August 7th, 2010 Mediterranean Cruise

[mndisfam]

I notices you were from New York City, but that's a lot of area. Hopefully, you are not related to the ladies from the real housewives.

I used to be from LA - moved up here - and khakis and tank tops are typical here too!

I am going to try to spiff up a bit on this cruise - so Julie's tips will be welcome indeed! I have heard Europeans dress nicer than us (not a shock!) The PC cruise was very casual.

 

[bellelinus]

I notices you were from New York City, but that's a lot of area. Hopefully, you are not related to the ladies from the real housewives.

I used to be from LA - moved up here - and khakis and tank tops are typical here too!

I am going to try to spiff up a bit on this cruise - so Julie's tips will be welcome indeed! I have heard Europeans dress nicer than us (not a shock!) The PC cruise was very casual.

Manhattan -- I hope I'm not a "housewife" but I have met a few of them (never saw the show, though, although my sister did and thought it was funny). In my opinion it is just as easy to look a little pulled together than not -- it's just a matter of what you wear, not the label or the quantity of outfits! Yes, the PC cruise was very, very casual, but I like to dress up so I had two full length formals and we tended to dress up even on casual nights for dinner.

 

[jenny2]

Hi everyone!! We just got off the Magic this past Saturday, and DH surprised me with rebooking on board... for this cruise! AND... just me and him - no kiddies (they'll be spending some quality time with the grandparents). Just wanted to pop in and introduce myself as we have a LONG time to get to know one another, lol!

 

[bellelinus]

Hi everyone!! We just got off the Magic this past Saturday, and DH surprised me with rebooking on board... for this cruise! AND... just me and him - no kiddies (they'll be spending some quality time with the grandparents). Just wanted to pop in and introduce myself as we have a LONG time to get to know one another, lol!

Wow -- that is a VERY NICE surprise! Your husband is a keeper

Welcome aboard! How was your cruise? Were you affected by the hurricane or was that the one sailing this week?

 

[jenny2]

We got a rainy day in Grand Cayman, but that was it. This week's cruise was altered from an Eastern Cruise to a Western Cruise because of the hurricane.

The cruise was fabulous! Dh and I had taken a cruise last year (the Eastern) by ourselves, so this cruise was the first with the kids and they just loved it. What's not to love, lol? They don't know we rebooked for 2010, and they're going to be MAD we're going without them, lol!!

Julie, are you doing this cruise as well as the one in your sig? For a minute there I thought I had posted in the wrong thread, lol!

 

[bellelinus]

We got a rainy day in Grand Cayman, but that was it. This week's cruise was altered from an Eastern Cruise to a Western Cruise because of the hurricane.

The cruise was fabulous! Dh and I had taken a cruise last year (the Eastern) by ourselves, so this cruise was the first with the kids and they just loved it. What's not to love, lol? They don't know we rebooked for 2010, and they're going to be MAD we're going without them, lol!!

Julie, are you doing this cruise as well as the one in your sig? For a minute there I thought I had posted in the wrong thread, lol!

I'm going to sheepishly admit that I am booked for the Baltic cruise July 18, the repo from Dover to Barcelona July 30, and this one! I'm hoping to swing doing all of them -- I did a DCL Med cruise last year followed by 10 days in France and then the 15 night transAtlantic going back . . .

Glad you had a wonderful cruise -- DCL really knows how to show everyone in the family a terrific time. Don't feel guilty about not taking the kids, though, my parents went all over the world when I was growing up and never even thought of taking me! For them, a family vacation was going to the beach or something, and Europe, Eqypt, and all the other places they went were for grownups. You also might want to not bring it up until closer to time -- less time for them to think about what they might be missing!

 

[MrsJobba1]

Hi everyone!! We just got off the Magic this past Saturday, and DH surprised me with rebooking on board... for this cruise! AND... just me and him - no kiddies (they'll be spending some quality time with the grandparents). Just wanted to pop in and introduce myself as we have a LONG time to get to know one another, lol!

Hi Jenny welcome,

what a great suprise ! I'm sure we'll have have a blast on this cruise!

 

[Travelbee]

I'm going to sheepishly admit that I am booked for the Baltic cruise July 18, the repo from Dover to Barcelona July 30, and this one! I'm hoping to swing doing all of them -- I did a DCL Med cruise last year followed by 10 days in France and then the 15 night transAtlantic going back . . .

Julie - do you mean you'll actually be on the Magic for a full month? How do you get so many vacation days?

 

[bellelinus]

Julie - do you mean you'll actually be on the Magic for a full month? How do you get so many vacation days?

I'm the head of my business . . . so as long as I check in regularly and arrange things so that I'm not needed as much during that time, it's fine. I was gone for about the same amount of time last summer.

 

[jenny2]

I'm the head of my business . . . so as long as I check in regularly and arrange things so that I'm not needed as much during that time, it's fine. I was gone for about the same amount of time last summer.

DH is too... I'm the one with a set number of vacation days, lol. That sounds fabulous, Julie. How was it being on the boat that long last year? We'd actually love to do the transatlantic - but I can't take the kids out of school for that long, nor can I leave them behind for that long, lol. So... we'll keep what we've got! We don't plan on telling anyone about this cruise till early 2010. By that time we'll know if we're really, really going (anything can happen between now and then, lol).

