June 18, 2011 - 11 Night Mediterranean Sailing from Barcelona

[klynch]

Hi klynch! Just joined the disboard today. Booked our cruise over a week ago and hoping to book the rest (flights to and fromBCN, hotel at BCN, excursions...)within the next week or so. Are you still looking for another family of four? It will be my DH, DS (15), DS (13) and I. We'll be originating our trip from Raleigh,NC. Let me know if your Rome excursion is still open. Thanks!

Annie

PS Couldn't PM you because I have less than 10 postings.

Hi Annie, I just sent a PM to you. Yes you are the first to respond, so its still available. There are a few companies who I've seen discussed but Romeinlimo.com seems the most frequent. Their website looks well done. I did the math and it's actually $600 Euros for the 8 person mini-bus (a little better views with larger windows than the 550Euro mini-van). Plus a tour guide for the Vatican. They get you past all the lines, in to see the best parts, and provide extra insights, this is another 150 Euro's. So the total is $750 Euros or appox $500 dollars each. Still, much better than the cattle call with Disney I booked this morning for $1300 for my family of 4!!!

They are the #1 rated tour company for Rome on Tripadvisor.com

 

[flrealtorgrl]

Hi Annie, I just sent a PM to you. Yes you are the first to respond, so its still available. There are a few companies who I've seen discussed but Romeinlimo.com seems the most frequent. Their website looks well done. I did the math and it's actually $600 Euros for the 8 person mini-bus (a little better views with larger windows than the 550Euro mini-van). Plus a tour guide for the Vatican. They get you past all the lines, in to see the best parts, and provide extra insights, this is another 150 Euro's. So the total is $750 Euros or appox $500 dollars each. Still, much better than the cattle call with Disney I booked this morning for $1300 for my family of 4!!!

They are the #1 rated tour company for Rome on Tripadvisor.com

Can you clarify for me...when you say "approx $500 each" do you mean each person? Or is it a total of $750 Euros for the mini-bus and guide? Thanks in advance!

 

[klynch]

Can you clarify for me...when you say "approx $500 each" do you mean each person? Or is it a total of $750 Euros for the mini-bus and guide? Thanks in advance!

The price is fixed at 750 Eruo for the ENTIRE GROUP by the tour operator. Depending on the conversion rate when we go (payment is at the end of the tour - cash) that will determine the final price to us. I thought $500 was a decent estimate for EACH FAMILY, not per person.

It's incredibly cheaper and better than using the cruise ship, isn't it? Nothing to pay until 1 week before the tour (the trip is guarenteed with my credit card in case we cancel within 7 days).

How doest this sound to you? As I said I have a 13 year old girl and a 11 year old son. They get along well and are great meeting new people.

 

[klynch]

I keep seeing people talk about CASP74. I see on the web it looks like a condo-tel with large rooms. Is there something special about it other than that and there will be a ton of Disney cruiser in the house? They have us in 2 rooms at the airport for the 17th after arriving on the red-eye from NYC that morning. I figured we'd sleep most of the day anyway but am I missing out on something here? I guess it's a good opportunity to meet people from the ship in advance. How far is it from the cruise ship and airport?

 

[klynch]

Hi klynch! Just joined the disboard today. Booked our cruise over a week ago and hoping to book the rest (flights to and fromBCN, hotel at BCN, excursions...)within the next week or so. Are you still looking for another family of four? It will be my DH, DS (15), DS (13) and I. We'll be originating our trip from Raleigh,NC. Let me know if your Rome excursion is still open. Thanks!

Annie

PS Couldn't PM you because I have less than 10 postings.

Annie, our email ID is kevinclynch1@gmail.com. If you have other questions about the tour.

 

[JulieWent]

I keep seeing people talk about CASP74. I see on the web it looks like a condo-tel with large rooms. Is there something special about it other than that and there will be a ton of Disney cruiser in the house? They have us in 2 rooms at the airport for the 17th after arriving on the red-eye from NYC that morning. I figured we'd sleep most of the day anyway but am I missing out on something here? I guess it's a good opportunity to meet people from the ship in advance. How far is it from the cruise ship and airport?

