August 7th, 2010 Mediterranean Cruise

[friend of tinkerbell]

Hello Cruisers!

Just returned from our cruise 4/24-5/5. It was wonderful!!!

A note though for anyone with the Pompei/Amalfi excursion.

This was a fantastic excursion, however, if you are on it be sure to sit on the right side of the bus. The right side enjoys the beautiful sea views, while the left views mainly consist of a rock wall and other tour busses.

Hope your cruise is as magical as ours was!

Michaela

 

[LisaWalkerC21]

Hi -

Micheala it was so great to read all the reports and comments from many people on your cruise. I am looking forward to reading many more as more trip reports get posted. It sounds like it was a huge success. If you have any more tips to offer for both the ship experience and the ports of call...we are listening!

Jeff, I agree that reading all the comments has gotten our family even more excited for our upcoming trip as well. I am hoping I can get everything we want booked this weekend. We are only booking excursions in Malta and Nice/Eze with DCL as well as a night at Palo - so fingers crossed. I don't have high hopes for Palo brunch, but I will try and get a reservation once on board if we can't get anything this weekend.

Susan, I am not sure if you can book for your sister for excursions early, but I believe if you are booking Palo you can book for everyone if it is on one reservation.

Good luck everyone with booking your reservations this weekend!! I will be on at midnight so looks like I will be drinking lots of coffee so I don't fall asleep!

 

[xsjackson]

I listened to every podcast on dis yesterday. Now i am really excited.

Wish me luck on excusions! I feel I am in for a frustrating evening trying to book excursions for 2 rooms! We have a girls room and a boys room with 4 kids - my sister has the 4 kids NOT me! I'll email back after all the fun of booking excursions tomorrow.

I think I know what we are going to do for FE gifties - now I just gotta get working at it.

Susan

 

[LisaWalkerC21]

I listened to every podcast on dis yesterday. Now i am really excited.

Wish me luck on excusions! I feel I am in for a frustrating evening trying to book excursions for 2 rooms! We have a girls room and a boys room with 4 kids - my sister has the 4 kids NOT me! I'll email back after all the fun of booking excursions tomorrow.

I think I know what we are going to do for FE gifties - now I just gotta get working at it.

Susan

Hi Susan -

When you get a chance, can you either respond here or Private Message me to let me know who is participating in the FE Exchange within your group. If you have the room numbers, I will need room numbers and who will be in each room - number of adults and number of children including whether they are boys or girls.

Once I get your information, I will post to everyone who is currently participating in the FE so people can get a handle on how many will be participating. I am going to work on ideas this weekend and want to get a handle on how many boys/girls especially. Thanks!!

Also, if anyone else is interested in participating the Fish Extender Exchange or has any questions...just let me know

 

[jd99]

Good luck tonight to those of you reserving excursions, etc. Curious as to what you find re High Tea as it was sold out by the time we reserved and I assume they are saving some for folks reserving tonight. I don't have the will to stay up until midnight for high tea and we'll take our chances when we get on the ship but I'm just curious if you all get it.

 

[xsjackson]

I will tell everyone how we did. If not I'll be asking for ideas...

Lucky for me Im on the west coast and the checkin time in 9pm

Susan

 

[LisaWalkerC21]

Good luck tonight to those of you reserving excursions, etc. Curious as to what you find re High Tea as it was sold out by the time we reserved and I assume they are saving some for folks reserving tonight. I don't have the will to stay up until midnight for high tea and we'll take our chances when we get on the ship but I'm just curious if you all get it.

In speaking with someone who was just on the Med cruise she said she was able to go to Palo three times. She said she had no problems reserving more times once on board. Not sure if it will be more difficult in the summer, but I would think you would have no problem reserving High Tea once on board.

Just finished my second large Dunkin Donuts coffee of the day. I am determined to stay up until midnight!

 

[xsjackson]

one and a half hours to go. Im going to get my husband to cover one room while I cover the other. hopefully that will make it easier. Took myself out to mothers day dinner tonight with the family. I have to work tomorrow.

 

[LisaWalkerC21]

Hi -

I was so happy to see so much availability! We were able to get Palo dinner and brunch for the days and times we wanted. We ended up booking Palo for the day we are in port in Corsica (8/15) and brunch on 8/13. We also booked a couple excursions. For Malta we booked the Turkish Schooner excursion and in Villefranche we will be taking the Nice and Eze with Wine and Cheese excursion.

I hope everyone got what they wanted! Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there

 

[LisaWalkerC21]

Good luck tonight to those of you reserving excursions, etc. Curious as to what you find re High Tea as it was sold out by the time we reserved and I assume they are saving some for folks reserving tonight. I don't have the will to stay up until midnight for high tea and we'll take our chances when we get on the ship but I'm just curious if you all get it.

There were no reservations for High Tea when I checked. Didn't realize how popular that was...might have to check it out while on board.

