:00 or 8:00. I don't anticipate us even being back to the ship before 5 or 5:30 on our port days so that would be a rush to get ready for us. I am not sure what time sunset is during our cruise. That's one thing I haven't checked on yet! Maybe sticking to 8:00 will offer a sunset view.

Just a quick note to say our GTY booking has now changed to a confirmed cabin number - no upgrade, but happy with room assignment as positive reports on the DIS. The way I look at it is we got a great price (UK resident special offer) and we wont be spending too much time in the room - and we wont be bringing the cat as there isnt enough room to swing it !

We managed to get a Palo reservation for my Wife's birthday so im chuffed to bits with that, plus we have booked several shore excursions - more expensive I know going through Disney, but with the kids in tow I would rather take what I consider the slightly safer option.

Congrats on getting a room with a good review!! Always a bonus to read good reviews!! I'm guessing chuffed means ecstatic?!

Oh yeah ours has changed from GTY now too, category 11c on deck 2 like we paid for. Should be fine for just the 2 of us

Boy you had a long wait to get your assignment didn't you?! I was hoping you'd get a little pixie dust for a porthole - but you may yet. I will keep my fingers crossed for you... We booked a GTY on our first cruise & were initially assigned a cabin number in our booked category and then 2 weeks before we sailed we were upgraded.


I just went ahead & did my Online Check-in today. I wanted to go ahead & get our Port Arrival Time selected. I picked the 10:30-11:00 time slot.

Maybe I should add special celebrations to the first post too - I can add DoeWDW's anniversary & MJWBCV's DW's birthday....
Do we have any other peeps with special occasions during our cruise that I can add?!

 

[jd99]

Hi all. Sorry I've been MIA - been very busy with work - trying to transition out two clients while I bring a couple of new projects on board. Plus DD12 had a swim meet last weekend. She had a great meet- personal bests in all 7 events she swam including four (3 50s and 1 100) that she had done just two weeks prior - dropped at least 2 second in all of those. And her 100 breast time from last summer she dropped 10 seconds; and her 200 breast more than 14 seconds. Great meet overall. Next weekend is the dance recital for both girls and DD12 is doing a solo as well. Busy Busy times. School is winding down for the kids. It's too bad the weather just sucks. It's been such an awful spring. Last year at this time, the temps were warm and the sun was shining. This year it's been cold and wet. Figures since we built a pool last year!

Well back to work for now. Hope everyone is well and getting excited about the cruise. We actually head to WDW in a few weeks (DD12 is dancing at the MK and DTD with her performance group) and then a five night Dream double dip. Can't wait!

 

[Anal Annie]

Hi all. Sorry I've been MIA - been very busy with work - trying to transition out two clients while I bring a couple of new projects on board. Plus DD12 had a swim meet last weekend. She had a great meet- personal bests in all 7 events she swam including four (3 50s and 1 100) that she had done just two weeks prior - dropped at least 2 second in all of those. And her 100 breast time from last summer she dropped 10 seconds; and her 200 breast more than 14 seconds. Great meet overall. Next weekend is the dance recital for both girls and DD12 is doing a solo as well. Busy Busy times. School is winding down for the kids. It's too bad the weather just sucks. It's been such an awful spring. Last year at this time, the temps were warm and the sun was shining. This year it's been cold and wet. Figures since we built a pool last year!

Well back to work for now. Hope everyone is well and getting excited about the cruise. We actually head to WDW in a few weeks (DD12 is dancing at the MK and DTD with her performance group) and then a five night Dream double dip. Can't wait!

WOW - great drops for DD! "We" have another meet this coming weekend. DS's 200 Breast was PAINFULLY SLOW last meet and he's doing it again this weekend. I tried my best to get him to switch to the 200 Free or even to the 400 IM....anything would have to beat watching that! He truely needs to dop about 30 seconds to even come close to where he should be. 30 seconds in a pool is a LONG time!! The meet starts on Friday night but it's actually IN D.C. and I couldn't tell what time he would finish. He could've done the 800 but it was the last event of the night....and he has warm-ups AT 6:00 AM on both mornings. With a 50-60 minute drive each way I didn't think it would be too smart to have him do such a long event and maybe not get home until after 9:00 then have to get up at 4:30 to leave to go right back again. So we're skipping Friday night & will just do practice. Saturday he will do the 100 Free, 100 Breast and the 400 Free and then Sunday will be that dreaded 200 Breast, 100 Fly and the 100 Back. Since it's just his 2nd long course meet I'm not sure if I can expect much in the way of time drops. It's been awhile since he did the 500 so I'm hoping the 400 will be a good event for him...he seems to do better with distances and the free is definitely his best stroke.

I agree about the weather - it's been a crappy week here. We had a string of 3 or 4 good days in the 70's but now it's all rainy again. Last year we had a MUCH warmer May...the water in the outdoor pools was actually tolerable when outdoor practices started. This year it ain't lookin' so good. I am glad I have DS in a session with his winter club that's indoors until the summer time trials on June 11.

I can't believe you're so lucky to be going to WDW AND you're doing another cruise again!! I can't even swing the park tickets for a 4 day weekend to slip down. We're about to pay our annual fee for our Owners Locker again this month & we haven't used it in over a year. I absolutely LOVE that thing but it sucks to not be able to use it. I really wish they'd offer DVCers discounts on MYW park tix. That is truely why we haven't gone in over a year. We couldn't go for long enough to warrant annual passes this year...but reg. admission prices are just plain highway robbery. And I think the 10 day non-expiring were even more than AP's! I HAVE to figure out some way to get down there sometime next year. It's killing me!!

