August 13, 2011 Med - Mickey's Marauding Mates

[fongds]

yes i started out thinking we would do the ports on our own since the excursions are so expensive but there is a massive amount of research to do and i also worry about having the kids along. When we used to travel to Europe we had no kids so it was ok if we had to wait awhile for a bus or train.

So far we are thinking of doing

Villefranche - Nice ane Eze excursion (no Monaco...been there/done that)

La Spezia - cinque terre boat trip (that day is a holiday so i was nervous about the train schedules...also bus trip to florence is TOO long for the kids)

Rome - we will do on our own. We have been to Rome before (but a LONG time ago). We will take the train to Rome and hit the main sights.

Naples - Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri (done this before but not with the kids)

La Palma - Beach excursion

We are actually flying into Paris on Aug 4 and will spend a week there before joining the cruise so i am spending more time figuring out what we'll do in Paris...we used to go there frequently but it was before kids.

Nice to meet you. We are from California
Diane

 

[west&east]

Hello All!

I am currently on a plane from Seattle heading back home to Charlotte after a week's vacation with the kids. I love inflight internet! I just read about 7 pages of posts. Welcome to the new cruisers!

Diane, I have a 12 year old daughter and we are traveling with another family who also has a 12 year old daughter so there will be plenty of companions for your daughter.

Another new family has 8 year old Logan. Can't find that post right now, but I was wondering if Logan is a boy or a girl? I have an 8 year old son and our friend have a 9 year old son.

Seattle was suprisingly sunny for this time of year and beautifully cool. I am dreading the high 90s expected in Charlotte this week.

My friend in Seattle proposed a mom and kid trip to WDW pre-Xmas so I'll have more planning to do soon! For this cruise looks like we will do Villefranche on our own. We have romeinlimo booked for Rome and Naples. Will probably do LaSpezia on our own and not venture too far due to the holiday and then beach day in La Palma.

We finally booked a post-cruise hotel in BCN but I'm going to keep looking for other options. I am kind of wishing we had just planned to fly home on Saturday because dealing with another check in and then leaving at 4:00am or so to get to the airport is NOT sounding appealing right now. Our tickets are all booked with miles so I don't think it will be easy to change. Maybe my husband will reach Chairman status before we leave and we can change that leg without fees.

 

[Anal Annie]

yes i started out thinking we would do the ports on our own since the excursions are so expensive but there is a massive amount of research to do and i also worry about having the kids along. When we used to travel to Europe we had no kids so it was ok if we had to wait awhile for a bus or train.

So far we are thinking of doing

Villefranche - Nice ane Eze excursion (no Monaco...been there/done that)

La Spezia - cinque terre boat trip (that day is a holiday so i was nervous about the train schedules...also bus trip to florence is TOO long for the kids)

Rome - we will do on our own. We have been to Rome before (but a LONG time ago). We will take the train to Rome and hit the main sights.

Naples - Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri (done this before but not with the kids)

La Palma - Beach excursion

We are actually flying into Paris on Aug 4 and will spend a week there before joining the cruise so i am spending more time figuring out what we'll do in Paris...we used to go there frequently but it was before kids.

Nice to meet you. We are from California
Diane

West Coasters! Boy you will have a long trip! Are you transferring someplace on this side and breaking up the trip a little? We are going to Paris first too but for only 4 nights! We leave here on the 7th. We're spending the first night / 2 days at Disneyland Paris then moving into the city for the last 3 nights. We've booked a hotel in the St. Germain des Pres area because a friend told us it would be a good neighborhood with lots of cafes and within walking distance to several things. I still have a lot of planning to do there. We will have 2 full days to sightsee and want to see it all!! DH wants to go all the way up to the top of the Eiffel Tower & Rick Steve's Paris book suggests buying tickets in advance to save about 90 minutes of waiting in line. But I don't know what TIME to pick. I am sure it's beautiful at sunset but I don't know if we should do that or just go in the morning?! I've heard it's COLD at the top too. I realllly need to spend some time mapping out what we're going to do in Paris. Any advice? I was thinking it might save time to do the left bank one day and the right bank the next day. I also want to get the museum pass - DH likes WWII stuff so I think he would enjoy a quick run-through of the Army museum.

I am wondering now if I should book the DCL Cinque Terre boat trip JUST UNTIL I can get a better train schedule for that day. Better safe than sorry?! I hate to spend what they're charging for that but I'd also hate to get left with no way to get there. Hummmmmmmmm.

Hello All!

I am currently on a plane from Seattle heading back home to Charlotte after a week's vacation with the kids. I love inflight internet! I just read about 7 pages of posts. Welcome to the new cruisers!

