May 26, 2010--5/26/2010 10 Night Mediterranean

[marlower]

Hi all,

Just wanted to tell you, we only need one more family to complete our 4th Fish Extender group! Please let me know if there is anybody else who wants to sign up. Thank you!

Karen

Well done!!

 

[bill3540]

anyone touring barcelona the day before the cruise?

we loved the tour shown on the Disney site that goes to the park and the unusual church, but I guess since it's not really a stop, we couldn't choose it online.

Thanks tons! Liz

 

[marlower]

anyone touring barcelona the day before the cruise?

we loved the tour shown on the Disney site that goes to the park and the unusual church, but I guess since it's not really a stop, we couldn't choose it online.

Thanks tons! Liz

Hey Liz,

We plan on doing the hop on/ hop off bus on our own on the 25th! Wanna join us?

 

[Kiss-im-mee2]

Tips for Rome: I thought I’d give you all a few tips on doing Rome on your own. Rome has two major time consuming tourist attractions; the Vatican, St Peters area and the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum area. Both places can take 3 plus hours. With our long port time you should be able to see both. You can also walk from one to the other seeing a lot of the other smaller attractions on the way. If you don’t want to get reservations for the Vatican Museum the best time to go is between 12:30 and 1. I read that on Cruise Critic so we went at 12:45 and there was no line which really surprised us. It was the end of May. Of course there is no guarantee it will be like that when we are there.
At the Coliseum area it is best to purchase your tickets at Palatine Hill. You can download some really good Rick Steves audio tours for MP3 players at this sight.
http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/0602/italy_downloads.htm
The walk between both these areas can pass most the other places you want to see. It’s a wonderful walk from the Vatican to the Castle Angelo over the bridge of Angles to Plazza Narvona then to the Pantheon and Trevi Fountian. The Spanish Steps are a little out the way and really not worth the detour. Next on to the Piazza Venezia where the Victor Emanuel Monument and Capital Hill is of located. Capitol Hill has a great overlook of the Roman Forum. Get a really good map of Rome, circle the places you want to see and make yourself a route to walk. If you go to the Spanish Steps you can always hop on the metro and take it to the Coliseum.
If you do both The Vatican and Coliseum areas it will be a very tiring day. Our first time in Rome we just walked around and saw the outside of all the areas. The big decision is which area to see first. I would suggest the one that is the most important to you. That way if the weather is really hot and your group gets tired you can skip some things.
Rome has water fountains all over with good water. Bring refillable bottles and just fill up when you see one. The Coliseum, Palatine hill. Vatican and St Peters Square all have W/C (restrooms). Make sure you use them before you leave. You can also stop at a McDonalds. Remember 5-6 PM is rush hour and the metro and trains will be crowded.
I hope this helps whoever wants to do Rome on there own. If you have any questions I’ll be happy to try to answer them.
Here is the link to my Rome pictures.
http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/559218262poVhPA

 

[jocjarmom]

Tips for Rome: I thought I’d give you all a few tips on doing Rome on your own. Rome has two major time consuming tourist attractions; the Vatican, St Peters area and the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum area. Both places can take 3 plus hours. With our long port time you should be able to see both. You can also walk from one to the other seeing a lot of the other smaller attractions on the way. If you don’t want to get reservations for the Vatican Museum the best time to go is between 12:30 and 1. I read that on Cruise Critic so we went at 12:45 and there was no line which really surprised us. It was the end of May. Of course there is no guarantee it will be like that when we are there.
At the Coliseum area it is best to purchase your tickets at Palatine Hill. You can download some really good Rick Steves audio tours for MP3 players at this sight.
http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/0602/italy_downloads.htm
The walk between both these areas can pass most the other places you want to see. It’s a wonderful walk from the Vatican to the Castle Angelo over the bridge of Angles to Plazza Narvona then to the Pantheon and Trevi Fountian. The Spanish Steps are a little out the way and really not worth the detour. Next on to the Piazza Venezia where the Victor Emanuel Monument and Capital Hill is of located. Capitol Hill has a great overlook of the Roman Forum. Get a really good map of Rome, circle the places you want to see and make yourself a route to walk. If you go to the Spanish Steps you can always hop on the metro and take it to the Coliseum.
If you do both The Vatican and Coliseum areas it will be a very tiring day. Our first time in Rome we just walked around and saw the outside of all the areas. The big decision is which area to see first. I would suggest the one that is the most important to you. That way if the weather is really hot and your group gets tired you can skip some things.
Rome has water fountains all over with good water. Bring refillable bottles and just fill up when you see one. The Coliseum, Palatine hill. Vatican and St Peters Square all have W/C (restrooms). Make sure you use them before you leave. You can also stop at a McDonalds. Remember 5-6 PM is rush hour and the metro and trains will be crowded.
I hope this helps whoever wants to do Rome on there own. If you have any questions I’ll be happy to try to answer them.
Here is the link to my Rome pictures.
http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/559218262poVhPA