We were all looking for a reasonably priced hotel near port and near the tourist attractions in Barcelona that could house more than 2 people. CASP 74 really seems to fit that description. Of course, it's really not a hotel in that there's no restaurant, etc., but for us, having the space was really nice. (Especially at the price after the other prices we saw!) It looked like it was in a nice neighborhood, got good reviews on TripAdvisor, etc. For us, it was also nice because each unit has a washer / dryer. We are going to travel for about a week before the cruise, so it will be nice to be able to start cruising all clean again.

There seem to be quite a few nice restaurants in the area as well. We're looking forward to it. The staff has been very helpful as well.

Julie

 

[klynch]

We were all looking for a reasonably priced hotel near port and near the tourist attractions in Barcelona that could house more than 2 people. CASP 74 really seems to fit that description. Of course, it's really not a hotel in that there's no restaurant, etc., but for us, having the space was really nice. (Especially at the price after the other prices we saw!) It looked like it was in a nice neighborhood, got good reviews on TripAdvisor, etc. For us, it was also nice because each unit has a washer / dryer. We are going to travel for about a week before the cruise, so it will be nice to be able to start cruising all clean again.

There seem to be quite a few nice restaurants in the area as well. We're looking forward to it. The staff has been very helpful as well.

Julie

Thanks for the reply Julie..

 

[klynch]

Do these threads ever use Facebook as a way for people to exchange comments, cruise photos, etc....? I'm perfectly fine with this forum as it is but I wonder if there was a facebook type method? It would encourage the kids to get to know each other a little before the cruise began. We'll all be on the ship for longer than normal and I see how much my own kids use it. It would be great for the kids to get involved too just to enhance their trip too.

Wondering if someone has already figured that out? I just booked this last Tuesday so I'm just catching up. I've been eyeballing this cruise for 2 years and when I saw the GTY rates we finally jumped. We're going to tag on 4 days in Paris so this will be a once in a life time trip for my gang. I want to make it memorable for them too so years from now the can't complain they were too young to remember going

 

[Calfan]

Update on Casp74 transportation. It looks like we had two families cancel that were going to be staying at our hotel, so we're down to 15 people. I emailed the hotel to see if there is a smaller vehicle to take us to port. Unfortunately, our only option is the bus (again, it holds 50 people). The hotel is suggesting we get taxis, which are only 25-30 Euro to the port. Unless anyone else joins between now and then, that's probably the best thing to do. Let me know what you guys (gals) think.

Thanks.

Sorry to be slow in responding. Work has been crazy lately, so I haven't had much time to catch up on the meet thread. I agree that cabs seems like the best option at this point. We are still up for the bus if some new families book Casp 74 and are interested in going in on the bus. Otherwise, we will plan to cab it. I so can't wait for this trip!

 

[2PrincesseInTow]

Do these threads ever use Facebook as a way for people to exchange comments, cruise photos, etc....? I'm perfectly fine with this forum as it is but I wonder if there was a facebook type method? It would encourage the kids to get to know each other a little before the cruise began. We'll all be on the ship for longer than normal and I see how much my own kids use it. It would be great for the kids to get involved too just to enhance their trip too.

Wondering if someone has already figured that out? I just booked this last Tuesday so I'm just catching up. I've been eyeballing this cruise for 2 years and when I saw the GTY rates we finally jumped. We're going to tag on 4 days in Paris so this will be a once in a life time trip for my gang. I want to make it memorable for them too so years from now the can't complain they were too young to remember going

I've found some FB pages from last years DCL Med cruises while googling other things for this cruise. My DD (9) is a little too young for FB but I think it would be great for the older kids.

We're going to Paris after the cruise as well. I found, what I hope is, a great way for my DD's (5 & 9) to see the Louvre (www.parismuse.com). You may want to check it out.