 

[jd99]

WOW - great drops for DD! "We" have another meet this coming weekend. DS's 200 Breast was PAINFULLY SLOW last meet and he's doing it again this weekend. I tried my best to get him to switch to the 200 Free or even to the 400 IM....anything would have to beat watching that! He truely needs to dop about 30 seconds to even come close to where he should be. 30 seconds in a pool is a LONG time!! The meet starts on Friday night but it's actually IN D.C. and I couldn't tell what time he would finish. He could've done the 800 but it was the last event of the night....and he has warm-ups AT 6:00 AM on both mornings. With a 50-60 minute drive each way I didn't think it would be too smart to have him do such a long event and maybe not get home until after 9:00 then have to get up at 4:30 to leave to go right back again. So we're skipping Friday night & will just do practice. Saturday he will do the 100 Free, 100 Breast and the 400 Free and then Sunday will be that dreaded 200 Breast, 100 Fly and the 100 Back. Since it's just his 2nd long course meet I'm not sure if I can expect much in the way of time drops. It's been awhile since he did the 500 so I'm hoping the 400 will be a good event for him...he seems to do better with distances and the free is definitely his best stroke.

I agree about the weather - it's been a crappy week here. We had a string of 3 or 4 good days in the 70's but now it's all rainy again. Last year we had a MUCH warmer May...the water in the outdoor pools was actually tolerable when outdoor practices started. This year it ain't lookin' so good. I am glad I have DS in a session with his winter club that's indoors until the summer time trials on June 11.

I can't believe you're so lucky to be going to WDW AND you're doing another cruise again!! I can't even swing the park tickets for a 4 day weekend to slip down. We're about to pay our annual fee for our Owners Locker again this month & we haven't used it in over a year. I absolutely LOVE that thing but it sucks to not be able to use it. I really wish they'd offer DVCers discounts on MYW park tix. That is truely why we haven't gone in over a year. We couldn't go for long enough to warrant annual passes this year...but reg. admission prices are just plain highway robbery. And I think the 10 day non-expiring were even more than AP's! I HAVE to figure out some way to get down there sometime next year. It's killing me!!

200 breast is her best event - she just made a b time in it this weekend which is the earliest in a "season" that she has made that move so that's hopefully a good sign. She was also just off B in 4 other events so hoping that the momentum keeps up. The only problem is that she only has a total of 4 or 5 long course meets and already has done two of them. If she can get her time down a bit more she will qualify for the BB meets and thus be able to enter more meets. But she doesn't have enough meets left to work on those drops. And in September she ages up again - not as bad as when they go from the 10 and under to the 11-12 but still gotta make better times. She's going to a great Nike camp that her home team hosts every year - a full week of swimming and fun. That might help kick start some drops.

Re Disney - we probably wouldn't be going this time except that DD12 had the chance to dance in a parade at WDW and at DTD with her performance group. Can't let her miss that. And since our annual passes just expired I had to bite the bullet and renew - we are going at Christmas again so these two trips make it worth it. We were going to head home right after the cruise but it's July 4 weekend and we found availability at the Beach Club (our home resort) for 2 nights so we decided to stay on. I'm probably going to have to work more than I'd like during this trip but it will be worth it.

 

[mikki.young]

I hadn't realised you could do online check in already! I've gone for the early slot too. Thanks for guiding us along Annie!

Weather beautiful in Bermuda. Prices sky high but lovely place.

 

[DoeWDW]

Finished my online checkin too. I went for the 12 - 12:30 slot just so I could have a leisurely morning and not have to rush out of the hotel.

I'm starting to get really excited about this trip!!!

 

[CastawayJP]

I HAVE to figure out some way to get down there sometime next year. It's killing me!!

We did AP's last year and it made us go down a couple extra times. We just made time! We did a few long weekends, and a couple longer trips... 6 times last year! Don't DVC members get a discount on AP's?

We are really missing it now though. Disneyland Paris is just too far to drive, and flying with 5 is really expensive, even with cheap inner europe flights!

 

[Anal Annie]

We did AP's last year and it made us go down a couple extra times. We just made time! We did a few long weekends, and a couple longer trips... 6 times last year! Don't DVC members get a discount on AP's?

We are really missing it now though. Disneyland Paris is just too far to drive, and flying with 5 is really expensive, even with cheap inner europe flights!

JP!! Hey there!! Did ya get booked yet??????

We did AP's in previous years too and tried to go 2-3 times / year but with this big trip to Europe this summer we knew we couldn't afford them again for this year. Yes, DVC members get a discount on AP's but you really need to spend about 8 days down there to get your money out of them. With taking 2 weeks off for this trip it will make it harder for DH to take any other time other than just long weekends... And flights down to FL are no longer inexpensive either.... I figured up it would run us about $2,000 just to try to do a quickie 4 night trip by the time we figured in park tix. That's just not in our budget for this year.... I need a lottery intervention!!

 

[CastawayJP]

JP!! Hey there!! Did ya get booked yet??????

Gonna book today!!

Was just on Trip Advisor checking out Barcelona Hotels for the night before the cruise!

 

[Kels Sem]

Oh how I wish that I could get our online check in done so that i can get a time slot booked. This first timers malarkey sucks. Roll on the 30th May!

Th weather here isn't great either. it's fairly cold and windy but DS seems to think its summer and has his shorts & T-shirts on while I'm in jeans and jumpers

Off to bath Keira!

 

[CastawayJP]

OK it is official! We are booked on the cruise! We have stateroom numbers and everything!
We are
Jeremy
Lindsey
Alyssa (12)
Regan (4)
Joshua (3)
And my parents...
Jerry
Mickey