June 18, 2011 - 11 Night Mediterranean Sailing from Barcelona

[makaylee]

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...

Same dates here also. If it makes you feel any better, last year during our Med they were supposed to strike and they didn't. Keeping fingers crossed. Hope everyone already purchased their travel insurance before this news was released.

 

[makaylee]

FYI I just found all of my papers from last year that say how much we spent everywhere. If any of you would like to know taxi prices in the ports etc let me know.

 

[wen-tom]

FYI I just found all of my papers from last year that say how much we spent everywhere. If any of you would like to know taxi prices in the ports etc let me know.

Makaylee, that would be really helpful thank you. I am just trying to figure out how much money we should bring. I don't think we will be doing any of the trips with DCL.

How has everyone worked out their budget? I guess I don't know where to start with this being my first cruise. How much should I budget for on the ship?

 

[ch10dad]

I just want to know when we're going to be at Castaway Cay...

Ray

 

[jns]

I just want to know when we're going to be at Castaway Cay...

Ray

This is the only downside about this cruise No Castaway Cay

 

[2PrincesseInTow]

How has everyone worked out their budget? I guess I don't know where to start with this being my first cruise. How much should I budget for on the ship?

Well, we spent more than I thought we would on our 5 night cruise..... First you need to budget $132 +/- per person for gratuities for the server, asst server, head server and stateroom host/ess ( that's the total for the suggested amount for 11 nights ) We're not big drinkers but that can be $$$, then spa, photos, wifi time, sending clothes out. If you're doing any DCL excursions they'll be on your bill too.

So it just depends on what you plan to do, it can be a lot or a little.

 

[makaylee]

Makaylee, that would be really helpful thank you. I am just trying to figure out how much money we should bring. I don't think we will be doing any of the trips with DCL.

How has everyone worked out their budget? I guess I don't know where to start with this being my first cruise. How much should I budget for on the ship?

Here it goes! There were 4 of us, 2 adults and 2 kiddos on an 11 night med last Aug.

330 EURO Barcelona total for 2 days - included Taxi to ship ( 30 euro), metro and train for 2 days (43 euro), all food and snacks, beer to bring on ship, Hard Rock and Starbucks cafe souvies (70 euro) and some of your cheapo souvies throughout town.FYI we ate two of our meals at Subway which was about 15 euro each time. One dinner we ate in town was 45 euro.

109 EURO total in Malta, 50+5 tip for taxi to palace, Mdina and Blue Grotto about 3 to 3 1/12 hours. 21 euro for 3 people for grotto boat ride, about 30 euro for snacks and cheap souvies.

80 euro for taxi to Sidu bsaid ( I know I spelled that way wrong) and souvies in Tunisia

270 EURO in Naples- 200 for cab to Positano which I do NOT recommend. The traffic is horrible and the roads are super windey, add that with your standard taxi driver and you get car sickness, both of my kiddos threw up. I had to take the ferryback with them (16 euro for 1A and 2 C) There is just not enought time to try to go to the Amalfie Coast. Next time we are sticking with the ferries to Capri and Sorrento. 13 for souvies, and the rest for pizza and gellato.

ROME we stayed on the ship as we had just visited a few months before. It is only 9 euro to take the train here though.

63 EURO in La Spezia, 22 euro for 2 A and 1 C for the day train and trail pass to Cinque Terra, 38 euro for beer, pizza and the best canoli's ever!

62 Euro in Corsica- 25 for a lunch of sandwiches at a corner cafe, 10 euro for crepes and gelato, the rest on souvies, they have really pretty costume jewelry in there outdoor market by the ship.

50 EURO in Villefranche- 9 euro for bus to and from Monaco and Nice. 30 euro for beer crepes and ice creams, 11 for cheap souvies

Our ship account (not counting $540 in tips which I paid in cash) for the 11 days was $896. $160 of that was a purse, $110 were 2 sweatshirts, $45 for laundry, $100 for beer, $150 total for 2 Palo brunches and one dinner. $150 for our photo package and the rest was other souvineers.

Hope this helps your budget planning. Remember, you can really spend as little or as much as you want on board.

 

[wen-tom]

thank you

Thats really helpful. I'm quite pleased to see that you didn't have to spend TOO much in the ports. We have visited many of the places before on short breaks so we kinda know a little of what to do when we get there. Its just transport to get us there.

DH likes a drink or 2 so I guess we will spend a little on drink onboard

Are soft drinks free/included or is it just with meals?

 

[makaylee]

thank you

Thats really helpful. I'm quite pleased to see that you didn't have to spend TOO much in the ports. We have visited many of the places before on short breaks so we kinda know a little of what to do when we get there. Its just transport to get us there.

