June 27, 2013 - Magic in the Med (Venice)

[rotary2808]

I liked the Fantasy, but I'm happy to be going back to the Magic. Just wish it had Outlook Cafe like the Wonder does though. The Magic/Wonder are home to me, know them inside and out. Even after a week on the Fantasy, I still didn't see/find everything on that ship.

 

[nzdisneymom]

...we can all celebrate the 4th of July in Venice together!

Hey - maybe we should plan a Meet activity for July 4th for sometime that evening - nothing fancy or whatever, but just for whoever is wandering about the ship and wants to get together?? Anyone interested? Toss out your ideas.

 

[nzdisneymom]

In case you were wondering, there are two Disney Stores in Barcelona.

http://www.disneystore.co.uk/disney-store-locator/mn/1300001/

We stumbled across one in Covent Garden in London on the Sunday afternoon we had disembarked the ship. It was super crowded but we bought a Mickey Mouse with something England on it for a friend of the boys' birthday. We thought we would make the time to go by one of these.

There is also one in Venice that we might have time to go see on the second day.

 

[carpenta]

The Venice shop is about a "block" (or whatever they refer to groupings of buildings in Venice?) behind St. Marks' square going towards the Grand Canal.

 

[nzdisneymom]

The Venice shop is about a "block" (or whatever they refer to groupings of buildings in Venice?) behind St. Marks' square going towards the Grand Canal.

I was looking on the map from the Disney site and it looked like it was nearby, so thanks for the confirmation. I saw the Grand Canal so I figured we couldn't get too lost Of course getting "lost" in Venice is one of the top 10 "things to do." I figure we can stop on the way back towards the ship after our time in St. Marks Square.

I'm getting really really excited about Venice but having to not forget about all the other amazing places we're going! Do you guys do that? Get really focused on one port to the exclusion of others?

 

[disprincess4ever]

thanks for the disney store info! We'll pop in one of the Barcelona stores, who knows we might find something relating to spain or cute products the usa stores dont sell.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Do any of you go to the Trivia games they have on the ship? We've been to a few - some folks are "hard core" about it, but generally most of the other guests we've encountered are fun and easy going. The boys have enjoyed the family ones like the Pirate trivia and the "name that tune" ones that are sometimes done in the Promenade.

 

[poohmomof5]

Do any of you go to the Trivia games they have on the ship? We've been to a few - some folks are "hard core" about it, but generally most of the other guests we've encountered are fun and easy going. The boys have enjoyed the family ones like the Pirate trivia and the "name that tune" ones that are sometimes done in the Promenade.

We enjoy going to trivia as well! We only go to ones where we kind of know the theme pretty well. You are right, some people are a little over the top!

 

[disprincess4ever]

Do any of you go to the Trivia games they have on the ship? We've been to a few - some folks are "hard core" about it, but generally most of the other guests we've encountered are fun and easy going. The boys have enjoyed the family ones like the Pirate trivia and the "name that tune" ones that are sometimes done in the Promenade.

Didn't get to enjoy trivia on our last cruise but hopefully we can squeeze it in this time! I think the family lounge is called studio sea on this ship? Hopefully we can do as many fun activities as possible!

 

[MrsScooby]

Funny about the ships, we have been on Disney cruises 85 nights and only 12 of them were on the new ships, so I am fairly tainted, BUT I like the Magic the best still. I think the newer ships are just big. And I have always been one to like a more cozy atmosphere, so that probably has something to do with it, BUT I feel that on the Magic you get to know people better. That includes the staff, other families, and other kids for my little one. The older ships are beautiful and they take great care of them!

That being said, the rest of the family thinks I am crazy. And they think maybe it is because we have only been on 4 night cruises on the Dream, so we don't have the time to explore and get to know people?

Anyway, the old ships are still Disney and still better than being anywhere else in the world IMO.

Another vote for the Magic. I have cruised on the Dream twice, and it is beautiful and has some great new features and beautiful new areas, but I feel "at home" on the Magic. Oddly, not so much on the Wonder.

We have cruised on the Magic and the Dream. The Dream is gorgeous but we were a bit disappointed in the placement of the hot tubs. On the Magic, you have a great view of the pool and can keep an eye on your kids. On the Dream, they seemed like an afterthought. We are looking forward to being back on the Magic this summer. There is something to be said for those cozy "older" ships.

I liked the Fantasy, but I'm happy to be going back to the Magic. Just wish it had Outlook Cafe like the Wonder does though. The Magic/Wonder are home to me, know them inside and out. Even after a week on the Fantasy, I still didn't see/find everything on that ship.

