May Med Magic - May 15 2010 - Meet thread - Part 2

[shushh]

Oh, and anyone considering blogging who uses blogspot.com it is a fact that the maritime satellite link they use blocks blogspot. They will only allow you 60 minutes connection time to such spots, which screws me up because blogging is why I bought the 500 minute package. I can still email posts to blogspot, which is what I guess I'll have to do.

I am so sorry about the misinformation! I wrote my blogs before connecting online and then cut and paste, mainly because of the internet speed. Perhaps that's why I had no problems logging on, because I used it for less than 60 min total?!?!? I apologise once again. Guest services will happily refund you "minutes" if connection time is too slow (as happened to me many times) eg once when it took 25 min just to try to log on.

 

[Jeff Spencer]

I am so sorry about the misinformation! I wrote my blogs before connecting online and then cut and paste, mainly because of the internet speed. Perhaps that's why I had no problems logging on, because I used it for less than 60 min total?!?!? I apologise once again. Guest services will happily refund you "minutes" if connection time is too slow (as happened to me many times) eg once when it took 25 min just to try to log on.

Not to worry. I can always do an interim blog off the 5-15 website and cut and paste later or email in my posts to blogspot. I just like to put the pictures in the blog in context versus having them all at the front. Today was a great day in Malta. Weather was nice, a bit windy, but bright sunshine and mild temperatures. Our private tour with UphotoMalta (Duncan Zammit) was excellent! We basically toured the entire island and he took us to some amazingly scenic spots. For those like I who were looking for the free wifi internet around the terminal, go down past the restaurants to the fiberglass booths in front of Bristow Potteries and that's where you'll find it. There are restaurants and a toy shop that have it but of course they want you to buy something (not unreasonable of them).

 

[Jeff Spencer]

If any of the 5/26 cruisers have questions feel free to ask. We've been too busy for me to blog much.

 

[Traveling Tinkerbell]

Since we know you are taking good care of the Magic, tell us about the ports - the good, the bad, and the ugly Hope your weather is good.
Thanks!

 

[Jeff Spencer]

Since we know you are taking good care of the Magic, tell us about the ports - the good, the bad, and the ugly Hope your weather is good.
Thanks!

The weather has been great! We had a 60% chance of rain while in Naples and it turned out to be partly cloudy and nice all day. Today is our second Sea Day and I'm sitting on our verandah on another mostly clear and sunny day as we cruise past Corsica on our way to La Spezia. Port wise, I've enjoyed them all. For Tunis, we did the DCL Jeep 4x4 Tour and it was good. We drove about 70 miles into the countryside, which reminded me a lot of places like Arizona or northern California...kind of dry, hills and large open landscapes often filled with grove after grove of olive trees. Some of our fellow DISers that took other tours in Tunis thought those going to Carthage and Sidi Bou Said were good but seemed rushed like DCL was trying to pack too much into the tour and not allowing guests time to take pictures. Those that went to the Medina and the souks were mixed. Some bought some things they liked, others were very put off by the agressive nature of those in the markets. There was discussion today that one lady went unaccounted for on one of the Tunis DCL tours in the marketplace. They apparently left some Disney staff behind to continue to look for her but the rest of the tour group went back to the ship. The person on the tour did not hear back whether they found her or not.

Malta has been the surprise for most people that I've talked to. What a beautiful island country. Do not bother with the Popeye Village trip. What's there are the remains of the Popeye movie set and they've added some playgrounds but it's really not worth bothering with. Naples and Rome were just as expected. If possible, do the Amalfi Coast.

 

[Traveling Tinkerbell]

Thanks Jeff!

Glad your weather has been so good. Hopefully it will continue.

We have signed up for the jeep ride in Tunis also so glad to hear your comments. Would teenagers like it and was it really bumpy and rough? We were torn between the jeeps or the Carthage and Sidi Boi Sidi excursions. The markets wouldn't bother us - it always seems to be an adventure to bargin and haggle!

I am really excited about Malta and glad to hear so many good thinks about that area. I wish we could be there longer!

Have a Magical cruise!

 

[MissReeRee]

Jeff, just wondering if you could give me an update on the exchange rate on the ship right now? Gotta love travelling on a weak Euro!

 

[wilderness_gal]

Jeff,

Would really appreciate any feedback on excursions in Corsica. Haven't heard much and my travel party is still trying to decide between Les Calanches and Prunelli Gorges (Country Train and Snack Ride) for the May 26th cruise.

Thanks a million!

Karen

 

[Jeff Spencer]

Thanks Jeff!

Glad your weather has been so good. Hopefully it will continue.