Diane, I have a 12 year old daughter and we are traveling with another family who also has a 12 year old daughter so there will be plenty of companions for your daughter.

Another new family has 8 year old Logan. Can't find that post right now, but I was wondering if Logan is a boy or a girl? I have an 8 year old son and our friend have a 9 year old son.

Seattle was suprisingly sunny for this time of year and beautifully cool. I am dreading the high 90s expected in Charlotte this week.

My friend in Seattle proposed a mom and kid trip to WDW pre-Xmas so I'll have more planning to do soon! For this cruise looks like we will do Villefranche on our own. We have romeinlimo booked for Rome and Naples. Will probably do LaSpezia on our own and not venture too far due to the holiday and then beach day in La Palma.

We finally booked a post-cruise hotel in BCN but I'm going to keep looking for other options. I am kind of wishing we had just planned to fly home on Saturday because dealing with another check in and then leaving at 4:00am or so to get to the airport is NOT sounding appealing right now. Our tickets are all booked with miles so I don't think it will be easy to change. Maybe my husband will reach Chairman status before we leave and we can change that leg without fees.

I wondered where you've been hiding. We're going to be in the 90's up here most of the week too I think. We also have an EARLY flight home when we leave BCN to come back. I am sure we'll be living out of our suitcases the ENTIRE TRIP. I am going to try to pack most everything we'll need for Paris in our carry-ons so I don't have to root around in the bigger suitcases. The larger bags will primarily be our "cruise clothes" and I think when I pack us up to leave the ship I will try to put what we'll need for our 2 days in Barcelona in the carry-ons just to limit the re-packing I'll have to do to fly home. I bought a digital luggage scale so I'll just weigh our checked bags when we pack up to leave the ship.

I went out to the movies this evening with my neighor Moms (I RARELY go to the movies). We went to see Bridesmaids - ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL!! It's the female version of the Hangover if any of you have seen that. It is snort-laugh worthy for sure!

OK, it's bedtime....good night all!!

 

[Kels Sem]

Hi, welcome to all the new people

LeeAnn - I believe there is a boat service that runs from La Spezia to Cinque Terre and you can see were it leaves from after you tender in. The website I looked at says it runs on holidays and it's 23euro. Maybe you could consider this option Have we had this conversation before? I can't remember

Good to hear that Bridesmaids is good it's not out here until 06/22 but I am planning a cinema night with my girlfriends to see it. I loved the hangover movies.

It's Fathers Day here today so we're planning on going out for breakfast this morning. Unfortunately DH didn't get a lie in as the kids insisted he got up to get is cards

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads

 

[SailingSeas]

New People here (2 adults, DS20, DD14) too, overwhelmed in all the threads so asking a couple of questions:

What is the earliest we can book flights out of BCN on debarkation day? We have second seating but I don't mind waiting to eat until we get to the airport. Flying back to Boston via something or other (need flights)

Has anyone booked anything for the Sistine Chapel outside of Disney? The excursion pricing is too high for my budget and I'm looking for alternative options.

Also, do they allow photography (non flash) in the Sistine Chapel? I've seen conflicting information.

Are there any college kids on this ship? I see a couple on the front page; DS is a bit shy and i'm trying to encourage him that this will not be All About Children. DD is a different ball of wax, i'm expecting to not see her all week...

 

[SailingSeas]

...and a Stupid Newbie question... when converting Euros, the comma replaces the US decimal point? Trying to convert pricing i'm finding at:

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking

32,00 EU = xx.00 US for example?

If so, i'm wondering why someone would not buy tickets directly? they have line skipping options and ISIC student discounts - am I missing something?

 

[mikki.young]

...and a Stupid Newbie question... when converting Euros, the comma replaces the US decimal point? Trying to convert pricing i'm finding at:

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking

32,00 EU = xx.00 US for example?

If so, i'm wondering why someone would not buy tickets directly? they have line skipping options and ISIC student discounts - am I missing something?

Welcome aboard!

yes - the , is the same as the . with the Euro. think they sometimes use one and sometimes the other.

 

[luke]

Welcome aboard!
By all accounts you can't take any photography at all inside the Sistene Chapel, sadly. Understandable though I guess

 

[Anal Annie]

Hi, welcome to all the new people

LeeAnn - I believe there is a boat service that runs from La Spezia to Cinque Terre and you can see were it leaves from after you tender in. The website I looked at says it runs on holidays and it's 23euro. Maybe you could consider this option Have we had this conversation before? I can't remember

Good to hear that Bridesmaids is good it's not out here until 06/22 but I am planning a cinema night with my girlfriends to see it. I loved the hangover movies.