Didn't mean to start a debate about which ships were best, but glad to see more people posting

With this cruise being so port intensive I am going to be just relaxing most of the time onboard
I will miss Remy though. Loved that restaurant

I am thinking my "hang out" places on this cruise will be mostly cove café, promenade lounge on deck 3 and the deck 4 comfy lounge chairs

 

[MrsScooby]

For taxi service, I saw on a generic European cruise planning thread that someone recommended this company. I thought I saved the link but I can't find it now I guess you could try to locate the thread or search Barcelona Taxi Companies. The site I looked at you would give them your name and how many people and they would wait at the airport for you with a sign.

We are not so worried about transport from airport to hotel when we arrive (for that we are ok with the regular airport taxi service), but when we disembark and have to get to the airport in time for our 11:55 am flight
But my TA finally got back to me and she insisted that everyone she has checked with insisted that a taxi was the way to go
So our plan for now is to just make sure we are off the ship as early as possible as even with an hour wait we would arrive at the airport with plenty of time...I hope

as for taxi service it is important to get a firm price BEFORE you get into a taxi. A travel tip because some have been to charge outragous prices when you arrive for they know you won't have time to argue. It is a small madhouse at the terminal getting out across the bridge and around Columbus circle so leave yourself more time than you would think. Arrival day is a week day and traffic is always heavy in Barcelona during the week.

Good advice, thanks

If I've counted right, we have 19 states plus Canada represented on this cruise.

Folks from the west coast have a really long trip to Europe...but then they're closer to Hawaii so I guess it evens out

Hey - maybe we should plan a Meet activity for July 4th for sometime that evening - nothing fancy or whatever, but just for whoever is wandering about the ship and wants to get together?? Anyone interested? Toss out your ideas.

A drink to toast the birthday of the USA
My DH, Darren, said he has a pocket copy of the Declaration of Independence and can read it ...if anyone wants to listen
He is a big American History fan so he likes to do this every July 4th.

In case you were wondering, there are two Disney Stores in Barcelona.

http://www.disneystore.co.uk/disney-store-locator/mn/1300001/

We stumbled across one in Covent Garden in London on the Sunday afternoon we had disembarked the ship. It was super crowded but we bought a Mickey Mouse with something England on it for a friend of the boys' birthday. We thought we would make the time to go by one of these.

There is also one in Venice that we might have time to go see on the second day.

The Venice shop is about a "block" (or whatever they refer to groupings of buildings in Venice?) behind St. Marks' square going towards the Grand Canal.

I was looking on the map from the Disney site and it looked like it was nearby, so thanks for the confirmation. I saw the Grand Canal so I figured we couldn't get too lost Of course getting "lost" in Venice is one of the top 10 "things to do." I figure we can stop on the way back towards the ship after our time in St. Marks Square.

I'm getting really really excited about Venice but having to not forget about all the other amazing places we're going! Do you guys do that? Get really focused on one port to the exclusion of others?

Sounds good.
And yes I do get focused on one port most times until I feel I am in danger of overplanning things and then move onto another port to focus on...
But Venice is our main reason for booking this cruise and all the other ports are a little secondary for us. That is why I am so glad we have a sea day to relax before we hit Venice
I have our second day in Venice more scheduled than our first day with 2 tours booked. First day is getting there with the planning though. Plan to take a vaporetta ride down the Grand Canal as we have reserved tickets for St Mark's Basillica about a half hour before it closes and then nothing specifically planned for the rest of the night (except that we will have dinner in port).

Anyone else planning to have dinner in Venice the first night?

Do any of you go to the Trivia games they have on the ship? We've been to a few - some folks are "hard core" about it, but generally most of the other guests we've encountered are fun and easy going. The boys have enjoyed the family ones like the Pirate trivia and the "name that tune" ones that are sometimes done in the Promenade.

We enjoy going to trivia as well! We only go to ones where we kind of know the theme pretty well. You are right, some people are a little over the top!

Didn't get to enjoy trivia on our last cruise but hopefully we can squeeze it in this time! I think the family lounge is called studio sea on this ship? Hopefully we can do as many fun activities as possible!

We came in the end of a trivia game on the Fantasy last summer that looked like fun. My DH is good with these as he has a good memory for random facts.
We also like bingo, at least the way DCL does it. Gotta play at least once

 

[nzdisneymom]

I am thinking my "hang out" places on this cruise will be mostly cove café, promenade lounge on deck 3 and the deck 4 comfy lounge chairs

A drink to toast the birthday of the USA
My DH, Darren, said he has a pocket copy of the Declaration of Independence and can read it ...if anyone wants to listen
He is a big American History fan so he likes to do this every July 4th.

Anyone else planning to have dinner in Venice the first night?

We came in the end of a trivia game on the Fantasy last summer that looked like fun. My DH is good with these as he has a good memory for random facts.
We also like bingo, at least the way DCL does it. Gotta play at least once

I think I've mentioned that we like to go to the Promenade Lounge before dinner - we have Main seating, so one of us is usually there around 5-5:15 on days we're back from port by then, and we hang out there til dinner time if we're eating in the dining room. If we're doing Topsiders, room service, or something different, then we may stay longer. I hope they have a good performer(s) for that space - we've enjoyed the ones we've seen before and they've always come to recognize us "regulars."

