August 28, 2010 Pirates of the Barbary Coast - 11 nights in the Mediterranean

[eva]

Well, here's the response I received from DCL:

Dear Eva,

Thank you for choosing another Disney Cruise Line vacation! I am happy to assist you.

First, at this time, the port adventures 'Kayak on Lake Tolla' and 'Beach Club' are completely full. We recognize our Guests enjoy our port adventures (shore excursions) and due to popularity, availability goes extremely fast.

Since it is our desire to accommodate every Guest, we suggest you continue to try our site frequently for possible openings. Since there is no waitlist available for our port adventures, cancellations will 'drop' back onto the website availability. Although we cannot guarantee availability, you may check at the Port Adventures Desk on Deck 3, Midship, once onboard for openings.

Second, in Ajaccio, Corsica, you are correct in now we are offering 7 port adventures. Due to tour operations, the other port adventures are no longer being offered. Please be aware that availability and pricing for our port adventures are subject to change without notice.

I hope this information has been helpful. Should you require further assistance in planning your visit, please contact Member Services.

We look forward to sailing with you! Have a Magical Day!

 

[CustardTart]

And I had an email from DCL today - the Beach Break excursion in Corsica has been cancelled. Oh well, we'd just about decided to cancel it ourselves and take a walk around Valletta followed by lunch at a recommended restaurant. Saves us some more €€€...

 

[eva]

And I had an email from DCL today - the Beach Break excursion in Corsica has been cancelled. Oh well, we'd just about decided to cancel it ourselves and take a walk around Valletta followed by lunch at a recommended restaurant. Saves us some more €€€...

I agree. After the two private tours we are doing, we can save some money by doing some things ourselves. Guess I will have to have more "drinks of the day" to compensate! We will have $1,200 on our account to spend on the cruise. We have $1,000 Disney Visa reward dollars and then the $200 OBC that we got for early booking. Maybe I will do a spa treatment the day we stay on the ship. Of course I could save some of our reward dollars.....But what fun would that be???

 

[eva]

Well, I can't believe that Sunday is the 90-day mark. I think that we have finally firmed up what we are doing at each port. It looks like we will only be doing 2 DCL exursions. I hope the 2 we want are still available by Sunday. It is kind of crazy how fast these are booking. Here is our itenerary:

Saturday - Barcelona, Spain
Sunday - At Sea
Monday - Valletta, Malta -- Walking tour of the city on our own
Tuesday - Tunis, Tunisia -- DCL Excursion of Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
Wednesday - Naples, Italy (Pompeii) -- Private Tour of Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast CAN"T WAIT!!!!
Thursday - Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome) -- Staying on the ship (laundry and lay around by the pool)
Friday - At Sea
Saturday - La Spezia, Italy (Florence, Pisa) -- Private Tour of Cinque Terre
Sunday - Ajaccio, Corsica -- Walking tour of the city on our own
Monday - Villefranche, France -- DCL excursion Nice and Eze with Wine and Cheese
Tuesday - At Sea
Wednesday - Barcelona, Spain

I'm actually starting feel that this could be a very relaxing trip!

 

[Jpinto]

Hello everyone

My wife our two kids son 11. And Daugter 9 will be on dream vacation cruise.
Coming from Sesimbra Portugal

 

[Jpinto]

We took advantage of the great promo disney offered for this date, so we booked a grade 12 cabin. Do you guys think the ship will be full on this trip? Is it normal to get upgrades if the ship is not full ?

ApreciAte your comments as this is our first time on a Disney cruise

Joao

 

[CustardTart]

aboard, Joao and family!!!

I don't think this cruise is particularly full as all categories are available online so there may well be upgrades offered at the port...

 

[Jpinto]

Thanks CT for the kind info. Let's. Keep our fingers crossed.

Looking forward for this trip. It's a surprise for the kids ( they don't know of our plans ) ... We are big fun of Disney.

We were in the Caribbean on the Independence of the Seas this Easter. I hope the Magic feels our expectations Cheers

 

[CustardTart]

I agree. After the two private tours we are doing, we can save some money by doing some things ourselves. Guess I will have to have more "drinks of the day" to compensate! We will have $1,200 on our account to spend on the cruise. We have $1,000 Disney Visa reward dollars and then the $200 OBC that we got for early booking. Maybe I will do a spa treatment the day we stay on the ship. Of course I could save some of our reward dollars.....But what fun would that be???

Sounds good to me - I know those reward dollars would be burning a hole in my wallet...