DH likes a drink or 2 so I guess we will spend a little on drink onboard

Are soft drinks free/included or is it just with meals?

You're very welcome! Soft drinks are always free and available at the drink station on deck nine as well as with dinner. The only time you need to pay is if you order them from a bar or room service.

Yes, you can do the ports quite cheap if you are not afraid to do them yourself and know what to expect for taxi fare so you do not pay too much.

 

[wen-tom]

excellent We aren't worried about doing the ports on our own. In fact I'm quite looking forward to it.

What are the prices for alcoholic drinks like onboard? DH will be the one to run up the bar bill

I know that you can take your own wine to dinner if you like (please someone correct me if i'm wrong ) but can you buy wine etc at the ports and bring it back on board? are there limits to what you can bring back on to the ship (not just wine) or are you free to shop till you drop..

 

[makaylee]

excellent We aren't worried about doing the ports on our own. In fact I'm quite looking forward to it.

What are the prices for alcoholic drinks like onboard? DH will be the one to run up the bar bill

I know that you can take your own wine to dinner if you like (please someone correct me if i'm wrong ) but can you buy wine etc at the ports and bring it back on board? are there limits to what you can bring back on to the ship (not just wine) or are you free to shop till you drop..

I believe it is about $7 for something like a martini or daiquiri, $5 for domestic beer and around $6 for imported. Their prices aren't too bad.
You can bring your own wine in from the ports. I'm not sure if there is a limit. We have only brought a bottle or two of liquor or a couple of six packs on at any one time. I know that if you bring a bottle of wine to dinner they charge a corking fee of around $20.

Edited because I was looking at the 2008 drink menu.

 

[2PrincesseInTow]

excellent We aren't worried about doing the ports on our own. In fact I'm quite looking forward to it.

What are the prices for alcoholic drinks like onboard? DH will be the one to run up the bar bill

I know that you can take your own wine to dinner if you like (please someone correct me if i'm wrong ) but can you buy wine etc at the ports and bring it back on board? are there limits to what you can bring back on to the ship (not just wine) or are you free to shop till you drop..

Just came across my folio from January..... a beer at lunch or bar was $6.04, drink at the bar was $6.61, that price includes tax and tip. I think corkage is $20/ bottle now. I believe there are some bar menus posted on the STICKY of the main forum.

We brought wine onboard in Florida.... but from what I've read you can bring it on from the port. I haven't read anything about limits but don't have experience myself with it.

 

[hygienist999]

Updated List

Welcome ch10dad, I'm glad you moved to our sailing. We are really growing as a group.

jns please add ch10dad to the FE Exchange if you haven't already done so.

I can't believe its getting close. Time is really flying, probably because my son will be graduating from high school in less than 11 weeks.

 

[klynch]

I'm interested in sharing a Mercedes limo/mini-van for both the Florence / Pisa tour, and one for Naples to Pompeii / Alamfi on the 6/18 Disney cruise. We could share just one or both, your choice.

I've read many positive reviews for the company Limo in Rome here and on Tripadvisor. I'm told these get to see many more sites and will also help getting to smaller places buses can't reach. This includes a running tour guide by the Driver and a seperate tour guide at Pompeii.

We are a family of 4, a boy 11 and girl 13 along with my wife and I. We're from the Philadelphia area.

The mini-vans hold up to 8 people very comfortably. I have them booked for just the 4 of us, but if another group wants to share, it will really help share the cost for us both. I have a Rome tour booked with another family, so these rates I are discounted for multiple trips. Florence is $650 Euros and Pompeii is $550 Euros TOTAL per vehicle. So we would split these costs 50/50. This is much cheaper than using the Disney tours.

https://www.romeinlimo.com/

Please PM if interested.

 

[lmb]

Klynch, just curous about the pricing quotes that you received from Jany. For the minivan in Naples she told us our price is 500 euros for the minivan (this is discounted from 550 since we have two tours) plus 100 euros for the pompeii guide which would be 600 euros for the pompeii amalfi coast tour with pompeii guide.

 

[JulieWent]

I'm interested in sharing a Mercedes limo/mini-van for both the Florence / Pisa tour, and one for Naples to Pompeii / Alamfi on the 6/18 Disney cruise. We could share just one or both, your choice.

I've read many positive reviews for the company Limo in Rome here and on Tripadvisor. I'm told these get to see many more sites and will also help getting to smaller places buses can't reach. This includes a running tour guide by the Driver and a seperate tour guide at Pompeii.

We are a family of 4, a boy 11 and girl 13 along with my wife and I. We're from the Philadelphia area.