 

[Allesma]

We also had a lot of choice for Palo's but no Tea. We reserved Brunch on 5/8 and dinner at Day 6 the Rome day for most of you (and made a Rasul reservation for in the morning at the Spa) after a week I know DH and I can use some alone time. I was able to make all the reservations I wanted, Valetta Hstorical Hunt, Bardo museum and Mdina for families, Herculaneum, Palo's and Rasul, and Sweet Corsria so I did my Happy Dance.

Have a Disney day!

 

[Displaced CA Girl]

Well, that was easier than I thought! We booked all the excursions we wanted. Did not try for Palo reservations. Just not on our wish list. For once, being on the West Coast paid off as I did not have to stay up until midnight!!

 

[ukmickeyc]

Hi folks, glad you have been able to book what you want.

Have woken up early this morning to book. Have managed brunch & dinner at Palo and booked excursions for Rome (Vatican trip) and Naples (Capri). Also my DW has booked 2 Spa services. Going to do Malta, Cinque Terre and Monaco on our own - Malta we know very well from past visits and taking the train in the other 2 ports. Will wander around Ajaccio.

No luck with High Tea, looks like these may not have been released yet? Last Med Cruise, we were able to book on board, but will keep checking back.
Going with friends and have managed to book Palo with them but not excursions yet as they are cruising for the first time and can't book yet

Excitement mounting, seem to be planning something every day

 

[xsjackson]

Seems some of the prefered times were already booked, but since my sister has kids the early morning times were best anyway.

seems we will be with some of you:

we booked all DCL tours (this is easier for us since dad is 75 and my sister is leaving her 2 youngest in clubs most of the tours - or with me since Im not touring in Italy.)

1) Malta - historical hunt

2) Tunis - Tunis and Carthage

3) Naples - Herculaneum (dad/Emma), Pompeii (Ginny Max)

4) Rome - Catacombs (Ginny, Max, and Emma)

5) La Spezia - Piza (Ginny, me, Max, and Emma), Cinque Terre (dad)

6) Corsica - beach break (Ginny, myself, and all 4 kids), Les Calanches (dad)

7) France - wine and Cheese (adults only)


no palos or spas yet for us. I am so excited. My last trip on a very full passport before I have to renew (lots of extra pages) and my sister and family just got through thier appt with the passport agency
and signed up for their 1st passports (when we went to the Carribbean they used passport cards - no longer very good even here in WA for Canada - an idea that came and went). Now I just need to register Gin's kids and plug in the passports! Everything is coming together - off to my second job so I can pay for all those excusions.

Susan

 

[dustermom02]

Hello & Happy Mothers Day Ladies!

I haven't been on in ages. Just too busy with other things recently but I'm going to have to start making time to get on regularly now. I especially want to check out the trip reports and take notes from them. I really love planning things, but since going back to work full time instead of part time a year ago, I've had trouble getting back to the level of organization that I used to have.

Which leads to the fact that I forgot to log on last night -I can't believe it! Booking at midnight is just part of the fun for me. Our weekend plans got all turned around and I forgot to check the calendar yesterday. But we were talking to a friend after the service this morning because he is worried about booking a hotel for his son's graduation next June and hubby and I both remembered at the same time. I ran out like a crazy woman, came directly home to book our activities and left him there

The one thing we absolutely wanted was brunch on our anniversary - but no luck. We'll be celebrating 18 years on the 8th, so that was disappointing. Does anyone know if they will release any more dates when the cruisers that haven't been on a disney cruise before start booking? I may try and logon at midnight that night. My In-laws did not cruise before so I couldn't book any excursions for them either.

On the good side, we did get all the excursions I was hoping for even though as someone already mentioned, afternoons were full, but I wanted mornings anyway. I figure even though we'll have to drag the kids out of bed it will be cooler in the mornings and the kids can swim or nap in the afternoon. And another good thing is that I was able to book all 6 adults to Palos on our first choice for dinner, and by the time I finished my bookings I noticed that date was completely booked.

Does anyone know what the rule are for Palos? Are you allowed only one reservation each for dinner, tea & brunch? Because when I tried to book hubby for dinner on our anniversary instead of the brunch (which actually i don't want any way since its formal night), the online reservation said something like "Do you want to alter your dinner reservations on the 13th and move these two people to the 8th instead?" so from that I gather only 1 dinner reservation is allowed.

I have been having fun buying clothes for the kids recently. Everyone has out grown everything, so I've been trying to also shop for the cruise at the same time. Found a couple of light weight cargo style crops for dd12 (that she actually likes and will wear) and was also able to find pants that zip off to shorts for my son. I really lucked out with the little one. We ran into a huge sale -$6 crops and tops - and they all matched and interchanged with each other so she is set. And I am glad someone mentioned sun dresses. I hadn't even thought of that option for me. So as long as they are over the knee and we bring some sort of a shawl or scarf to cover our shoulders we should be ok?