We have signed up for the jeep ride in Tunis also so glad to hear your comments. Would teenagers like it and was it really bumpy and rough? We were torn between the jeeps or the Carthage and Sidi Boi Sidi excursions. The markets wouldn't bother us - it always seems to be an adventure to bargin and haggle!

I am really excited about Malta and glad to hear so many good thinks about that area. I wish we could be there longer!

Have a Magical cruise!

The jeep ride wasn't very bumpy. In fact, there was only one spot where we actually needed the 4x4. The rest of the time we were on either paved roads or gravel roads. Would teens like it? It probably depends on the teen. There is a good bit of driving (1 hour to the first stop, 45 minutes to second stop and 30 to the last stop, then an hour back to the ship) so they would either get bored or like quite a few of us take the opportunity for some naps.

The people I've talked to on the Jeeps all liked it. The DIS folks I've talked to on the Sidi Bou Said and Carthage excursion liked it OK or were luke warm.

Jeff, just wondering if you could give me an update on the exchange rate on the ship right now? Gotta love travelling on a weak Euro!

Just for you I called Guest Services and it was 1.407 which sounds like what it's been all along. ATMs are all over in all the ports and with the exception of Barcelona and Naples, the ports have been very safe.

Jeff,

Would really appreciate any feedback on excursions in Corsica. Haven't heard much and my travel party is still trying to decide between Les Calanches and Prunelli Gorges (Country Train and Snack Ride) for the May 26th cruise.

Thanks a million!

Karen

Hi Karen,

We pulled in to Ajaccio today and it is a beautiful port and again the weather is absolutely gorgeous. I hope we're not using it all up and will leave some for your guys! We actually do not have any tours planned today but will do the open topped bus that's linked on our Med Cruise Web Site and may rent a car and drive ourselves to the Calanques. We may also just walk over to the beach that's about a half mile from the port. We had a 10 hour tour yesterday seeing Pisa and Florence and a winery in the Chianti region with Rudy's Touring Service (it was awesome) and Pirate's Night last night so we're kind of dragging a bit today. We've slept in and are just playing it by ear.

Edit: We did the open topped bus tour after all and I have to say it was only so-so. The places we passed weren't particularly noteworthy and the multi-language narration wasn't the best. The best thing was the open air market at the peer. The beaches looked nice too but we just weren't in the mood for it.

 

[AlohaJoe23]

Our family had the best time in Corsica. Rented a car and went to the rope course adventure park in Vero. Very simple to do.

Walk off ship and follow shore line to the right to where the ferries dock.
There you will find a parking lot for tourist buses as well as the local bus to the airpot. Bus to Aeroport leaves at 8:30 and takes less than 15 minutes for 4.5 euros a taxi takes just as long and costs 25 if you can find one. Car rental will be about 80 euros. Take the highway towards Calvi up into the mountains. Signs for the park in Vero are all over. Just follow the turn to Vero off of the highway and follow the narrow road about 8 - 10 km. The park opened at 10 and we arrived at 10:10

The park was fantastic. Park is set up for kids as young as 3 or 4 with many families arriving later in the day. All types of rope course obstacles from a few feet high to over 40 feet. The family did about 5 courses. They did the Super Tyrolean twice. That is a zipline of over 150 meters. They are all very tired and sore but very happy today.

The serenity of being up in those mountains with nothing but nature was terrific. It is a nature education park as well as a adventure park. This is a definite a hit if you have any adventurous bones in your body.

We spent a full 4 hours there then took our time back to the airport to return the car. Bus back to town leaves at 3:55 pm and we were back on ship at 4:15. Will have plenty of pictures and video once we are home and able to post.

AlohaJoe23

 

[sarahgirl]

Hey all, I miss you guys already and it has only been like 12 hours. Just wanted to let you guys know that I made it to London alive, yay!! Now off to find Jelly Babies. I blame you Jane!

 

[tripodjw]

Just wanted to pop in and say hi. Hope everyone has been having safe travels home.

We made it to our hotel just down the coast from Barcelona but we probably had one of the simplest journeys to do today.

We had a fab time and was pleased to meet so many Disers, to those i never got the chance to meet up with - next time for sure.

Also, thanks for all the fabulous FE gifts. I hope everyone enjoyed taking part as much as I did.

I'll be trying to wrote up some thoughts on the trip, maybe a full trip report if time allows, but for now i can say my favourite port was Ajaccio. The town was gorgeous and so relaxed (all we did was mooch around the town seeing the sights on our own). It's the one port i will definately return to to explore more of the town and the surrounding country/beaches.

Very sad to have left the old girl behind but hopefully it won't be long.

