May 5, 2010 Magic of Barcelona

[standardgirl]

I didn't see anything for Malta either, is this a flaw in the system or do you think they all have no availability?

High tea at Palo was not available either.

I found the excursions for Malta! Apparently, if you use the drop-down list to select the port (so that you don't that one huge massive lists of excursions from everywhere), then there is nothing showing up for Malta. But, if you don't use the drop down list and just look at the either list of all excursions, then you shuold see the ones listed for Malta. I guess there is a system flaw.

As for high tea, my guess is that it's all booked up. Something else should be opened up later, I hope. Fingers crossed...

 

[keaster]

We booked the Classical Rome tour (goes to Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Colisseum, our MUST SEES for Rome!), the Pisa tour in La Spezia, and the Bardo Museum & Medina for Families in Tunis.

Those were the ones I wanted to book right away in case they filled up! The rest we'll play by ear, see how they book.

Also, when I went on this morning, there was no Palo brunch or high tea left, only dinner...we've done a Palo dinner on a previous cruise, so we may skip it this time around, we'll see!!

 

[sabrecmc]

Hmmm...well, I called DCL about the Rome for Families tour and basically...they didn't know what was going on, lol. The very nice CM checked with someone at the helpdesk who tried to call the shore excursion people and they weren't answering, so she really had no answer for why the Rome for Families tour wasn't showing up to book but also wasn't showing up as unavailable. It just wasn't showing up period. She said to keep checking back on the website and to call back in a couple of days if it wasn't resolved. I'm not sure if it just isn't available for our sailing or what, but she seemed to think that it was more of a computer glitch. Who knows? Anyway, just FYI for those interested in that one.

So, as of now, we have:

May 6: Palo Brunch, 10:30
May 7: Sweethaven Village (Me & my daughter); The City of the Knights (Nana)
May 8: Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
May 9: Pompeii Half Day
May 10: Taste of Rome
May 11: Lerici Castle & Dinosaurs (Me & my daughter); Florence on Your Own (Nana)
May 12: Monaco, Marina and Little Train
May 13: Beach Break

Can't wait!

 

[cj'smom]

Here's what we got

May 6 - Palo High Tea (sister and I and whoever wants to join us!)
May 7 - Three Historic Cities and Dghajsa Boat Ride
May 8 - (Tunis) Beach Resort (may do Carthage on our own)
May 9 - The Hidden Treasures of Herculaneum (not sure I'll keep this one)
May 10 - plan to hire private driver for Rome
May 11 - Cinque Terre Scenic Boat Tour
May 12 -Nice and Train Tour, Palo dinner (sister and her DH)
May 13 - Sweet Corsica (DD and I), Beach Break (sister and family)

There were so many good ones to choose from. Unfortunately, many of the ones that sounded the best were way too expensive for my budget! So, I went with the lower priced ones. Looking forward to it. Now if I can just get my airfare to come together - come on Delta - lower those fares and ff requirements!

 

[cj'smom]

I revised my message after talking with my husband (we must have been posting at the same time!)....he is wanting to take his place. I also booked in his name in case we needed an extra seat for someone. Anyway, we would enjoy joining you, but I can understand if you are just wanting girl time.

My daughter is 10, and she would sooo love this tea. She is very well behaved as well, it is a shame. She feels too old for the Alice tea.

LOL, that's funny about your dh deciding to go when you didn't think he'd like it. My DH might have been up for it if he was here. He has a love for all things British - got a Masters Degree from Oxford and SO enjoyed the time he spent there. But, I'm the avid tea drinker.

So far it's just my sister and me, though we do have an extra space reserved if someone else wants it. I think that would be fine to join with you, if your husband doesn't mind. Maybe we can touch base as we get closer to the cruise and see if we end up with a group of us from this thread or not. I hope we have some kind of disboard cruise meet early on.

We've done the Alice tea in the past. It was just OK, not great. Juice and a cookie if I remember right. My dd will probably feel too old for it as well. She, too, is very well behaved and would have been fine at something like this but I understand their rational of keeping Palo adults only. Wish the cruise offered more for the girls who have outgrown the "little girl" stuff and aren't teens yet.

 

[keaster]

Here's how we booked so far:

May 6th - nothing yet (I may do something spa related )
May 7th - Valletta for Kids
May 8th - Bardo Museum and Medina for Families
May 9th - Stunning Sorrento and Amalfi Coast Drive
May 10th - Classical Rome
May 11th - Pisa
May 12th - nothing yet
May 13th - nothing yet
May 14th - nothing yet

We may do Palo dinner one night near the end as well!! So excited

 

[sabrecmc]

Well, how's this for service: DCL called me back to say that they don't know why the Rome for Families tour isn't showing up to be booked. It is available. They went ahead and are going to manually add me, which should show up online in about an hour. I thought that was very nice of them. Wonder what the deal is with it not showing up...anyhoo, they fixed it for me, so if you want it, give them a call.

ETA: Ok, well nevermind. Turns out that the DCL website was wrong on the age requirement (shocking, I know!). You have to be 5 for the Rome for Families tour, even though the website says all ages and lists the price for a child 3-9. So, we'll be on the Taste of Rome after all!

 

[cj'smom]

As for high tea, my guess is that it's all booked up. Something else should be opened up later, I hope. Fingers crossed...

High tea on the 6th is currently showing as available. You just have to keep checking back. People change reservations frequently.

 

[downtick]

My only plan so far is on the stop in naples, we are taking a hydrofoil over to capri and possibly (if time permits) another ferry over to sorrento.