Well, I can't believe that Sunday is the 90-day mark. I think that we have finally firmed up what we are doing at each port. It looks like we will only be doing 2 DCL exursions. I hope the 2 we want are still available by Sunday. It is kind of crazy how fast these are booking. Here is our itenerary:

Saturday - Barcelona, Spain
Sunday - At Sea
Monday - Valletta, Malta -- Walking tour of the city on our own
Tuesday - Tunis, Tunisia -- DCL Excursion of Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
Wednesday - Naples, Italy (Pompeii) -- Private Tour of Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast CAN"T WAIT!!!!
Thursday - Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome) -- Staying on the ship (laundry and lay around by the pool)
Friday - At Sea
Saturday - La Spezia, Italy (Florence, Pisa) -- Private Tour of Cinque Terre
Sunday - Ajaccio, Corsica -- Walking tour of the city on our own
Monday - Villefranche, France -- DCL excursion Nice and Eze with Wine and Cheese
Tuesday - At Sea
Wednesday - Barcelona, Spain

I'm actually starting feel that this could be a very relaxing trip!

It is kind of crazy, given that the cruise cannot possibly be that full. Maybe each excursion only had enough space for half a dozen people.. Anyway, the itinerary looks good! Here's ours - we're down to just one DCL excursion now...

Day 1 ~ Barcelona.
Day 2 ~ At Sea.
Day 3 ~ Valletta, Malta. Stroll around Valetta and leisurely lunch...
Day 4 ~ Tunis, Tunisia. Bardo Museum, Medina, Carthage & Sidi Bou Said.
Day 5 ~ Naples, Italy: Private Tour.
Day 6 ~ Civitavecchia. Train into Rome; Hop On/Hop Off Sightseeing Bus; Leisurely lunch; Shopping...
Day 7 ~ At Sea.
Day 8 ~ La Spezia, Italy. Train to Cinque Terre towns; boat to Portovenere; leisurely lunch...
Day 9 ~ Ajaccio, Corsica.: Explore Ajaccio; leisurely lunch...
Day 10 ~ Villefranche. Explore Villefranche; leisurely lunch; sightseeing.
Day 11 ~ At Sea.
Day 12 ~ Barcelona.

It's going to be very relaxing - with lots of leisurely wining and dining!!!

 

[eva]

Hello everyone

My wife our two kids son 11. And Daugter 9 will be on dream vacation cruise.
Coming from Sesimbra Portugal

I'l second Karen's -- Aboard!!!

 

[eva]

We took advantage of the great promo disney offered for this date, so we booked a grade 12 cabin. Do you guys think the ship will be full on this trip? Is it normal to get upgrades if the ship is not full ?

ApreciAte your comments as this is our first time on a Disney cruise

Joao

Not sure about free upgrades. Most likely they will offer them at port at a very reduced rate. This is more the norm for DCL. But you never know.

If DCL is watching, I am putting my order in for a cat. 3 upgrade.

 

[eva]

It is kind of crazy, given that the cruise cannot possibly be that full. Maybe each excursion only had enough space for half a dozen people.. Anyway, the itinerary looks good! Here's ours - we're down to just one DCL excursion now...

Day 1 ~ Barcelona.
Day 2 ~ At Sea.
Day 3 ~ Valletta, Malta. Stroll around Valetta and leisurely lunch...
Day 4 ~ Tunis, Tunisia. Bardo Museum, Medina, Carthage & Sidi Bou Said.
Day 5 ~ Naples, Italy: Private Tour.
Day 6 ~ Civitavecchia. Train into Rome; Hop On/Hop Off Sightseeing Bus; Leisurely lunch; Shopping...
Day 7 ~ At Sea.
Day 8 ~ La Spezia, Italy. Train to Cinque Terre towns; boat to Portovenere; leisurely lunch...
Day 9 ~ Ajaccio, Corsica.: Explore Ajaccio; leisurely lunch...
Day 10 ~ Villefranche. Explore Villefranche; leisurely lunch; sightseeing.
Day 11 ~ At Sea.
Day 12 ~ Barcelona.

It's going to be very relaxing - with lots of leisurely wining and dining!!!

Looks pretty good to me. We started talking about what we enjoyed most on our ABD trip and we discovered that some of the best times were when we were discovering on our own time. We loved the tours and would have never seen as much without them. But there is really something to be said about just wandering on your own.

I have even thought about canceling the tour in Cinque Terre and doing it on our own. I think the hike between villages and exploring the villages will be very romantic. But with a guide, maybe not so much. I'll have to think on it. We will lose some money if we cancel. But it will still be cheaper in the long run. Now the tour of Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast would be very difficult to do on our own.

 

[Eeyore3838]

Hi everyone! I haven't checked in a while, but thought I would remind everyone that CC Silver members can book excursions tonight at Midnight Eastern time. I think I am ready to go. These are the 4 excursions we are looking at booking:

Naples - Pompeii Half Day (the rest of the day will be on our own)
Civitavecchia -Jumping Back Into Eternal Rome
La Spezia - Cinque Terre boat tour
Villefranche - Nice and Eze with Wine and Cheese

We are also trying to book a few spa treatments and Palo dinner one night. I hope everyone gets everything they want!

I still haven't booked my flights but I have been checking prices several times a day (love the Kayak iPhone app!) and will probably be booking soon.

