June 18, 2011 - 11 Night Mediterranean Sailing from Barcelona

[aroundtheriverbend]

Hi all, I can't believe how quickly time is flying! Sounds like everyone had a safe and happy new year, great to hear!

We are starting to get really excited, grabbed a few port info guidebooks. Now, to make the final payment and await the excursion booking date!

 

[aroundtheriverbend]

2PrincessesInTow - do you think alot of time would be wasted trying to adjust to the boat for the first time? I might try to strong arm DH into a short Florida based cruise over the next 5 months rather than waste our international time just getting boat oriented for the first time.... what does everyone else think? Thanks!!

 

[2PrincesseInTow]

2PrincessesInTow - do you think alot of time would be wasted trying to adjust to the boat for the first time? I might try to strong arm DH into a short Florida based cruise over the next 5 months rather than waste our international time just getting boat oriented for the first time.... what does everyone else think? Thanks!!

Not really.... It's nice that we know our way around and know are kids love it but the good news is that our first day is a sea day so you'll have time to familiarize yourself.

But of course if you can strong arm, I say do it. We saw some of the shows so if we miss one we won't worry, I know that for our family the dinning rotation isn't a big deal so I'll stop thinking about it, we did tea w/ Alice, etc.

I'm really looking forward to 11 days, 5 seemed very short!

 

[goofydadeo]

For those of you who might be interested here the disboard thread regarding the developing situation in Tunis - our port call on 21-June...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2633322

 

[jmatias]

Thanks for the link to the Tunis thread. Gosh, saw the news about it but been so busy with other things that didn't connect it to our June Cruise.

Will pay closer attention now for sure!

Jen

 

[hygienist999]

Since our cruise isn't too far off, I thought I would put together a list of our cruisers. Its hard to keep track as more people come online. We can add to this list as time goes on.

Also, many have mentioned an interest in the FE exchange. I would love to do this also. I guess we need to find out who would be interested.

If I have anyone's information wrong please let me know, I tried to copy from the past posts.

1) Goofydadeo - DH (John), DW, DS(17), DD(13); from Raleigh, NC; cat 11B cabin; staying at Hilton Diagonal Mar; late seating for dinner

2) lornak - DW(Lorna), DH, DW's sister and brother-in-law will also be going; from Northern MN; GTY cat 11 cabin; staying at Novetel

3) JulieWent - DW(Julie-50), DH, DS(Austin-15); cat 5B cabin; staying at CASP74; early seating for dinner

4) Calfan - DW, DH(44), DD(8.5), DS(6.5); from California; cat 5A cabin, staying at CASP74; late seating for dinner

5) GeorgeY - George, DW, DS(17), DS(13), DD(6); from Central Florida; staying at CASP74

6) CaliforniaGirl09 - DW, DH, DS(13), DD(10), staying at CASP74

7) pegthelawyer - Peggy(45), Walt(51), DD(Katie-20), DS(Jamie-18), DD(Annie-16); from Northern California

8) aroundthebend- DW(Allison), DH(Dave), DS(River-7), DD(Winter-5); early seating for dinner

9) jmatias - DW(Jen-41), DH(45), DS(15), DS(13), DD(7); SPH 5522 & 5524 cabins; from Hawaii, staying at CASP74

10) ctldavis - DW, DH, DD(15); from Charlotte, NC

11) 2PrincessInTow - DW(Sara, DH, DD(9.75), DD(Grace-5), and possibly MIL; late seating for dinner

12) MadHatterMom2 - DW(Julie, DH, DD(12), DS(8); from California; staying at CASP74;

13) Astallings - 5 Adults, 3 DD's, 3 DS's.

14) Angie_Ohio - Angie, DS(Alec -16), Angie's parents.

