June 8, 2011 – Mediterranean

[Zoom]

We finally booked our airfare last night , decided not to use our FF miles. LAX-JFK-BCN-JFK-LAX, we'll be arriving at BCN in the morning of the 5th and leaving BCN at 12:40pm on the 18th. We are now very excited !!

 

[pxlbarrel]

Just booked our Barcelona hotels. All I can say is that I'm not sure how I'm going to walk around the ship and carry my luggage after giving the hotel my arms and legs. Holy crap... I think to say it was "sticker shock" is an understatement.

We're booked at the AC Diplomatic (booked it on our own... DCL has them listed as already filled up -- but I bet their rates are high!). In January/February/March, I'll see if I can find a better rate or another hotel with better rates. I wanted to nail these down though just in case.

With the Euro down so much right now, I'm tempted to pay them in advance or buy some Euro now and pay them in cash when we get there. LOL I may buy the Euro now anyway ... decisions, decisions.

 

[When I Grow Up]

Just booked while on the Wonder this past weekend. This will be the 12th Disney Cruise for all 3 of us, but 1st for the Med. It will me , DW and DGS aged 11. Has anyone looked at the Disney Air travel Package or have any information?

 

[nvcruiser]

We're using Disney Air and have also booked a pre-night hotel stay as well as have the Disney Transfers. I like having things already taken care of and know that if something were to happen, they are in charge of fixing it rather than me having to worry about it. Right now, with taxes, our airfare is running around $1500 a person. This is for 3 adults. The pre-night in Barcelona is $471 total, so $157 per person. Not too bad. HTH

 

[Zoom]

Just booked while on the Wonder this past weekend. This will be the 12th Disney Cruise for all 3 of us, but 1st for the Med. It will me , DW and DGS aged 11. Has anyone looked at the Disney Air travel Package or have any information?

ABOARD!!!!

 

[pxlbarrel]

With the news of Prince William and Kate getting married next spring or summer, I'm beginning to wonder how it'll affect our stopover in London before the cruise. Timing is everything and the worst timing would be for them to wed the same weekend or the weekend after!!

ROFL...maybe I just worry too much.

 

[When I Grow Up]

With the news of Prince William and Kate getting married next spring or summer, I'm beginning to wonder how it'll affect our stopover in London before the cruise. Timing is everything and the worst timing would be for them to wed the same weekend or the weekend after!!

ROFL...maybe I just worry too much.

I'll let you know the definate date as soon as our wedding invitation arrives.....
Sorry I just could not resist that

 

[pxlbarrel]

I'll let you know the definate date as soon as our wedding invitation arrives.....
Sorry I just could not resist that

Yah yah.... laugh it up.

My biggest concern is huge crowds and skyrocketing hotel rates!!

Not to mention security headaches all over the tourists spots. LOL

I was in London when there was some Afghanistan conference going on. I couldn't get near Westminster because of the crowds of protesting people. LOL When I walked to Buckingham Palace there was a cop every 3 feet!!!

Anyway...somebody on the news said it might happen in May .... phew... heheheheh.... although, I'm pretty sure my mom would have wanted to ummm.... crash the party.

 

[When I Grow Up]

Yup Understand your concern on the prices. We had thought about a stop over in the UK as we have some family living on the South Coast. We have not arranged travel yet so that is a possibility. The UK is so expensive though and not just London. We did 3 weeks vacation over there in 2007. Did Bed And Breakfast down into Cornwall. Very pleasant. I still have not been able to get much info on the Disney Air Travel or how flexible they are.
Right now it looks like the best plan is straight from the airport to the boat and back again at the end. Depends on what the flight schedule is. If they plan to take us from Orlando to Miami and across that will be great but if they go to Pittsburg then New York and all points inbetween then I may opt to book our own flights. Then I can do BA MCO to Gatwick then see family and fly out of Heathrow to Barcelona.
All is wide open at the moment though. I shall be looking for info on this meet board.

 

[Zoom]

With the news of Prince William and Kate getting married next spring or summer, I'm beginning to wonder how it'll affect our stopover in London before the cruise. Timing is everything and the worst timing would be for them to wed the same weekend or the weekend after!!

ROFL...maybe I just worry too much.

You're safe, they just announced the date, they are getting married on Apr 29, 2011 in Westminster Abby.

 

[pxlbarrel]

You're safe, they just announced the date, they are getting married on Apr 29, 2011 in Westminster Abby.

LOL....phew and ...awwwwwww. Part of me would have been excited if it were closer to our date. hahahaha

On another note, we're looking at romeinlimo for the 3 Italian port excursions. Anybody else looking at them?

 

[GenieDana]

I'm hoping to do research into doing some private excursion tours in some of the cities and was wondering if there were others who might want to join us...