 

[CustardTart]

...I have even thought about canceling the tour in Cinque Terre and doing it on our own. I think the hike between villages and exploring the villages will be very romantic. But with a guide, maybe not so much. I'll have to think on it. We will lose some money if we cancel. But it will still be cheaper in the long run. Now the tour of Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast would be very difficult to do on our own.

I've been having a good look at the Cinque Terre region and I definitely think you could do it on your own. It seems to be very straightforward - totally geared for tourism. We're definitely going to see as much of it as we can but at our own pace - I just know I'll want to mooch around the shops and have a glass of wine...

I absolutely agree about the Pompeii/Amalfi Coast tour - really looking forward to it. TBH after everything I've read, I'm SO glad that we don't have negotiate any part of Naples on our own...

 

[Eeyore3838]

Well I got everything we wanted except the Cinque Terre boat tour. I am encouraged by hearing that it looks easy to do on your own as we still really would like to go there. We will be looking into this. A couple of the spa treatments we were interested in were not listed online to book, which seemed odd. I am still pretty encouraged since I was able to get everything else, including Palo dinner on the day we are in Tunisia as well, as Palo brunch on the day after Rome.

How did everyone else fare?

 

[eva]

Well I got everything we wanted except the Cinque Terre boat tour. I am encouraged by hearing that it looks easy to do on your own as we still really would like to go there. We will be looking into this. A couple of the spa treatments we were interested in were not listed online to book, which seemed odd. I am still pretty encouraged since I was able to get everything else, including Palo dinner on the day we are in Tunisia as well, as Palo brunch on the day after Rome.

How did everyone else fare?

I did see that the Cinque Terre excursion was booked. Sorry that you missed on that one. But you might check back from time to time. People will change their minds and can cancel up to a couple days prior to the cruise. We got everything that we wanted. We are doing Palo on Rome night, since we aren't leaving the ship that day. With the next day being at sea I can pig out and not be worried about an early morning the next day. I am still debating whether to do a brunch. I may go ahead and book one and then cancel if we change our minds. It is an awful lot of food. The last time we went I was out of commission most of the day. As you can tell, I have a hard time saying no to wonderful food!

 

[CustardTart]

Well I got everything we wanted except the Cinque Terre boat tour. I am encouraged by hearing that it looks easy to do on your own as we still really would like to go there. We will be looking into this. A couple of the spa treatments we were interested in were not listed online to book, which seemed odd. I am still pretty encouraged since I was able to get everything else, including Palo dinner on the day we are in Tunisia as well, as Palo brunch on the day after Rome.

How did everyone else fare?

Well done! Sorry the Cinque Terre excursion wasn't available. I am convinced that there can only be a few places on some of the excursions as they seem to fill up super-quickly... We booked the Tunis excursion, a few Spa treatments (that I might cancel as they tend to have better offers onboard), Palo dinner on Pirate Night (La Spezia) and the Brunch at the end of the cruise...

We got everything that we wanted. We are doing Palo on Rome night, since we aren't leaving the ship that day. With the next day being at sea I can pig out and not be worried about an early morning the next day. I am still debating whether to do a brunch. I may go ahead and book one and then cancel if we change our minds. It is an awful lot of food. The last time we went I was out of commission most of the day. As you can tell, I have a hard time saying no to wonderful food!

Glad you got all your choices, Eva! IKWYM about the Brunch - we have booked ours for the final At Sea day as I thought it might be easier to recover!!!

 

[eva]

We booked the Tunis excursion, a few Spa treatments (that I might cancel as they tend to have better offers onboard), Palo dinner on Pirate Night (La Spezia) and the Brunch at the end of the cruise...

I think that I am going to wait until I get on the ship to book any spa treatments. Nothing seemed quite right when I looked over the list. I love their hot stone massage. But I didn't see it on the list. What did you book?

Glad you got all your choices, Eva! IKWYM about the Brunch - we have booked ours for the final At Sea day as I thought it might be easier to recover!!!

Funny, before I read this I went back on the site and booked brunch for the last day. I booked it for 11:00 am.

I was talking with Steve about Cinque Terre and how I was thinking about canceling the private tour. He told me to quit second guessing myself and just keep it. It is kind of nice that the guide will meet us at the dock and will already have all the tickets and such purchased.

I made a major screw up! I thought we had till day 75 to buy the insurance for the points for the cruise. I just looked on the member site and the cacelation policy for cruises is 90 days out, not 75 like DCL. Yikes! I am a day late. Well, I guess that means that we will be on that cruise no matter what! I think I will buy the medical insurance today. I would hate to forget that too!

 

[rav4lcrv]

Are you getting all this through Disney?

 

[eva]

Are you getting all this through Disney?

I usually buy direct through Access America. DCL uses them. But if you go direct with them you can normally get better rates. Don't wait. Once you get to the cancelation cut off you can't insure the trip anymore, just medical.