15) FloridaKings

16) MacG - DW(Kim), DH, DD(6), DD(8); from Montgomery County, MD

17) *WDW*Groupie* - DS(19), DD(9); will be doing the ABD, early seating for dinner

18) newmommie77 - DW, DH, DS(12), DD(6)

19) rach7 -DW(Rach), DH, DD(10), DS(5), from Brisbane, Australia; staying at CASP74

20) jns - DW(Jackie), DH(Michael), DS(Michael), from Donegal, Ireland;

21) DocsWatson - DW, DH(50), DD(10), DS(8); from New Hampshire; doing the ABD

22) Hygienist999 - me(Allison-40), DH(Roddy-50), DD(Meghan-21), DS(Austin-19); from Dublin, GA; staying at Marriott at the Airport in Barcelona; late seating for dinner;

23) wen_tom - DW(Wendy-32), DH(Steve-32); from the UK(Yorkshire)

Other useful information;

June 19th - Formal Night - Sea Day-Father's Day
June 24th - Semi-Formal Night - Sea Day
June 25th - Pirate Night - La Spezia port
June 27th - Semi-Formal Night - Sea Day

I hope this is helpful.
Allison

 

[JulieWent]

Wow, Allison! Nice job. That's a lot of information. We're doing early seating for dinner. No other info. that I can think of.

Thanks again for collecting all of that stuff.

Julie

 

[goofydadeo]

Thanks for pulling all of this together Allison! I have a minor correction and update:

DS will be 17; cat 11B, staying at Hilton Diagonal Mar; late seating

We are getting very excited - managed to shift flights around for a short visit to Venice just before we sail, then Paris and London post cruise.

Still haven't done any port planning checked out ABD but unfortunately it's too expensive for 4 of us given our pre/post plans.

Cheers!

John

 

[hygienist999]

Thanks for the info Julie and John. I edited my post, so the changes should be up.

John, my family did the ABD tour thru the Grand Canyon, and we had a great time. Although, there wasn't any kids my kids age. All were 12 and under. They both were very clear they did not want to do the ABD, unless it was adult only.

Can't wait to cruise.
Allison

 

[wen-tom]

I rather impulsively booked my cruise today I think I got a pretty good price - now I just need to secure the time off at work

we are me (wendy) - 32 & DH (steve) - 32.

We have never cruised before and so I have no idea what to expect or what/how to book? has anyone got a start up guide

We are DVC members from the UK (yorkshire) and will be heading to barcelona the day before our departure.

We have been to a few of the ports before. We went to Rome last year and I have been to Barcelona & Palma many years ago. Being from the UK I guess Europe is pretty easy to get to.

I am looking forward to planning with you all and really REALLY need your help.

 

[jns]

Thanks Allison for getting a roll call up for us
from reading this thread didn't think there was so many of us is
We would love to do a FE exchange
I'll keep the FE list up to date if we decide to do one
and what about a Dis Met too

 

[hygienist999]

Welcome wen-tom - We booked our cruise thru DVC by using our points. So, that was easy for us. We have never been oversea's, so this will be a new experience for my family. Good luck on your planning and great to have you here on the board.

jns - I think a FE exchange would be great. I've read so many posts about FE exchanges that were positive. I hope we can have one. So, how about we put a request out; If you would like to be part of a FE exchange post YES to FE exchange.

A DIS meet would be great also. I don't really know how you go about planning this though.

Allison

 

[JulieWent]

I'm not very creative, so I'm not sure if I'd do well with a FE exchange, but I definitely want to do a DIS meet. I'll post and see how others have done it in the past. Does anyone in this group have experience with such a meet onboard?

Julie

 

[goofydadeo]

I'm not very creative, so I'm not sure if I'd do well with a FE exchange, but I definitely want to do a DIS meet. I'll post and see how others have done it in the past. Does anyone in this group have experience with such a meet onboard?

Julie

On a couple of our earlier cruises we did a disboard meet onboard just after the sailaway party ended - our gathering spot was on deck 10 overlooking the Goofy pool - all of gathered for about 30 minutes to meet and greet each other.