I do not understand how disney can charge $79pp for the excursion in tunisia when the the minimum monthly legal wage for a 48-hour week is TND 251.880 ($206.554) and for 40 hours is TND 217.880 ($178.66). They must pay the tour guide people peanuts and pocket the rest. Prices for these excursions should be adjusted to what the costs are in the region, not to what tourists are used to paying in other parts of the world.

 

[sabrecmc]

I do not understand how disney can charge $79pp for the excursion in tunisia when the the minimum monthly legal wage for a 48-hour week is TND 251.880 ($206.554) and for 40 hours is TND 217.880 ($178.66). They must pay the tour guide people peanuts and pocket the rest. Prices for these excursions should be adjusted to what the costs are in the region, not to what tourists are used to paying in other parts of the world.

I'm sure Disney is getting plenty of $$ off us and charging a premium, but I don't know that you can really compare an English speaking tour guide in a foreign country to the minimum wage in that country. At least from my experience. When we were in China, also with a low average monthly income, our guide was university-educated and spoke outstanding English. She had to be to work for the company (not Disney). She made very good money by China's standards, and deservedly so, since she had skills and education. Plus, our tour costs cover more than just the guide. Its transportation, entrance fees, insurance, etc. as well. And everyone involved wants to make a profit, of course. Not that you can't do it cheaper on your own. With the DCL trip, you're obviously paying a premium. I just like the convenience of someone else worrying about logistics.

 

[downtick]

I agree with you, I just think they milk it a little more than usual here. All the excursions are expensive, and you do pay a premium for it as it is threw disney, I just think it's a little over the top here. Wait til you see the poverty surrounding you everywhere. Not that that has anything to do with the price they charge, it's just not very pleasant. I thought Tijuana mexico was bad! If I even get off the boat in tunisia, we will just take a cab or whatever into the city center area and site see. Doing the tour would be best I guess and I am sure it will be very good. I am just trying to find out things to do on my own from the virtualtourist.com website and talking to locals who actually live in tunisia there.
It's not going to be easy to convince the wife to get off the boat though unless we do a tour, that's for sure!

On another note, at least the euro is dropping. 8 month low today at 1.37 or so...hope it keeps going!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Since this is our first Disney cruise, we won't be able to book everything for a couple weeks. Will we get anything? I am a little concerned as everyone else seems to be able to book before us.

 

[downtick]

Since this is our first Disney cruise, we won't be able to book everything for a couple weeks. Will we get anything? I am a little concerned as everyone else seems to be able to book before us.

Do not worry, at this point the boat is very empty. I would be surprised if you do not get everything you want.

 

[everafter1]

Since this is our first Disney cruise, we won't be able to book everything for a couple weeks. Will we get anything? I am a little concerned as everyone else seems to be able to book before us.

I think you'll be fine This is my first time in Europe, but my 5th time on DCL. We've always booked much closer to the sail date for our Carribean cruises and we've always gotten the excursions we wanted. The only thing you might have trouble booking would be Palo for brunch or tea, because those are such limited offerings. Even if things you want do book up, there are always cancellations

 

[jwright300]

Do not worry, at this point the boat is very empty. I would be surprised if you do not get everything you want.

Have not posted since we booked. Got everything we wanted including dinner, brunch, and tea at Palo...
Soooo...how do you know the ship is very empty??? Could this mean upgrades for some of us? We booked with DVC so went with what our points could get...

 

[downtick]

the boat is empty as of now because when you go to make a reservation, and you click on the stateroom you want in whatever category you are looking at, it comes back as available. Only a very few number of times does it come back and give you your previous selection stateroom (meaning that your new choice is not available). If the boat were full or filling up, you would not be given almost any room you choose as they give you now. I have done this a few times, and I would say 1 out of 10 times it comes back as unavailable. I have tried in 4 categories. I would expect to see another sale real soon to sell these empty rooms but being a 10 night cruise in the middle of the school year and airfare so expensive for americans, I still do not see it filling up too much, but you never know..lets hope for upgrades!!

 

[cj'smom]

Talked to a DCL rep yesterday and asked how full the ship is -- she said that there are about 300 cabins available out of about 800. That doesn't include gty bookings since they haven't been assigned cabin #'s yet. Said the ship is between 2/3 and 3/4 booked.

 

[downtick]

Talked to a DCL rep yesterday and asked how full the ship is -- she said that there are about 300 cabins available out of about 800. That doesn't include gty bookings since they haven't been assigned cabin #'s yet. Said the ship is between 2/3 and 3/4 booked.

I do not believe what they told you at all. When I called a month ago, they said it was almost full. I just checked again, this time in category 6 only. Did it 10 times, only 2 times it came back and said room not available..I think the boat is at around 40% full and that is being generous.

and for everyone to know, i sampled rooms 6600-6620 (even numbers only). Only rooms 6608 and 6610 are not available. I picked the category randomly as well as the rooms. So as you can see from this small sample, quite a few rooms left. You can do this in any category and get similar results. I think its funny how they only give you like 6 rooms to choose from in any category you pick even though there so many more available in the category.

 

[fitnessmouse]

On another note, at least the euro is dropping. 8 month low today at 1.37 or so...hope it keeps going!!

Actually, I don't
I want to book another cruise

 

[lmhall2000]

On the exchange rate of the euro..historically it does hit a low in February and starts jumping up come tourist season from May on, so if you are going to do some exchange (we're having to pay our tour guide in Naples in cash) now might be the time to do it! I remember looking at that in December and it drops really low in February...so give it one more week to drop and you'll probably see it start trending upward again...just a thought!!

Tara