My Mother and two teen neices are on this cruise and also interested in private tours. She is 'Rose-Marie Wilson' on the DIS Boards, and here is what they are looking at for Rome for a tour group of about 10:

http://italycruisetours.com/imperial_rome_and_vatican_highlights

Rome Cruise Tour 1 - From 10 to 18 Passengers
Imperial Rome & Vatican Highlights
Full day Rome Shore Excursion

From 10 to 18 people:

EUR 180.00 per person (about $235 US) -or-
Special OFFER - CRUISE DEALS

Save 15 % on the total package for

• Early bookings (3 months ahead) OR
• 3 full day shore excursions in 3 different Italy ports-of-call with us, Italy Cruise Tours.
• EUR 153.00 per person (about $200 US)

What's Included:

• Entrance fees with the reservation to the Rome Coliseum & Vatican Museums with No Lines
• Tour Escort at the Rome Port (Civitavecchia) throughout the entire cruise excursion (appx. 11 hours)
• English speaking guide in Rome for appx. 8-9 hours
• Head-sets throughout the tour.
• Discounts and reductions for children under 18.

What you will visit in the #1 Imperial Rome and Vatican Highlights Tour:

• Capitol Hill (City Hall of Rome) designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti
• Roman Forum
• Imperial Forums (Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, Trajan and Nerva Forums)
• Coliseum Rome
• Pantheon Rome
• Caesar Palace
• Circus Maximus with the Aventine Hill & Palatine Hill
• Trevi Fountain
• Vatican Museums with the Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
• St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (including Michelangelo's Pietà) and St. Peter's Square
• Venice Square, Via del Corso, Via dei Fori Imperiali, the Tiber Island

 

[goofy4u]

Hello fellow cruisers We are officially booked for this cruise! Not our first on Disney but 1st to the Med! It will be myself (Alma) and my DD (14).

We are definitely interested in private excursions especially for Rome and Villefranche (still researching the other ports) it would be fun to join with another family/families and split the cost.
Next on my list-- booking airline tickets

 

[pxlbarrel]

My Mother and two teen neices are on this cruise and also interested in private tours. She is 'Rose-Marie Wilson' on the DIS Boards, and here is what they are looking at for Rome for a tour group of about 10:

http://italycruisetours.com/imperial_rome_and_vatican_highlights

Rome Cruise Tour 1 - From 10 to 18 Passengers
Imperial Rome & Vatican Highlights
Full day Rome Shore Excursion

From 10 to 18 people:

EUR 180.00 per person (about $235 US) -or-
Special OFFER - CRUISE DEALS

Save 15 % on the total package for

• Early bookings (3 months ahead) OR
• 3 full day shore excursions in 3 different Italy ports-of-call with us, Italy Cruise Tours.
• EUR 153.00 per person (about $200 US)

What's Included:

• Entrance fees with the reservation to the Rome Coliseum & Vatican Museums with No Lines
• Tour Escort at the Rome Port (Civitavecchia) throughout the entire cruise excursion (appx. 11 hours)
• English speaking guide in Rome for appx. 8-9 hours
• Head-sets throughout the tour.
• Discounts and reductions for children under 18.

What you will visit in the #1 Imperial Rome and Vatican Highlights Tour:

• Capitol Hill (City Hall of Rome) designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti
• Roman Forum
• Imperial Forums (Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, Trajan and Nerva Forums)
• Coliseum Rome
• Pantheon Rome
• Caesar Palace
• Circus Maximus with the Aventine Hill & Palatine Hill
• Trevi Fountain
• Vatican Museums with the Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
• St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (including Michelangelo's Pietà) and St. Peter's Square
• Venice Square, Via del Corso, Via dei Fori Imperiali, the Tiber Island

That looks good. I wonder how long you stay at each location. My brother and mom are especially interested in the Vatican. I wonder what they pick you up in .... I'll have to look at their site more thoroughly.

 

[Zoom]

My Mother and two teen neices are on this cruise and also interested in private tours. She is 'Rose-Marie Wilson' on the DIS Boards, and here is what they are looking at for Rome for a tour group of about 10:

http://italycruisetours.com/imperial_rome_and_vatican_highlights

Rome Cruise Tour 1 - From 10 to 18 Passengers
Imperial Rome & Vatican Highlights
Full day Rome Shore Excursion

From 10 to 18 people:

EUR 180.00 per person (about $235 US) -or-
Special OFFER - CRUISE DEALS

Save 15 % on the total package for

• Early bookings (3 months ahead) OR
• 3 full day shore excursions in 3 different Italy ports-of-call with us, Italy Cruise Tours.
• EUR 153.00 per person (about $200 US)

What's Included:

• Entrance fees with the reservation to the Rome Coliseum & Vatican Museums with No Lines
• Tour Escort at the Rome Port (Civitavecchia) throughout the entire cruise excursion (appx. 11 hours)
• English speaking guide in Rome for appx. 8-9 hours
• Head-sets throughout the tour.
• Discounts and reductions for children under 18.