Eileen, I was tempted to cut and paste this over on the FB Rome DIY page, but I want you to get credit for it. You are so knowledgeable!

 

[Dgentrysim]

Eileen.....thanks for the tips! Husband and I are so looking forward to touring Rome! We're signed up to the do the DIY tour with fellow Dis'ers! If we take the train into Rome, is there just only one train stop (close to the Coliseum)? Is there one that goes to the Vatican City? Was hopeing we could start at one end and finish on the other end and take the train from there back to the ship. Of course, the night walk of Rome from the Pantheon....Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc sounds like it would be really nice too. I'm reading Rick Steve's 2009 Rome book and he suggested going to Vatican City in the afternoon because so many tour groups go in the morning. I'm hoping we can start at the Coliseum and head towards the Vatican, but whatever way we go will be awesome! Thanks again for your tips (I had already planned on downloading Rick Steve's audio tours. I really like his books and videos!)

DisneyDeb

 

[Kiss-im-mee2]

Eileen.....thanks for the tips! Husband and I are so looking forward to touring Rome! We're signed up to the do the DIY tour with fellow Dis'ers! If we take the train into Rome, is there just only one train stop (close to the Coliseum)? Is there one that goes to the Vatican City? Was hopeing we could start at one end and finish on the other end and take the train from there back to the ship. Of course, the night walk of Rome from the Pantheon....Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc sounds like it would be really nice too. I'm reading Rick Steve's 2009 Rome book and he suggested going to Vatican City in the afternoon because so many tour groups go in the morning. I'm hoping we can start at the Coliseum and head towards the Vatican, but whatever way we go will be awesome! Thanks again for your tips (I had already planned on downloading Rick Steve's audio tours. I really like his books and videos!)

DisneyDeb

You can get off the train at the Ostiense stop and switch to the metro that is going to the Colosseo. If you happen to get on an express that doesn't stop at the Ostiense stop just go to Termini and take the metro back to the Coliseum. After you finish in that area walk to the Vatican stoping at all the great places on the way. When you are finished at the Vatican and are ready to return to the ship just go to the St Peters train station and take the train back to Civi. We really liked using Rick Steves audio tours. It was like having your own guide and you could go at your own pace.

 

[GA-yaya]

Eileen -- thank you for all the great travel tips! I was just wondering about the day in Rome. You had mentioned that you could walk the entire tour from the Colosseum to the Vatican. Would you recommend walking the whole way or would it be wise to hop on the Metro when available? I haven't been to Rome in a very, very long time and we spent a few days there...so I never tried to do it all in one day - my husband has never been there, so we will try to see all the high spots that day.
Also, did you find the area around the Spanish Steps to be a good place to stop for lunch? Are there better areas?
Again, thanks for your help! (This is all so exciting! I think the planning is almost as fun as the trip.)

Peggy

 

[Kiss-im-mee2]

Peggy, I would recomend walking the whole way. The problem with Rome's metro is that it has only two lines (unlike Barcelona where the metro goes all over). There is a stop at the Colesium and the Spanish Steps but there is so much to see in between that you would do a lot of backtracking. Also these two places are not on the same line which means you will have to switch lines at Termini. You can take the metro at the Spanish Steps to the Vatican if you don't want to do that much walking.
I was disapointed in the Spanish Steps It is just a large outdoor staircase. It is right in with all the trendy stores which helps it's popularity. Since I don't go on vacation to shop there was little interest for me there. There are plenty of places to eat there but you will find them all over Rome. I would not eat near the Trevi Fountian as each time we were there it has been very crowded. You will pass many little delis where you can get a panini or pizza.
I really liked the Bridge of Angels crossing over the Tiber River. The Bernini angel statues were beautiful and the views were great. This is a perdestrian bridge only a few blocks from Piazza Navona where the statue of the four winds is located. The bridge leads right to the Castle Angelo and St Peters square.
My best advice is to get a good map of Rome and circle the places you want to see. Then mark a walking route to each place noting other historic places and churches along the way. We stoped at several small churches and they are all beautiful. Our rule was to sit in the pew of each church for ten minutes to rest our tired feet.