 

[rach7]

Had a customer come into my shop today & she had just been on a Med cruise out of Barcelona. She told me Barcelona was a beautiful place, but to watch your valuables, as her husband had three pick pocket attempts on his wallet in one afternoon. A fellow cruise passenger saw his wallet sail over the top of a taxi to a waiting thief on the other side as he got out of the cab, his pocket got picked that quickly! Now I've shared this you'll be able to spot the Disboard cruisers walking around Barcelona - we'll be the ones clutching our pockets at all times!

 

[makaylee]

Had a customer come into my shop today & she had just been on a Med cruise out of Barcelona. She told me Barcelona was a beautiful place, but to watch your valuables, as her husband had three pick pocket attempts on his wallet in one afternoon. A fellow cruise passenger saw his wallet sail over the top of a taxi to a waiting thief on the other side as he got out of the cab, his pocket got picked that quickly! Now I've shared this you'll be able to spot the Disboard cruisers walking around Barcelona - we'll be the ones clutching our pockets at all times!

We were super vigilant on our last trip and will be again. It's also real common in Barcelona for thieves to act like they are waiting tables and slipping away with peoples cameras etc. Be very wary of leaving your things on tables or backs of chairs.

 

[ga9497]

In case you haven't seen it yet the Palermo shore excursions are under port adventures on disneycruise.com

 

[goofydadeo]

Hi goofydadeo! Small world indeed. Oldest DS is a freshman at Leesville HS and 8th grader DS is at TFS. We're relatively new to Raleigh. Been in Raleigh for over 2 years, before that we lived in Erie, PA. We loved Erie but we REALLY LOVE Raleigh. Weather is PHENOMENAL.... . Should have booked our airline tix as soon as we booked our cruise, but I said to my DH that prices will eventually go down(this was just before the Libya situation)...I was wrong. We'll give it another week and see...then we'll just have to bite the bullet. Did you have to book 2 rooms for a party of 4 at the Hilton? We're planning on some sight seeing in Barcelona before the cruise. Looking forward to meeting everyone!!!

anniedj we booked two rooms for our family of 4 at the Hilton. I know that the Novotel in Barcelona has reasonably priced rooms for 4 but we elected to book at a Hilton because of the special pricing they had in January.

We are going to be in Venice for a couple of days prior to the cruise and then heading to Barcelona for just one night before we sail.

Cheers!

 

[ga9497]

Here is some information from the main board on going to Cinque Terre on your own when in La Spezia

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2653459

http://www.cinqueterre.com/eng/information/card/

 

[MadHatterMom2]

In case you haven't seen the news reports, Spain just announced strike dates for the airports in April, May, June and July. You can check out the article at www.easytravelreport.com. The dates closest to our cruise appear to be June 15 and June 30. Not trying to freak anyone out, but we'll definitely want to keep an eye on the situation and see how it develops.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

In case you haven't seen the news reports, Spain just announced strike dates for the airports in April, May, June and July. You can check out the article at www.easytravelreport.com. The dates closest to our cruise appear to be June 15 and June 30. Not trying to freak anyone out, but we'll definitely want to keep an eye on the situation and see how it develops.

Okay, I am freaking. We're traveling in and out of Spain on the 16th and 29th. Yikes. That's a little close for comfort. Hope we're not impacted...

 

[abacab]

In case you haven't seen the news reports, Spain just announced strike dates for the airports in April, May, June and July. You can check out the article at www.easytravelreport.com. The dates closest to our cruise appear to be June 15 and June 30. Not trying to freak anyone out, but we'll definitely want to keep an eye on the situation and see how it develops.

Actually the dates in June are the 13th (not the 15th), 23th and 30th. Also July 1 through 4.

 

[jns]

Actually the dates in June are the 13th (not the 15th), 23th and 30th. Also July 1 through 4.

We are booked to travel back on the 1st July
Hope they sort this out soon

 

[MadHatterMom2]

Okay, I am freaking. We're traveling in and out of Spain on the 16th and 29th. Yikes. That's a little close for comfort. Hope we're not impacted...

Yep - we're traveling on the exact same dates as you are. We may even be on the same incoming flight. I'm sure they will resolve this issue fairly quickly because that's the last thing Spain's economy needs right now . . .