 

[Allesma]

Yep, sun dresses ith a thin vest or a scarf will do as long as the dress is over the knee.
I'm also having fun shopping for my DH, light weight pants and capri's and sunn dresses and new bathing suits and bikini's for my DD's.

 

[LisaWalkerC21]

Seems some of the prefered times were already booked, but since my sister has kids the early morning times were best anyway.

seems we will be with some of you:

we booked all DCL tours (this is easier for us since dad is 75 and my sister is leaving her 2 youngest in clubs most of the tours - or with me since Im not touring in Italy.)

1) Malta - historical hunt

2) Tunis - Tunis and Carthage

3) Naples - Herculaneum (dad/Emma), Pompeii (Ginny Max)

4) Rome - Catacombs (Ginny, Max, and Emma)

5) La Spezia - Piza (Ginny, me, Max, and Emma), Cinque Terre (dad)

6) Corsica - beach break (Ginny, myself, and all 4 kids), Les Calanches (dad)

7) France - wine and Cheese (adults only)


no palos or spas yet for us. I am so excited. My last trip on a very full passport before I have to renew (lots of extra pages) and my sister and family just got through thier appt with the passport agency
and signed up for their 1st passports (when we went to the Carribbean they used passport cards - no longer very good even here in WA for Canada - an idea that came and went). Now I just need to register Gin's kids and plug in the passports! Everything is coming together - off to my second job so I can pay for all those excusions.

Susan

Hi Susan -

Are you doing the Wine and Cheese excursion in the afternoon? We are booked for that in the afternoon...hmmm...no kids...that sounds appealing. I did book this excursion with the kids, but are now thinking about playing it by ear. Since it will be at the end of the trip our boys may be tired of excursions. Does anyone know the policy for canceling members off excursions once on board? Can we even do that?

 

[jd99]

Hi -

I was so happy to see so much availability! We were able to get Palo dinner and brunch for the days and times we wanted. We ended up booking Palo for the day we are in port in Corsica (8/15) and brunch on 8/13. We also booked a couple excursions. For Malta we booked the Turkish Schooner excursion and in Villefranche we will be taking the Nice and Eze with Wine and Cheese excursion.

I hope everyone got what they wanted! Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there

Hey there. We are doing the Turkish schooner too!

Seems some of the prefered times were already booked, but since my sister has kids the early morning times were best anyway.

seems we will be with some of you:

we booked all DCL tours (this is easier for us since dad is 75 and my sister is leaving her 2 youngest in clubs most of the tours - or with me since Im not touring in Italy.)

1) Malta - historical hunt

2) Tunis - Tunis and Carthage

3) Naples - Herculaneum (dad/Emma), Pompeii (Ginny Max)

4) Rome - Catacombs (Ginny, Max, and Emma)

5) La Spezia - Piza (Ginny, me, Max, and Emma), Cinque Terre (dad)

6) Corsica - beach break (Ginny, myself, and all 4 kids), Les Calanches (dad)

7) France - wine and Cheese (adults only)


no palos or spas yet for us. I am so excited. My last trip on a very full passport before I have to renew (lots of extra pages) and my sister and family just got through thier appt with the passport agency
and signed up for their 1st passports (when we went to the Carribbean they used passport cards - no longer very good even here in WA for Canada - an idea that came and went). Now I just need to register Gin's kids and plug in the passports! Everything is coming together - off to my second job so I can pay for all those excusions.

Susan

And we are doing the Corsica beach break too!!

 

[LisaWalkerC21]

Hi -

We debated doing the Corsica beach break too. I wish I had just booked it because now it is unavailable. We decided to do our own thing that day, but wondering if now it would have been easier to go through DCL.

Popped into Target yesterday and picked up a couple cute travel games for the boys in the travel section. Going to try and start to gather some things to surprise them on the plane. Not looking forward to traveling to and from Barcelona, especially since we have some long layovers. Plus, I wish that volcano would settle down! Going to try and not worry about something I can not control.

FYI: I did contact DCL regarding the High Tea reservations and they did confirm that they had been released and that it is an extremely popular event. They encouraged me to keep checking since status does change as soon as someone cancels.

Happy Planning Everyone!

 

[abayaflowers]

Hey there. We are doing the Turkish schooner too!

And we are doing the Corsica beach break too!!

I have booked our family for the following SE's:

Malta: DH & DD10 will be on the Turkish Schooner
DD7 & I will be on the beach break

Tunisia: Checking everyday for an opening in the Beach Break. It appears that they are all booked for right now. In the meantime, I booked the Bardo Museum with Youth Activities.

Still working on the excursions for the other ports. Mostly, we will be taking private tours for Italy. And then, taking the bus #110 into Monte Carlo. I read in another posting that apparently, you save "a lot" of money if one takes the bus.