May 28, 2011 - 11 Night Mediterranean Sailing from Barcelona

[annichan]

Is there a facebook page for the group? Is there any way to join the activities? A candy exchange, FE, etc. Did I miss the spread sheet?
Since we are late comers, I understand. we did get to join the festivities on the eastern transatlantic.
Just wondering how to get involved. Thanks

Not a facebook page, but Cindy has created this website for us:
http://5-28-11-medcruisers.weebly.com/

 

[disneymom13176]

Just picked up cruise documents from the travel agent. Now I'm super excited!!!! Love the new documents from Disney since my last cruise 2 years ago!

Also, have email from supervisor at DCL that our sailing has not changed. Naples June 1, Rome June 2 and departure time from Palermo is 6 pm. Feeling better about all the mix-up!

 

[RaglanRoad]

I am glad to see our schedule has not changed, that was confusing.
Hopefully we get our docs since others are, it just makes it that more exciting.
Now I need to remember not to forget anything lol I guess that means I should start writing things down. Its getting so close!!!

 

[calihannah]

Can someone please remind me when/where we're meeting up on embarkation day?

 

[Maltese5]

I am so glad the itinerary did not change. I didn't think DCL would do this without contacting anyone about it. Glad we can keep all the private tours the same and not sorry about making all the changes.
Happy Easter!!!

 

[kaceyisme]

Can someone please remind me when/where we're meeting up on embarkation day?

2:00 PM in the Promenade Lounge

 

[the_cave_crew]

Cindy - Here is our information:

the_cave_crew (Jon)
DW (Beth)
DD (Alyssa) 14
DD (Emma) 12
Celebrating: The first time going to Europe with the girls.
Stateroom: 6012

Cindy - Thanks for adding our information to the master list, and thanks for all the information you have been sharing.

-Jon

 

[disneymom13176]

I wanted to share this information with the group in case you were like me and did not know this stuff.

Most of the credit card companies, including Disney Rewards VISA charge a 3% foreign exchange rate on all purchases made out of the US. AMEX charges 3 to 5%. Most bank debit cards also charge 3%.

The only credit card that I have found that does not, is the Capital One VentureOne card. There is no foreign exchange rate on that card. It was designed for the world traveler. I am not promoting this card, just telling you it is only one I could find that did not charge a foreign exchange rate.

Charges on the Disney ship are US transactions and not subject to the foreign exchange rate. This exchange rate will only apply when you are in port and using your credit card.

I also learned that most of the banks charge 1 to 5% to convert to Euro for you in advance. This is good because of the stops at the airport at BCN will be charging 8%. So the common rule of thumb on waiting until you arrive at the airport may not be a great idea.

Both of my banks said I needed order my Euros and Euro travelers checks in advance. One of my banks said 2 business days and the other said 5 business days. The one with 5 business days was the lower % to convert.

My travel agent also recommended taking $20's with us so that if we ran out of Euros and just needed a small amount to finish out the trip that we did not convert too many so we were not paying to convert back to USD when we got home. She said if you only need taxi fare you don't want to convert $100 if that is the only bill in your wallet because you will have convert it back.

If anyone else has found any better route/rate to convert, let us know. I am still looking for the best option, but wanted to share my findings.

I also discovered some fabulous maps I wanted to tell everyone about. They are made by MapEasy. So far I found them for Rome, Florence and Barcelona. They not only show you all of the sites but they list out shopping and restaurants. The kids really liked them too because they were easy for them to read and had pictures of all the sites.

Finally discovered itranslate iphone app. It does require internet to access but you can save your common phrases in advance so that you do not need an internet connection. It was only $1.99. Very simple to use and translated to all the languages we will be needing.

Hope you find this info helpful, I know it was eye opening and helpful to my planning!

Take care!

 

[DopeyFan1966]

Definitely get your Euro from anywhere except the Airport, they always charge more.

You could also get your Euro from cash machines in Europe. That way you only get charged for the conversion from Euro to Dollars.

All your information is very helpful for those coming from the states, Thank You for posting it. That is something that I forget about because I live over here right now.

Cindy

 

[scrapycruiser]

My DH said he read on his bank's website not to use your debit cards in the ATM's in Barcelona. We were surprised about this, because we used them a couple of time when we were there in 2007.

 

[LaEsmralda]

We got our cruise documents today! Seeing everything written down in the book makes it that much more real. I am so excited!