It's Fathers Day here today so we're planning on going out for breakfast this morning. Unfortunately DH didn't get a lie in as the kids insisted he got up to get is cards

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads

Hi - glad you are still alive! You have been MIA lately!!

Bridesmaids is REALLLLY funny - X-rated to be sure but reallllly funny! If you liked the Hangover you will like this one too!! The main character, Annie, is a riot!!

Yes, we have talked about the Cinque Terre ferry before. I had sort of wanted to use both the train and the ferry that day. The train is faster & the ferry doesn't run if the sea is rough. I had thought perhaps we should take the train straight to Monterosso then that we could work our way back on the ferry so we could get the better view from the sea too. That is my hope anyway.

It is Father's Day here too...I am trying to leave DH alone to do whatever he wants today. No demands. No to-do lists. Just leaving him to his beer & TV. I picked up some sirloins or something to grill later. Whatever was on sale. Probably should've gone to Costco to pick up a Tri Tip but didn't. Hopefully he will be happy to just get some red meat for a change!

New People here (2 adults, DS20, DD14) too, overwhelmed in all the threads so asking a couple of questions:

What is the earliest we can book flights out of BCN on debarkation day? We have second seating but I don't mind waiting to eat until we get to the airport. Flying back to Boston via something or other (need flights)

Has anyone booked anything for the Sistine Chapel outside of Disney? The excursion pricing is too high for my budget and I'm looking for alternative options.

Also, do they allow photography (non flash) in the Sistine Chapel? I've seen conflicting information.

Are there any college kids on this ship? I see a couple on the front page; DS is a bit shy and i'm trying to encourage him that this will not be All About Children. DD is a different ball of wax, i'm expecting to not see her all week...

Hi - more new mates!! Welcome aboard!! So you're from Boston 'eh?! I'll add you to the roll call on the first post!! I have a DS 14. Hopefully you can find some sales on flights - I've been seeing some deals lately. I think you're OK to book something as early as 10:30 for your flight home. We didn't like that idea so we're staying in Barcelona for 2 more nights after the cruise. But I am sure I've read posts where DCL even books flights that early. The airport is only about 30 minutes from the port. But what you should probably do is book a car service or shuttle to take you to the airport. Sometimes (but not always) the lines for the taxis to leave the port can be long (an hour plus). So it's safer to avoid that stress and just book a ride.

We have hired a private tour company for Rome but we have to buy our tix for the Vatican ourselves. They gave us this link to use.

http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking&codiceTipoVisita=26&step=2

From this website:
InformationFull price ticket: Euro 15,00. Reduced ticket: Euro 8,00.
Every ticket purchased online has a reservation fee of Euro 4,00.

In order to make the purchase online please have on hand the following documents: an identity document, a credit card and names of all the participants. It is possible to purchase a ticket at a reduced price for children aged between 6 and 18 years old (18 years included). It is also possible to purchase a ticket at a reduced price for students under 26 years old on presentation of a student identity card (International Student Card) on the day of the visit.*
After the payment is confirmed, the applicant will receive an e-mail with the confirmation of the booking, the voucher conteining the reservation code and tour information. The applicant is asked to print off the voucher so as to present it on the day of the tour. The reservation will be checked by means of the bar code present on the voucher. In case of loss of the voucher please consult the Customer Care Staff.

Up to one hour before the tour, it is possible to modify the reservation date depending upon availability. It isn't possible to make changes to the number of participants.


(I believe there is no photography in the Sistine Chapel.)

 

[mikki.young]

Looking at the where to eat in Barcelona thread and see one group had a mini meet at a place called 4 Gats (cats to you and me) which looked pretty good. Are enough of us arriving early enough that we could try and do that the night before the cruise?

 

[Anal Annie]

Looking at the where to eat in Barcelona thread and see one group had a mini meet at a place called 4 Gats (cats to you and me) which looked pretty good. Are enough of us arriving early enough that we could try and do that the night before the cruise?

I looked at that website - it looks like it would be really nice but probably out of our price range (there were no prices next to the items but there were pictures of Robert DeNiro and former President Jimmy Carter eating there so I would assume it's expensive). At first I couldn't find a way to switch it from Spanish to English tho so I spent like 30 minutes trying to figure out which page was the menu and what was on the menu with my Spanish phrase book!! I didn't get very far that way! I could only figure out about every 5th or 6th word! I think meals are going to be really challenging for me! I figured out fish, rice, soup... THEN I happened upon the link to change it to English! WHAT is Cuttlefish by the way?! I think I'll have to ask that person who posted the link what kind of price ranges to expect!!