 

[Dgentrysim]

Ga-yaya....I'm with you......we want to see all the highlight spots. Husband and I are both walkers/runners so walking all over will be fine with us. We've never been to Rome so we would love to see all the "touristy" spots and hopefully come back in the future to see at a more leisurely pace. I find the anticipation and planning is just an exciting prelude to the real thing!

DisneyDeb

 

[Kiss-im-mee2]

I just found this great site for info on Monaco. When looking at a Monaco map the road along the harbor is the only flat road. All other roads go up the hill. There are several elevators and escalators hidden around town to make it easier. You can also take the #1 bus which goes to all the tourist places. Just check which direction it is going.

http://www.monaco-montecarlo.com/index-guides_monaco-en.html

 

[KLS Georgia]

I just found this great site for info on Monaco. When looking at a Monaco map the road along the harbor is the only flat road. All other roads go up the hill. There are several elevators and escalators hidden around town to make it easier. You can also take the #1 bus which goes to all the tourist places. Just check which direction it is going.

http://www.monaco-montecarlo.com/index-guides_monaco-en.html

WOW - Thanks - great info!

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Okay I missed something. On the facebook page there are DIY pages? Does this mean that a big group is getting together and touring together or just planning together?

 

[Kiss-im-mee2]

The DYI pages identify those who are planning to do the port on there own. We are all sharing ideas and plans. Some people may decide to go the whole day together. Others may just go together to the train station. In LA Spezia we are all meeting at the tender dock and walking to the train station together because it is a bit of a distance and not that easy to find. My DH and I have already done this so we know the way. Some will then go to Cinque Terre and others to Pisa. In Rome people may group together if they want to see the same sights. It would be best to not get the groups to large unless it's just going to the beach.

 

[Dgentrysim]

We have signed up for the DIY tour in Rome and possibly to Pisa. Will we just show up at a certain time or will something more concrete (as far as plans are concerned) be given at a later date? We like the idea of touring without guide but might be safer with a few people.

 

[jocjarmom]

Okay I missed something. On the facebook page there are DIY pages? Does this mean that a big group is getting together and touring together or just planning together?

Hi Tammy,

Yes, go to Facebook and at the top you'll see a tab that says
"Events." There's lots of good touring info and each event has a place to discuss plans for doing DIY. This was Simon's brainchild... I just put it into action! Hope this helps you...

Karen

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Oh, that explains it. Sorry I just didn't want to join without know what it was all about. Thanks!

 

[sinnika]

I signed up for the DIY events to get and share ideas. I think the ports have so much to offer with so many different destinations that many people joining the events will not be doing the exact same thing. Although it may be a great place to meet others to pair up with if your plans do match in a particular port.

 

[Tahitian Traveler]

Hello Everyone,

Today or tomorrow is the last day to purchase Disney Paris admission tickets for 15% off. I just bought tickets for 1 day 2 parks adults $71 and children 3-11 were $62. We will be in Paris for 4 nights after getting off of this cruise and reboarding for the Baltic Capitals.

 

[Debs Disney]

Hello All! We just found we will be joining you on the May 26 cruise! We couldn't be more excited. This will be our 2nd cruise with Disney. We are a family of 4 plus my mom from Maryland. I am Debi, husband Paul, Shaelyn 10, Christopher 14 and my mom Janet. Now on to the part I love most, planning. We have never been to Europe, are pretty clueless, and we are joining late in the game. I know I have tons of research ahead of me. airfare, before and after hotels and all the port tours. Oh, and to add an interesting twist my mom is handicapped and uses a scooter so we are contacting mobility accessible tours for some of the ports. I look forward to getting to know you all! Debi