 

[the_cave_crew]

My DH said he read on his bank's website not to use your debit cards in the ATM's in Barcelona. We were surprised about this, because we used them a couple of time when we were there in 2007.

What was the reason given for not using a debit card in the ATM's in Barcelona? We we planning to do exactly that, and would like to understand if it will be an issue.

Thanks,
Jon

 

[the_cave_crew]

We did this cruise this year and did several private excursions with other families and the cost was less than with Disney, we also ended up doing less walking and got to see more. I will put a list of private companies on the cruise website when I get a chance.

If you give me your information I will add it to the roll call list I have started also.

Cindy

Cindy,

We are still looking for a family of 3-4 to share a private excursion on the Amalfi coast. The tour company is Simply Amalfi. If you could post this on the "5-28-11-medcruisers.weebly.com" site as well, I would really appreciate it. Also, if you have suggestions on anything else we can do to try and find a match, I would welcome the suggestions as it appears you have quite a bit of cruising experience.

Thanks,
Jon

 

[disneymom13176]

Both of my banks said I needed order my Euros and Euro travelers checks in advance.

Wanted to let you know you may run into the same thing at your bank. I called today to place my order and discovered that they really cannot order the Euro Travelers Checks. Called AMEX and very few retailers carry the Euro Travelers Checks in the states. None in my area. So cash Euro and credit card is our only option at this point.

I was really disappointed to learn this because the idea of having cash makes me super nervous, but many of the tours I booked will not accept credit cards.

I thought I would pass this along in case it is helpful.

 

[Happy99]

As any FYI most places in Europe no longer like to take travelers checks
Your best bet is to take some Euros from home to start with and then use the ATM's as needed

 

[DopeyFan1966]

Cindy,

We are still looking for a family of 3-4 to share a private excursion on the Amalfi coast. The tour company is Simply Amalfi. If you could post this on the "5-28-11-medcruisers.weebly.com" site as well, I would really appreciate it. Also, if you have suggestions on anything else we can do to try and find a match, I would welcome the suggestions as it appears you have quite a bit of cruising experience.

Thanks,
Jon

Jon,

I've only been on one cruise, I took this same cruise last year. You may want to see if anyone else has seats open that you can join them if no one joins you.

cindy

 

[Marymom]

Did a little calling around to my banks today to try to work out the money situation. I found out USAA does not exchange money and my VISA card used in the ATM will be 1% transaction fee and a 3% foreign exchange fee. I also will start a cash advance loan interest on my card.

Wachovia/Wells Fargo will mail me Euros to exchange on order. They have American Express Euros also. My debit Visa would be charged a 5.00 transaction fee and a 3% foreign exchange fee at the ATM. This is a debit card and I am nervous that if it gets stolen, my entire account would be wiped out!

I only use these two banks and have no desire to open any other accounts. It looks like cash is KING on this trip!

Mary

 

[scrapycruiser]

What was the reason given for not using a debit card in the ATM's in Barcelona? We we planning to do exactly that, and would like to understand if it will be an issue.

Thanks,
Jon

Jon
This is copied from our local bank's website :


We strive to provide our members with the highest level of flexibility and access to funds. However, we also take the security of your accounts very seriously. Unfortunately, there are several countries where there is a high level of attempted fraudulent ATM/Debit Card activity. In accordance with Master Card recommendations, the following transactions have been restricted in order to protect our members.

All ATM or Debit card transactions are unavailable in the following countries:
Spain
Romania
Malaysia
Turkey
Japan
Only ATM withdrawal transactions are available in Great Britain.
ATM transactions are unavailable in Canada.

 

[calihannah]

2:00 PM in the Promenade Lounge

Thanks!

Now -- does 19 families sound accurate for the FE total? I'm gathering up our gifts!

One month until we fly to Barcelona

 

[the_cave_crew]

Jon
This is copied from our local bank's website :


We strive to provide our members with the highest level of flexibility and access to funds. However, we also take the security of your accounts very seriously. Unfortunately, there are several countries where there is a high level of attempted fraudulent ATM/Debit Card activity. In accordance with Master Card recommendations, the following transactions have been restricted in order to protect our members.

That is good to note; thanks for sharing the information. We will have to check with our bank to to see if they have similar limitations. I have not had issues using ATMs internationally before, but I guess times are changing. Again, great information, and thanks for the tip.

-Jon