 

[bellelinus]

DH is too... I'm the one with a set number of vacation days, lol. That sounds fabulous, Julie. How was it being on the boat that long last year? We'd actually love to do the transatlantic - but I can't take the kids out of school for that long, nor can I leave them behind for that long, lol. So... we'll keep what we've got! We don't plan on telling anyone about this cruise till early 2010. By that time we'll know if we're really, really going (anything can happen between now and then, lol).

Well, last year wasn't as many days in a row on the ship -- we were two days in Barcelona, 11 nights on the ship, 10 nights in France (off the ship!), and then 14 nights back on the ship . . . it was wonderful, though! This past summer we were on the ship for 20 days straight (15 nights PC repo from California to Florida, then 5 night Magic Bahamian cruise) and we certainly never got tired of it then, either.

I know what you mean about not telling people too much in advance -- it's why I say even here that I "plan" or "hope" to do all three . . . a lot can happen between now and then. However, I intend to do everything I can to accomplish it!

 

[Travelbee]

A coworker just got back from a Med cruise and his ship stopped at Tunisia as well. He said the people there were hostile and on his excursion, his tour guide told them that the locals were throwing rocks at the tour bus the day before. Has anyone heard anything of this sort? Is it an isolated incident? I know it's a long time between now and our cruise but just wanted to keep tabs on it...

 

[bellelinus]

A coworker just got back from a Med cruise and his ship stopped at Tunisia as well. He said the people there were hostile and on his excursion, his tour guide told them that the locals were throwing rocks at the tour bus the day before. Has anyone heard anything of this sort? Is it an isolated incident? I know it's a long time between now and our cruise but just wanted to keep tabs on it...

I know that Helen (MrsJobba) and her mum were in Tunisia recently for a land based holiday and had a wonderful time -- no unpleasant incidents. I haven't heard of anything like that on the cruisecritic boards either.

 

[MrsJobba1]

A coworker just got back from a Med cruise and his ship stopped at Tunisia as well. He said the people there were hostile and on his excursion, his tour guide told them that the locals were throwing rocks at the tour bus the day before. Has anyone heard anything of this sort? Is it an isolated incident? I know it's a long time between now and our cruise but just wanted to keep tabs on it...

I know that Helen (MrsJobba) and her mum were in Tunisia recently for a land based holiday and had a wonderful time -- no unpleasant incidents. I haven't heard of anything like that on the cruisecritic boards either.

Hi
Yes Julie is correct - My mam and myself went to Port el-Kantaoui, for a week in feb 08.

We had a great time -You were hassled by people trying to get you into their stores - but nothing untoward.

We did not do any excursions.

Here are some of our photos

 

[mndisfam]

I hope there won't be problems in Tunis, I am really looking forward to that port.

To all you back 2 backers - what happens when the ship empties from one voyage and starts another?

DO you eat breakfast and get off later?

Do they force you off? We were thinking of a quick trip into Barcelona for tapas that day/.

 

[Travelbee]

Thanks Helen for the photos. Maybe what my coworker experienced was an isolated incident.

 

[bellelinus]

I hope there won't be problems in Tunis, I am really looking forward to that port.

To all you back 2 backers - what happens when the ship empties from one voyage and starts another?

DO you eat breakfast and get off later?

Do they force you off? We were thinking of a quick trip into Barcelona for tapas that day/.

At the minimum, you have to clear the ship once everyone else has gotten off -- when we did a B2B (15 night PC then the 5 night), we grabbed a late breakfast at Topsider's and then headed down around 9 or so . . . I also did laundry during this time -- no one there! Then you are herded out, through customs, and right back on the ship again to get a new KTTW card and then can get on the ship again before others. If you are doing a B2B, there will be a letter in your cabin a day or two early, explaining the procedure that day.

However, I think for this one, we will get off when we want to (fairly early - maybe 8 or 8:30?) and go into Barcelona for the day, and head back to the ship to check in again and reboard around 2 or 3. I LOVED Barcelona last year, and it is very easy to just walk around and see things.

 

[mndisfam]

Julie -e arly laundry is a GREAT idea. I would have never thought of that!

We are thinking of rambling down to Las Ramblas for tapas. I will be hitting up all you Bar. people for a good place to go when the time gets nearer...

 

[bellelinus]

Julie -e arly laundry is a GREAT idea. I would have never thought of that!

We are thinking of rambling down to Las Ramblas for tapas. I will be hitting up all you Bar. people for a good place to go when the time gets nearer...

Believe me, the laundry was like a dream -- I put it in around 8, changed over to the dryer, went down to see if we could get off and back on again, and were told they hadn't quite cleared the ship, so went back and got the laundry out, folded it, and put it away all before we headed off to customs and back on again! I never saw another person in the laundry that morning. It was also fun to wander around the ship while they were still preparing it for the next group of guests, but I don't anticipate experiencing that this time, even if we do all three -- I will spend the first transition day seeing Dover castle and wandering through Dover, and the second wandering Las Ramblas and the Barri Gotic.

I couldn't even tell you where we ate in Barcelona -- I like to just wander around and see a place that looks nice, go in and try it. All of our experiences in Barcelona were wonderful. Be sure to check out the Boqueria as well, just off the Ramblas and full of every kind of food and produce imaginable. There are a few places for casual tapas and cava there as well.

 

[Gecko1]

Just got home from the Magic 7 day eastern that became a modified western double dip due to huricane paloma.
We rebooked onboard for this 11 day med cruise! Cat 6. Here's hoping we can budget our way there and not have to reschedule!