I haven't spent much time in the Cove area - this might be the trip to do that!

If you think Darren's up for emcee'ing (ok, reading the Declaration of Independence, making a toast, etc.) for July 4th celebration, maybe we could gather in the Promenade that evening late - like after 2nd dinner is over (what time is that? about 10 pm?) for an official DIS Tribute to Independence? Anyone up for attending something like that? I think it would great to have something mid-trip as a gathering so we can catch up with each other and share our experiences.

We haven't done Bingo on DCL before, but Zachary would go watch Bingo on Carnival and was fascinated by it. So I was thinking I'd budget some Bingo money for this summer and we'd give it a go for fun.

We'll be coming back from a tour in Venice the first night at about dinner time so we'll probably just eat on the ship. Then we'll give the boys the option of going back into the city with us, but if they don't want to, then Gary and I will go out for a while on our own - no worries about getting left behind that night!

 

[disprincess4ever]

Also thinking about doing dinner in Venice the first night but I'm torn because Disney Dining is so good! I'd love to see Venice at night though. Does anyone know what time Disney "closes" the port to enter or leave the ship at night, or can you do as you please, coming back to the ship anytime that night??

Thanks for the relaxation spot recommendations! I know we probably will not have a lot of time to spend in there but hopefully we can relax for 5 seconds or so!

4th of July gathering sounds nice! Our family plans on wearing patriotic colors for the day if others want to do so as well

Still worried about how intense our port adventures line up is but hoping we will be ok anyone ever done the Pompeii hike before or heard of anyone doing it?? We're hoping its not too hard for the 10yo in our group.
Dumb moment as well for the travel to our hotel. What's the difference between taking a taxi and taking an airport shuttle?

 

[MrsScooby]

I think I've mentioned that we like to go to the Promenade Lounge before dinner - we have Main seating, so one of us is usually there around 5-5:15 on days we're back from port by then, and we hang out there til dinner time if we're eating in the dining room. If we're doing Topsiders, room service, or something different, then we may stay longer. I hope they have a good performer(s) for that space - we've enjoyed the ones we've seen before and they've always come to recognize us "regulars."

I haven't spent much time in the Cove area - this might be the trip to do that!

If you think Darren's up for emcee'ing (ok, reading the Declaration of Independence, making a toast, etc.) for July 4th celebration, maybe we could gather in the Promenade that evening late - like after 2nd dinner is over (what time is that? about 10 pm?) for an official DIS Tribute to Independence? Anyone up for attending something like that? I think it would great to have something mid-trip as a gathering so we can catch up with each other and share our experiences.

We haven't done Bingo on DCL before, but Zachary would go watch Bingo on Carnival and was fascinated by it. So I was thinking I'd budget some Bingo money for this summer and we'd give it a go for fun.

We'll be coming back from a tour in Venice the first night at about dinner time so we'll probably just eat on the ship. Then we'll give the boys the option of going back into the city with us, but if they don't want to, then Gary and I will go out for a while on our own - no worries about getting left behind that night!

I usually go to "my spots" with a book or my nook so in case I don't see anyone I know I can just relax and enjoy the solitude. But these are also the places where I have run into other Disers and stopped to chat about our vacations and what-not for a while.

We have late seating so if back from port in time I will look for you at the Promenade Lounge Cindy

Darren would definitely like to help with the Fourth of July fun
And hanging out to chat about the ports would be great
I am dying to hear about other people's excursions


As for bingo...it is not for everyone. My DD did not like it at first because... well I "dragged" her to go and we wound up not winning anything. But she liked it better when Darren took her. He doesn't mind doing that silly dance in between games
So once she relaxed and stopped worrying about winning she started having fun. We would joke around about the chant they use for "B11" for months after the cruise

Since we arrive in Venice in the afternoon and don't have to get up early I am planning on staying in Venice until pretty late on the first day. Maybe find a café where they play music and just hang out with a few drinks or something like that. Definitely try to get the gondola ride in on the first day

 

[MrsScooby]

Also thinking about doing dinner in Venice the first night but I'm torn because Disney Dining is so good! I'd love to see Venice at night though. Does anyone know what time Disney "closes" the port to enter or leave the ship at night, or can you do as you please, coming back to the ship anytime that night??

Thanks for the relaxation spot recommendations! I know we probably will not have a lot of time to spend in there but hopefully we can relax for 5 seconds or so!

4th of July gathering sounds nice! Our family plans on wearing patriotic colors for the day if others want to do so as well

Still worried about how intense our port adventures line up is but hoping we will be ok anyone ever done the Pompeii hike before or heard of anyone doing it?? We're hoping its not too hard for the 10yo in our group.
Dumb moment as well for the travel to our hotel. What's the difference between taking a taxi and taking an airport shuttle?

