May 5, 2010 Magic of Barcelona

[whatsthatnoise]

Barcelona

We are booked to do this http://www.cookandtaste.net/faqs-cooking-class-barcelona.html
and considering this http://fattirebiketours.com/barcelona/tours

Ajaccio
Walking tours here http://www.ajaccio-tourisme.com/doc/document_uk-36.pdf and petit train trip
There is also a more comprehensive document here http://www.ajaccio-tourisme.com/doc/document_fr-9.pdf

 

[downtick]

Barcelona

We are booked to do this http://www.cookandtaste.net/faqs-cooking-class-barcelona.html
and considering this http://fattirebiketours.com/barcelona/tours

Ajaccio
Walking tours here http://www.ajaccio-tourisme.com/doc/document_uk-36.pdf and petit train trip

this is the barcelona tour to do:

http://www.barcelonasegwayglides.com/

i am going 5 days ahead of time to spend time in the city, going to do it all.

 

[whatsthatnoise]

this is the barcelona tour to do:

http://www.barcelonasegwayglides.com/

i am going 5 days ahead of time to spend time in the city, going to do it all.

Thank you downtick. Saw that, not suitable with a toddler

 

[tarald]

Hey guys!

I was wondering if anyone had preliminary numbers on how many are doing fish extenders? I wanted to start getting my gifts ready/ordered. I hate to wait until the last minute.

Also, we booked private tours for all of the stops in Italy. There are seven of us, so the price remains about the same as the tour and we get to decide where we are going. Is anyone else taking private tours. I am a little nervous about that.

We are also getting into Barcelona early. We are flying standby so we want to give ourselves plenty of time to get there.

I can't believe it is less than three months! YEA!!!

 

[Kaleigh]

We are going to get there a day early to explore Barcelona a bit as well

Question for you guys: I read a review of a "Florence on your Own" tour that said that they didn't actually get to leave on the bus til 9:30, that it seemed like they were the last tour to leave/least important because it was cheapest. We really want to do a disney tour for florence because we don't want to risk getting left, but it would really suck not to leave the port til 9:30. Has anyone else heard anything to the contrary or are considering this tour?

 

[everafter1]

We've booked the Florence on your own tour as well. We're still trying to decide about that port. The tour meets at 7:45 according to DCL, but I'm sure there will be some waiting around before leaving the ship.

We're flying in the morning of the cruise. I'm a little nervous about it, but I think it will be ok.

My husband is in Germany often with the military, so he can always use Euros, if we have extra. I'm not sure what to do about money for Tunis, though. I guess we'll just see if they can change some currancy for us on the ship. One thing I noticed though, is that American Credit Card companies are now charging foreign transaction fees (many of them always have, but mine just started doing this). Just something to think about

 

[laydee314]

.

My husband is in Germany often with the military, so he can always use Euros, if we have extra. I'm not sure what to do about money for Tunis, though. I guess we'll just see if they can change some currancy for us on the ship. One thing I noticed though, is that American Credit Card companies are now charging foreign transaction fees (many of them always have, but mine just started doing this). Just something to think about

I read that in Tunis, most will accept Euros. Generally, I've found that wherever you go, they will accept the stronger currency.

 

[laydee314]

Hey guys!

I was wondering if anyone had preliminary numbers on how many are doing fish extenders? I wanted to start getting my gifts ready/ordered. I hate to wait until the last minute.

Also, we booked private tours for all of the stops in Italy. There are seven of us, so the price remains about the same as the tour and we get to decide where we are going. Is anyone else taking private tours. I am a little nervous about that.

Have you checked the FE thread for this specific cruise on this board? It hasn't been updated recently but maybe it can get bumped? Also, facebook has a thread going as well about FE.
I'm contemplating the private tour since we're a family of six. With 3 young children, I don't feel confident or organized to do an on-your-own tour but DCL prices add up real quick. Any specific place you found a private tour company?

 

[tarald]

Have you checked the FE thread for this specific cruise on this board? It hasn't been updated recently but maybe it can get bumped? Also, facebook has a thread going as well about FE.
I'm contemplating the private tour since we're a family of six. With 3 young children, I don't feel confident or organized to do an on-your-own tour but DCL prices add up real quick. Any specific place you found a private tour company?

We are doing Romeinlimo.com. They gave us pretty reasonable prices that average out less than the big tours Disney is offering. I really wanted to make sure to see as much as possible on these days. Pluse we didn't want to stop for a long lunch. We took the Disney tours on the Transatlantic and we would lose up to two hours from the tour for lunch. I'd rather spend more time at the Sistine Chapel!!!

 

[laydee314]

We are doing Romeinlimo.com. They gave us pretty reasonable prices that average out less than the big tours Disney is offering. I really wanted to make sure to see as much as possible on these days. Pluse we didn't want to stop for a long lunch. We took the Disney tours on the Transatlantic and we would lose up to two hours from the tour for lunch. I'd rather spend more time at the Sistine Chapel!!!

Thanks so much - the site looks good. And good advice about the lunch. Will definitely check them out.

 

[orojean]

Right now for Villefranche, we have the Nice and Eze excursion booked. I'm still not sure about that port or La Spezia. (Right now we have Florence on your own booked for La Spezia.) We have mostly DCL excursions booked, but I am thinking we'll do Malta and Corsica on our own. I think we'd really just like to hit the beach in Corsica

We booked a Palo dinner for the night of Tunis, as well.