Many of us obtained the lime green color disney (mickey icon) paint chips from the Home Depot paint department and made name tags to wear, with our disboard names, that way we could spot each other easier. Here's an image of some of the color choices:

http://partykingdom.com/images/Disney%20Paint%20Chips%2033.jpg

Just an idea to consider to consider... it was fun and exciting to get together as a group.

 

[2PrincesseInTow]

11) 2PrincessInTow - DW(Sara, DH, DD(9.75), DD(Grace-5), and possibly MIL; late seating for dinner

Thanks Allison!

We are taking my MIL, Bea and DSD (24). We've switch to the early seating for dinner.

My little girls will kill me if we don't do the FE. I wouldn't worry about the creativity... The FE should just be fun and whatever you want to do. The fun of it is the surprise when your get back to you cabin. If our group does the FE I will cut back on size of the item because of packing concerns.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Thanks so much for doing this, Allison. It's so fun to see all the people staying at the CASP--I think we'll be taking it over. Sadly my kids are only getting older. For cruise purposes DS is 14 and DD is 11. Sigh. We are late diners, too.

With the holidays behind, I'm really starting to get excited. Well, all except for making that final payment. Ouch. My flights out of Barcelona (American) just got changed to earlier, so we are now leaving at 10:15 am. Yikes. Hope we aren't late docking. I'm trying not to stress about it (alternatives flight times not great).

Thanks to goofydadio for the link about Tunisia. I was wondering what was going on. I was looking forward to that stop, it will be interesting to see what DCL ends up deciding to do. My guess is they'll drop it. If they do, I hope they come up with another port rather than an extra sea day.

We've toyed with ABD, but it does seem expensive for a family of 4. We did ABD in Ireland and loved it--one of best vacations ever. They really do a great job.

Happy New Year!

 

[hygienist999]

Since our cruise isn't too far off, I thought I would put together a list of our cruisers. Its hard to keep track as more people come online. We can add to this list as time goes on.

Also, many have mentioned an interest in the FE exchange. I would love to do this also. I guess we need to find out who would be interested.

If I have anyone's information wrong please let me know, I tried to copy from the past posts.

1) Goofydadeo - DH (John), DW, DS(17), DD(13); from Raleigh, NC; cat 11B cabin; staying at Hilton Diagonal Mar; late seating for dinner

2) lornak - DW(Lorna), DH, DW's sister and brother-in-law will also be going; from Northern MN; GTY cat 11 cabin; staying at Novetel

3) JulieWent - DW(Julie-50), DH, DS(Austin-15); cat 5B cabin; staying at CASP74; early seating for dinner

4) Calfan - DW, DH(44), DD(8.5), DS(6.5); from California; cat 5A cabin, staying at CASP74; late seating for dinner

6) CaliforniaGirl09 - DW, DH, DS(14), DD(11), staying at CASP74; late seating for dinner,

7) pegthelawyer - Peggy(45), Walt(51), DD(Katie-20), DS(Jamie-18), DD(Annie-16); from Northern California

8) aroundthebend- DW(Allison), DH(Dave), DS(River-7), DD(Winter-5); early seating for dinner; YES to FE Exchange

9) jmatias - DW(Jen-41), DH(45), DS(15), DS(13), DD(7); SPH 5522 & 5524 cabins; from Hawaii, staying at CASP74; YES to FE Exchange

10) ctldavis - DW, DH, DD(15); from Charlotte, NC

11) 2PrincessInTow - DW(Sara, DH, DD(9.75), DD(Grace-5), MIL(Bea), DSD(Sarah-24); early seating for dinner; Wants to do FE Exchange, but will have two cabins.

12) MadHatterMom2 - DW(Julie, DH, DD(12), DS(8); from California; staying at CASP74; YES to FE Exchange

13) Astallings - 5 Adults, 3 DD's, 3 DS's.

14) Angie_Ohio - Angie, DS(Alec -16), Angie's parents.