I don't think they have a curfew in Venice the first night
I don't think we have to be back until they sail away the next day.
When we sailed to St Petersburg back in 2010 the only thing that restricted us the first night was that you needed to be on a tour to stay in port because of their visa requirements. But Venice doesn't need a visa so we should be able to roam around as we want

Just FYI, Cove Café has snacks and treats that are free for adults over 18, only the drinks in there have an extra charge. Can't bring the kids in there though as it is adults only.

As for Naples, I'm a little worried we will be burnt out by then as well as that will be the 4th port in 4 days. The only thing I can do is TRY to make sure everyone gets to bed before midnight so we have a fighting chance of enjoying all 4 days.
Haven't heard of a Pompeii hike so can't advise there

The thing with taxis is that some are licensed and some aren't. If you flag one on the street, you need to be a bit more careful than if you pick one up at the airport or the port. The port and airport taxis have to be licensed (I think) and so there is less chance of being scammed. Not to say you shouldn't still agree to a price ahead of time with an airport or port taxi, that's good advice regardless.
A shuttle can vary depending on the company
I know from my house a taxi costs a fraction what a shared shuttle would cost
Some hotels have free shuttles to the airport as a perk.
It all depends on who is providing the shuttle service.

 

[nzdisneymom]

I usually go to "my spots" with a book or my nook so in case I don't see anyone I know I can just relax and enjoy the solitude. But these are also the places where I have run into other Disers and stopped to chat about our vacations and what-not for a while.

Good to know - so if I see you there, I won't worry about disturbing you if I stop to chat for a few minutes! Whenever I've passed through the Cove, it's so quiet and you know people are relaxing but you don't know if they are ok to engage in a conversation. I love getting acquainted with new people and I'm looking forward to furthering our acquaintance with all of you!

Darren would definitely like to help with the Fourth of July fun
And hanging out to chat about the ports would be great
I am dying to hear about other people's excursions

Great - in fact, there may be a couple of other DH's that would like to take a role in a 4th of July celebration... it sounds like after the 2nd seating dinner that night would be a good time to do it - we don't port in Dubrovnik until after 1:00 the next afternoon, so it's not like we all have a super early day the next morning. Do we want to officially set the time and location? Or???

Since we arrive in Venice in the afternoon and don't have to get up early I am planning on staying in Venice until pretty late on the first day. Maybe find a café where they play music and just hang out with a few drinks or something like that. Definitely try to get the gondola ride in on the first day

I love that we have an overnight there. It was weird in St. Petersburg to get up the next morning and be in the very same place we went to sleep in. Definitely different than other cruise days.

I don't think they have a curfew in Venice the first night
I don't think we have to be back until they sail away the next day.

I think that's right.

As for Naples, I'm a little worried we will be burnt out by then as well as that will be the 4th port in 4 days. The only thing I can do is TRY to make sure everyone gets to bed before midnight so we have a fighting chance of enjoying all 4 days.

This is the very reason we're doing Florence on this itinerary and Rome on the previous one so we don't have two very full days in a row - and we don't have a full day in Rome before heading to Naples. We are looking forward to Naples - we're doing the Half Day Pompeii and afterwards are going to get pizza with some others here.

We got our TSA approved luggage locks today and two more luggage tags that we needed to have one for each of our bags. Everyone has shoes but Nathan still needs an extra pair, and I need to find another belt for DH as Nathan lost his over spring break so Gary gave his spare to Nathan - he wants another like it but we can't find the right size - they have the color in wrong sizes or the right size in the wrong color.

 

[nzdisneymom]

One of the June 15th DIS cruisers alerted me to this - thought I'd share it here in case anyone was interested.

The app CityMaps2Go – full version is free today for ipad / ipod.

No wifi needed to use them after you’ve downloaded.

 

[jel0511]

One of the June 15th DIS cruisers alerted me to this - thought I'd share it here in case anyone was interested.

The app CityMaps2Go – full version is free today for ipad / ipod.

No wifi needed to use them after you’ve downloaded.

Yes, the app is free, but you still have to pay for the individual maps. I have this app....

 

[disprincess4ever]

Yes, the app is free, but you still have to pay for the individual maps. I have this app....

Another option is to take pictures of maps with your phone or camera to take with you if your cheap like me

 

[rotary2808]

Good to know - so if I see you there, I won't worry about disturbing you if I stop to chat for a few minutes! Whenever I've passed through the Cove, it's so quiet and you know people are relaxing but you don't know if they are ok to engage in a conversation. I love getting acquainted with new people and I'm looking forward to furthering our acquaintance with all of you!

I spend a good bit of free time in Cove Cafe. If you see me don't hesitate to stop and chat.