The mini-vans hold up to 8 people very comfortably. I have them booked for just the 4 of us, but if another group wants to share, it will really help share the cost for us both. I have a Rome tour booked with another family, so these rates I are discounted for multiple trips. Florence is $550 Euros and Pompeii is $450 Euros TOTAL per vehicle. So we would split these costs 50/50. This is much cheaper than using the Disney tours.

https://www.romeinlimo.com/

Please PM if interested.

Be careful when you email. There are two companies -- Limo in Rome AND Rome in Limo. They are BOTH really good companies and have great reputations, but they are definitely different. Limo in Rome seems to have slightly less expensive quotes -- maybe making up for the difference you and another poster are seeing? Anyway, wanted to point that out.

(We are using Limo in Rome. Claudio Caponera is the owner of that company.)

Julie

 

[wen-tom]

Just came across my folio from January..... a beer at lunch or bar was $6.04, drink at the bar was $6.61, that price includes tax and tip. I think corkage is $20/ bottle now. I believe there are some bar menus posted on the STICKY of the main forum.

We brought wine onboard in Florida.... but from what I've read you can bring it on from the port. I haven't read anything about limits but don't have experience myself with it.

I believe it is about $7 for something like a martini or daiquiri, $5 for domestic beer and around $6 for imported. Their prices aren't too bad.
You can bring your own wine in from the ports. I'm not sure if there is a limit. We have only brought a bottle or two of liquor or a couple of six packs on at any one time. I know that if you bring a bottle of wine to dinner they charge a corking fee of around $20.

Edited because I was looking at the 2008 drink menu.

thanks guys

 

[klynch]

Klynch, just curous about the pricing quotes that you received from Jany. For the minivan in Naples she told us our price is 500 euros for the minivan (this is discounted from 550 since we have two tours) plus 100 euros for the pompeii guide which would be 600 euros for the pompeii amalfi coast tour with pompeii guide.

My mistake. I posted the prices I have for 4 people, I have a car booked. It would be 100 Euros more for the 8 passenger mini-van for each trip. I'll modify my post now. Thanks for catching my oversight.

 

[PURTYPAT1]

Hi Everybody,

We went on the Med cruise 2 years ago.myself along with DD12 & DMI 70

I wanted to share this tour Palermo, Sicily with Disney. It was one of our favorite tours, and the best spent money. "A day on the Farm" It says 3 hours on the bus, but it breaks for each activity, and doesn't feel like we were on the bus that long.

FYI on the bus, they had mickey cartoons to entertain the kids.

My daughter (and I) still talk about this excursion!!!
A Day on the FarmLocation: Palermo, Sicily At a Glance
Activity Type: Nature Adventures and Family Adventures and Sightseeing Adventures
Activity Level: MildHelp
Duration: 7.5 to 8 Hours
Adult Price: $120.00
Child Price: $99.00
Ages: All Ages
On this tour you will:

Relax during an approximate 90-minute, air-conditioned motor coach ride to Villa Dafne Farm. Make your way through the green countryside of Sicily, with its picturesque orange trees and Indian figs, at the edge of the Madonie Mountains. Our guide gave us a tour of the city along with the history as we headed to the mountains. Enjoy an approximate 3-hour guided stroll through the grounds where you'll see sheep, pigs and take in a cow milking demonstration.
The farm was geared for the kids it was ok not the best, though the kids seemed to love it IMO

Savor the flavors of authentic Italian cooking during an interactive demonstration of how Italian bread is made. Children can partake in the demonstration, too, and prepare, bake and eat the bread they make.
Discover the process of making cheese, from a local cheese maker. Then, sit down to enjoy a traditional Sicilian lunch. This was awsome. We had home made Riccota chees in a bowl, and the kids made bread out shaped like Mickey ears. Lunch was unbeliveable. The best I had on the whole trip. Dessert, fresh peaches and mega size fresh Cannoli. Some much fun

After lunch, enjoy free time, where you’re invited to wander the scenic farmland or go for a refreshing dip in the pool.
It was magnificent to swim overlooking the mountains of Sicily. The kids loved the pool, so did the adults
After your visit of the farm, enjoy a panoramic drive through Palermo return to the pier. We pretty much slept coming back while watching cartoonsI remember coming back the guide stopped and we all photographed where The God father was film

I saw that it was offered to you, and wanted to share our experience with you all.

Your going to have a wonderful time!!!

 

[carolinagirls]

Just found this forum! We are so excited about this cruise!!
Would consider sharing a private tour with another family, esp Rome and Pompeii. I would love to see Pompeii AND Herculeum.
We are a family of four, coming with a 10 yo son and 11 yo daughter!