 

[luke]

Tripadvisor reviews of 4gats are patchy at best...

 

[DoeWDW]

I would think TripAdvisor would be a good way to find a decent restaurant with prices that the locals pay instead of the tourist spots that are pricey. Hmmm, may have to wander over there and do some digging. Sure wish I knew someone who lives in Barcelona.

LeeAnn, is the website in Spanish or Catalan??? I thought they spoke mainly Catalan in Barcelona??? I'm having a tough time finding a tourist phrase book for Catalan.

 

[Anal Annie]

I would think TripAdvisor would be a good way to find a decent restaurant with prices that the locals pay instead of the tourist spots that are pricey. Hmmm, may have to wander over there and do some digging. Sure wish I knew someone who lives in Barcelona.

LeeAnn, is the website in Spanish or Catalan??? I thought they spoke mainly Catalan in Barcelona??? I'm having a tough time finding a tourist phrase book for Catalan.

I don't know the difference between Catalan and Spanish. I know Catalan is the first or primary language but also that Spanish is supposed to be 2nd and common. The words that I found from the menu in my Spanish phrase book were identical - it's just limited I think to 3500 words and 1 small section on food translations. I could not find a Catalan book either. I only found Spanish ones here at Borders - I was actually just there this morning because DS needed to get 2 books to read over the summer (got The Waxman Report for AP State & Local Gov't and a fiction book for English) and I picked up the Lonely Planet pocket size phrase books for French, Spanish & Italian. I did not look online tho, just hoped that Spanish would suffice.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

LeAnn, I can't believe it but I just spent MORE MONEY on this trip! I saw this dress and HAD TO BUY IT! Now to find the hubby a turquoise a shirt to match!

 

[Anal Annie]

LeAnn, I can't believe it but I just spent MORE MONEY on this trip! I saw this dress and HAD TO BUY IT! Now to find the hubby a turquoise a shirt to match!

Oh that's very pretty, Hope! Good job! On sale I hope?! Do you have a Kohl's up there where you live? Look back on page 90 - the top post #1336 - I posted pics of my dresses & the shirts I found for DH & DS. Kohl's had SEVERAL different turquoise colored dress shirts & several ties that matched. I am sure you can find one there. There's a Kohl's in Frederick...that may be closer to you than Germantown. I got DS's shirt at Kohl's too...but I found the same one at JCP - they probably have mens shirts in these colors too at JCP. I think I am going to also pick up a silvery color shirt for DH too for the other night. I got a blue one for him too but I think rather than 2 similiar color shirts silver would go with his suit too - AND with the ties I already bought. Look at Kohl's!!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Wow LeeAnn I can't believe I picked your color scheme! Your dress looks great! Your hubby's shirt is the color I need. I love your dress!

 

[janetfk]

Wow! Some stunning dresses! I appear to have "outgrown" my standard little black dress Time to shop!

You'll be fine with Spanish in Barcelona. Though Catalan is spoken primarily, everyone there will be able to understand Spanish too!

If you have read Carlos Ruiz Zafón's "Shadow of the Wind" (highly recommended) which is set in Barcelona after the Spanish Civil War, you might like to visit the Els 4 Gats, since that's where the main characters go to eat

Oh, and cuttlefish taste basically like squid

 

[luke]

Yeah I've always spoken Castellano in Barcelona, my Catalan is patchy at best. Lots of people will speak English anyway, the amount of times I've spoken Spanish and been replied to in English before they realise (not to blow my own trumpet too much) that my Spanish is much better than their English.

Might actually get round to booking my Barcelona hotel come payday this Friday

 

[Anal Annie]

Wow! Some stunning dresses! I appear to have "outgrown" my standard little black dress Time to shop!

You'll be fine with Spanish in Barcelona. Though Catalan is spoken primarily, everyone there will be able to understand Spanish too!

If you have read Carlos Ruiz Zafón's "Shadow of the Wind" (highly recommended) which is set in Barcelona after the Spanish Civil War, you might like to visit the Els 4 Gats, since that's where the main characters go to eat

Oh, and cuttlefish taste basically like squid

Hummm....so cuttlefish is a fish that tastes like squid. I'll have to think about that one for awhile!

OH, and even tho my LBD is a newer purchase for this trip you can bet that I am NOT wearing it without a little Spanx action underneath!!

I guess Jeff is packing & getting ready for his WDW trip and Dream cruise! Good luck to DD's dance team! Can't wait to hear your comparisons of the Dream to our Magic!! Bon Voyage!