15) FloridaKings

16) MacG - DW(Kim), DH, DD(6), DD(8); from Montgomery County, MD

17) *WDW*Groupie* - DS(19), DD(9); will be doing the ABD, early seating for dinner

18) newmommie77 - DW, DH, DS(12), DD(6)

19) rach7 -DW(Rach), DH, DD(10), DS(5), from Brisbane, Australia; staying at CASP74, YES to FE

20) jns - DW(Jackie), DH(Michael), DS(Michael), from Donegal, Ireland; YES for FE exchange

21) DocsWatson - DW(46), DH(50), DD(10), DS(8); from New Hampshire; Late seating for dinner; staying at le Meridian pre-cruise; doing the ABD; YES to FE Exchange

22) Hygienist999 - me(Allison-40), DH(Roddy-50), DD(Meghan-21), DS(Austin-19); from Dublin, GA; staying at Marriott at the Airport in Barcelona; late seating for dinner; Wants to do FE Exchange

23) wen_tom - DW(Wendy-32), DH(Steve-32); from the UK(Yorkshire)

24) scubabonk - DH(42), DW(37), DD(12), DD(9); YES to FE Exchange
Other useful information;

25) sistersville - DW, DH, DS(10), DD(5), DS(14months), Nanny

26) Irsuffi - DW(Laura), DH, DD(7), DNiece(17); YES to FE Exchange.

27) MaKalee - Just booked

28) Shruti - from California, DW(40), DH(40), DS(10); staying at The W

29) ga9497 - DW, DH, DD(16), DS(14)

30) klynch - DW, DH, DS(11), DD(13); from Philadelphia

31) anniedj - DW, DH, DS(15), DS(13); from Raleigh, NC;

32) ch10dad - DH(Ray), DW(Laura), DD(Jessica-15), DD(Sarah-11); YES to FE Exchange.


jns is in charge of the FE Exchange - Big Thanks.

FE Exchange will have no more than 15 cabins.

Cut off date for the FE Exchange sign up is May 31, 2011.

DIS Meet - 3:30 (before the safety drill), Promenade Lounge located right outside Parrot Cay; Wear lime green name tags (paint chips) which you can get from Home Depot in the paint depart.

June 19th - Formal Night - Sea Day-Father's Day
June 24th - Semi-Formal Night - Sea Day
June 25th - Pirate Night - La Spezia port
June 27th - Semi-Formal Night - Sea Day

I hope this is helpful.
Allison

Updated List

 

[jns]

FE=fish extender gifts
Outside each cabin is a fish clip that staff will clip announcements etc. You can find pics of them easily on here if you search. If you have joined a sail group for the date you are cruising a lot of times they have FE gift exchange. You make a mailbox that loops over the FE and they put gifts in it. can be bought on ebay...worth every penny or make your own . A lot of people will put in gifts that represent where they are from or have some relationship with the ship you are on. You will find lots of ideas on these boards. Some deliver one nicer gift and some deliver lots of little gifts. It is SO fun to come back to the cabin and see things have been delivered to your room.

Ok here is the FE list so far Cut off date 31st May

JNS
2PrincessInTow
2PrincessInTow+ DSD & MIL
hygienist
Jmatias
GeorgeY
Docswatson
MadHatterMom2
MadHatterMom2
CaliforniaGirl09
rach7

Think its up to us as a group to decide how we will do the exchange
Ideas so far
1) One gift per stateroom ,but some extra goodies for kids
2) To keep it to small groups
3) To pick a date to deliver the gifts . That way, the gifts are spaced out over the course of the cruise

Please let me know if I miss anyone looking to join in the exchange

Check this thread out some great gift ideas here


anyone else like to share photos from your FE

here is some of the things we got from our Halloween Cruise

Our Fish Extender

 

[jns]

5 Months until we sail away ​

We had our Dis met in one of the bars before the safety drill , anyone know what time we will be sailing at ? onboard is 4pm

 

[GeorgeY]

Wow, alot of people on this cruise now. this is great.

Please add us to the FE list, we like participating in them.

Still haven't bought our air tickets yet. I know, just holding out.

George