What you will visit in the #1 Imperial Rome and Vatican Highlights Tour:

• Capitol Hill (City Hall of Rome) designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti
• Roman Forum
• Imperial Forums (Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, Trajan and Nerva Forums)
• Coliseum Rome
• Pantheon Rome
• Caesar Palace
• Circus Maximus with the Aventine Hill & Palatine Hill
• Trevi Fountain
• Vatican Museums with the Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
• St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (including Michelangelo's Pietà) and St. Peter's Square
• Venice Square, Via del Corso, Via dei Fori Imperiali, the Tiber Island

Hi!...Like what i posted on cruisecritic boards (zoom70) we are interested. But probably cannot commit til January '11, we have friends who are interested in this cruise too but they haven't booked yet, so we'll see. Our priority is to make sure we get to go inside the church without having to get in long line.

 

[Zoom]

Hello fellow cruisers We are officially booked for this cruise! Not our first on Disney but 1st to the Med! It will be myself (Alma) and my DD (14).

We are definitely interested in private excursions especially for Rome and Villefranche (still researching the other ports) it would be fun to join with another family/families and split the cost.
Next on my list-- booking airline tickets

Hi Alma! I see that you're from CA too....We booked our airfare about 3 weeks ago thru AA.com and paid $1240 (tax included) per person via LAX. We'll be spending 3 nights in Barcelona pre-cruise. It'll be me, DH and DS (almost 11).

 

[goofy4u]

My Mother and two teen neices are on this cruise and also interested in private tours. She is 'Rose-Marie Wilson' on the DIS Boards, and here is what they are looking at for Rome for a tour group of about 10:

http://italycruisetours.com/imperial_rome_and_vatican_highlights

Rome Cruise Tour 1 - From 10 to 18 Passengers
Imperial Rome & Vatican Highlights
Full day Rome Shore Excursion

From 10 to 18 people:

EUR 180.00 per person (about $235 US) -or-
Special OFFER - CRUISE DEALS

Save 15 % on the total package for

• Early bookings (3 months ahead) OR
• 3 full day shore excursions in 3 different Italy ports-of-call with us, Italy Cruise Tours.
• EUR 153.00 per person (about $200 US)

What's Included:

• Entrance fees with the reservation to the Rome Coliseum & Vatican Museums with No Lines
• Tour Escort at the Rome Port (Civitavecchia) throughout the entire cruise excursion (appx. 11 hours)
• English speaking guide in Rome for appx. 8-9 hours
• Head-sets throughout the tour.
• Discounts and reductions for children under 18.

What you will visit in the #1 Imperial Rome and Vatican Highlights Tour:

• Capitol Hill (City Hall of Rome) designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti
• Roman Forum
• Imperial Forums (Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, Trajan and Nerva Forums)
• Coliseum Rome
• Pantheon Rome
• Caesar Palace
• Circus Maximus with the Aventine Hill & Palatine Hill
• Trevi Fountain
• Vatican Museums with the Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
• St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (including Michelangelo's Pietà) and St. Peter's Square
• Venice Square, Via del Corso, Via dei Fori Imperiali, the Tiber Island

It looks like a great excursion and it covers many highlights of the city and many of the things I want to see. My only question would be how much time we will be spending at the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel since this is on my top “must see” for the city and I wouldn’t want to feel too rushed.

 

[goofy4u]

Hi Alma! I see that you're from CA too....We booked our airfare about 3 weeks ago thru AA.com and paid $1240 (tax included) per person via LAX. We'll be spending 3 nights in Barcelona pre-cruise. It'll be me, DH and DS (almost 11).

We are also planning on leaving out of LAX so we must be neighbors I am still pricing airfare-- I did find airfare at $1154 which I didn’t book because I thought that maybe I could do better if I waited but I think I will not take a chance with it going higher and just book it. We are also planning on spending a couple nights in Barcelona. Have you booked your Hotel room yet?

 

[Zoom]

We are also planning on leaving out of LAX so we must be neighbors I am still pricing airfare-- I did find airfare at $1154 which I didn’t book because I thought that maybe I could do better if I waited but I think I will not take a chance with it going higher and just book it. We are also planning on spending a couple nights in Barcelona. Have you booked your Hotel room yet?

We are actually closer to either SNA or ONT but flight time availability is better at LAX. I have been watching the airfare since August, sure there are cheaper fares like Air Berlin but we are not familiar with them and DH does not want to gamble or take the risk since our son is with us. We always fly with AA and never had problems at all. About 3-4 days after i booked our flights, it already went up to around $100 per person It'll be LAX-JFK-BCN-JFK-LAX.
No, we haven't booked our Hotel yet, I like Hotel Jazz, U232 but still looking... Since it's just you and your daughter, you will have a lot of options, rooms for 3 people can get really expensive.
Also just fyi to those who plan to see/visit the Magic Fountain, the show is only from Thurs thru Sunday.

 

[pxlbarrel]

It's obviously way too early for me to book flights cause i just looked to see how much it would cost for a direct flight from Barcelona to Toronto and I got the whopping airfare of $3728... ONE PERSON .... economy class.

If I do return (Toronto to Barcelona to Toronto -- which is not what we wanted...but...), it comes up to $1301 (better) but only one direct flight to choose from Air Canada.

This is nuts.