I agree, on our last Disney Cruise, the spa had great deals and discounts if you booked onboard.

Any info on beaches on your own in Corsica? I do not want to pay $300+ on a beach excursion if the weather is not quite right. We would love to go to the beach as well. Guess I need to do more research.

We have also booked Palo for the night of Tunis...Popular night! Can't wait.

-Suzanne

 

[everafter1]

Any info on beaches on your own in Corsica? I do not want to pay $300+ on a beach excursion if the weather is not quite right. We would love to go to the beach as well. Guess I need to do more research.

We have also booked Palo for the night of Tunis...Popular night! Can't wait.

-Suzanne

I need to do more research on it, but I'll let you know what I find out We thought about doing the beach break in Corsica, but it was a little more than we wanted to pay, as well.

That is a popular night for Palo! I guess because we're back onboard earlier too. We'll be there at 8pm, can't wait!

 

[laydee314]

Looking at weather online for Corsica and Malta, in early May, I think the high is around 70 with water temps around 65 or so. It's not looking too much like beach weather but who knows - there might be a heat wave?

 

[everafter1]

Looking at weather online for Corsica and Malta, in early May, I think the high is around 70 with water temps around 65 or so. It's not looking too much like beach weather but who knows - there might be a heat wave?

Yeah, I've wondered if it might be a little too cool out. We were thinking of a beach day more to just relax rather than swim, but I still need to look into it more. Thanks for the heads up, though!

 

[sabrecmc]

Yeah, I've wondered if it might be a little too cool out. We were thinking of a beach day more to just relax rather than swim, but I still need to look into it more. Thanks for the heads up, though!

We ended up changing our Beach Break at Corsica to the Little Train tour (currently anyway...having trouble deciding). After looking at the historical weather that time of year on weather underground, it looked like the water was going to be waaaaay too cold for us to swim in. I didn't relish 3 hours of sandcastle building. Seems like the public transportation isn't as good in Corsica as other places, so I still want to do something with DCL, but I'm not totally sure what. Looks like the scenery is really the selling point, unless you're into Napoleon. With a 4 year old in tow, we're kind of limited anyway.

 

[downtick]

I too will most likely do the little train, but not the tour...just on our own..here is some information about it...


The Trinicellu ('Little Train' in Corsican) is the narrow gauge railway that runs along the coast between Calvi and Bastia via Ponte Leccia. The journey takes approximately 50 minutes between Calvi and Ile Rousse, the two main resorts in the Balagne, and is an experience not to be missed! The service is not terribly frequent; approximately 5 trains per day in each direction, rising to 10 per day in the summer, and all the little beaches between the two resorts are served. The routes are broken up into several fare stages, so if you plan to use the train, buy a carnet (6 tickets) which is enough for a return journey between Calvi and Ile Rousse, or 2 or 3 shorter journeys - details available from the Station. Tickets are not dated like in the UK, so you can buy them in advance and use them whenever you want. Children under 4 years old travel free, and from 4-12 years, will pay just 50% of the adult fare. A carnet of 6 tickets costs approximately 7.50 € (2005 price).

 

[laydee314]

Thanks for the info about the little train. Is it just me... the little train pictures on the DCL looked like it was dilapidated and abandoned?

 

[downtick]

Thanks for the info about the little train. Is it just me... the little train pictures on the DCL looked like it was dilapidated and abandoned?

yea, from what i have read and what i have seen it sure is. Here is a comment from someone that rode it:

"There are two major towns in Corsica. Bastia is one and Ajaccio is the other. Ajaccio is located in the south west of the island.

Before we set off on this tour, I’d read about a special tourist train called ‘Trinicellu’ (Corsican) or the ‘trembloteur’ (French), which apparently whisked its passengers off on a jaw-dropping journey through the mountains of Corsica.

The ‘trembloteur’ is not however the tourist train of Corsica. It is the only train in Corsica. The word ‘tourist’ is a misnomer. The word ‘ramshackle’ is probably more appropriate. It’s basically a pretty old, pretty small slip of a train whose heyday was back in the nineteen-sixties. They should call it Cilla Black.

Not that I was complaining as I got on it, with the mouth-watering prospect of the train journey ahead of me. I was a bit disappointed when with only thirty minutes of the journey done, we were told to get off it and get on to a coach. The coach journey wasn’t bad though – you still got to see quite a lot of Corsica’s mountains."

 

[sabrecmc]

Thanks for the info about the little train. Is it just me... the little train pictures on the DCL looked like it was dilapidated and abandoned?

Seriously!! Who took those pictures? They look hideous. I looked around and I've seen descriptions from "bone-jarring" to "beautiful." Still not sure what I want to do there. I'd like to see the scenery and not be stuck in a bus, but maybe a bus is the better way to do it. Not sure what the weather is going to do, obviously, but at those altitudes, it could be chilly even at that time of year. Corte looks neat, but its a longer trip than what I was really wanting. *shrug*

ETA: Ok, so I looked into it a bit more and it appears there are a couple different types of trains on the island. This one is used by lots of cruise companies, apparently. It actually does look kind of neat and pastoral, though not for those with motion sickness, I suppose!

 

[disney-lover]

Hi all,

Well I have finally made it over here and am slowly reading through all the useful information.

We will be joining you all, there are 12 of us all booked on this cruise. 6 adults and 6 children ages 3 - 13 years. We are all so excited, think the adults more so than the kids

Non of us have been on a Disney Cruise before but some have been to Disney in Florida and Paris so we know how good it will be