 

[tripodjw]

Hey all, I miss you guys already and it has only been like 12 hours. Just wanted to let you guys know that I made it to London alive, yay!! Now off to find Jelly Babies. I blame you Jane!

I deal in addictions and heartbreak.

Glad you're in london ok!

 

[charlottewilliams]

I deal in addictions and heartbreak.

Glad you're in london ok![/QUO
Am soooooooo sad to be back but had a fabulous time!! I did try and find some of you guys but never seemed to be in the right place at the right time!!!lol huge THANKYOU for the great fe gifts ( didnt really understand what they consisted of so was very impressed by them and a little embarrased that mine) Hope you guys got them in time for the pirate nite (i did have someone give me gifts back so must of been a bit naff)
Anyway thankyou all for all the vaulable info without ALL of you we wouldnt of had THE MOST AMAZING HOLIDAY EVERRRRRR!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Jeff Spencer]

Hey all, I miss you guys already and it has only been like 12 hours. Just wanted to let you guys know that I made it to London alive, yay!! Now off to find Jelly Babies. I blame you Jane!

Great to hear Sara. We checked into our hotel, did the city history museum and our Segway tour, which was AMAZING! Tomorrow is our flight home.

 

[amackay]

I'm glad to hear people are starting to arrive back home safe and sound. It was nice meeting some of my fellow DIS-ers. We arrived back in Glasgow at 9:30pm last night.

 

[Travelbee]

Hi all! We've enjoyed meeting all of you! For those we didn't get to meet, we hope to see you on a future cruise. A big THANK YOU to Jeff who arranged the Palo Brunch. We had a great time chatting with other Disers and of course, loved the food. I think we were there for 3 hours!

We're still in Barcelona and will be here until Sunday. Our British Airways flight from BCN to LHR (connecting to LAX) was cancelled but BA was able to put us on a Lufthansa flight, so all is good. We rebooked for Alaska (8-2), will anyone be joining us?

Charlotte - I tried delivering FE to your stateroom on the first & last sea day but I didn't find anything that I could put the stuff in. Sorry!

 

[charlottewilliams]

Hi all! We've enjoyed meeting all of you! For those we didn't get to meet, we hope to see you on a future cruise. A big THANK YOU to Jeff who arranged the Palo Brunch. We had a great time chatting with other Disers and of course, loved the food. I think we were there for 3 hours!

We're still in Barcelona and will be here until Sunday. Our British Airways flight from BCN to LHR (connecting to LAX) was cancelled but BA was able to put us on a Lufthansa flight, so all is good. We rebooked for Alaska (8-2), will anyone be joining us?

Charlotte - I tried delivering FE to your stateroom on the first & last sea day but I didn't find anything that I could put the stuff in. Sorry!

lol i didnt put my fe extender up til 2nd day and Hubby packed it away on the last morning!!! lol Although it fell apart completly as i used the ironing tape that proved pants hahaha!! but my two loved receiving all the great gifts so thankyou ALL XXX

 

[abdmom]

Hi Everyone.

I'm writing this from my cell. We arrived in Toronto 12 hours ago. It's 4am here but my 4year old is up. Groan.

We had one of the early flights back. 10:25 am to Paris and then just 1 1/4 hour layover until our transatlantic. Dcl provided anearly departure lounge for those with flights leaving before 10:30. We got off at 6:25. We had a 7:30 booking for a car but just cauht one of the manytaxis. We were at the airport ,checked in , thru security and eating breakfast by 7:45.

Luckily our first flight was on time. Although it was supposed to be landing in the same terminal as the second, it didn't . When we got to our departure gate at cdg, it was mobbed. They were doing some preboarding,so I managed to make my way to the front and asked if my elite status could get me on at that moment. Not only did it get me on, it got me an upgrade to business class. Woohoo!

We landed at 4pm local time (10 pm Barcelona time). We caught a taxi to where the minivan was parked in an airport hotel lot. It was still there it was already packed to the gills because we had been living in the hotel for 1 1/2 months prior to our vacation. I would have thought it impossible to load our 4 large suitcases plus backpacks plus 4 people but we managed to do it.

During our long crawl home, i wondered if my house would be livable . A month before we left, my contractor had promised it would be. 6 hours after I left for the cruise he sent an email saying they were going totake 2more weeks. I was livid and sent an email back saying it darn well better be ready when I get back. Well, the floors, light fixtures, tiling,painting is done but there are a couple of things left to be done.ds14 and I spent some time moving mattresses so that there was some place to sleep. We're glad to be in our house again.

It was so nice to meet everone. Talking via this meet thread and joining in the FE exchange really added to the trip. Take care!!

 

[rashdecision]

Well, we made it back last night at midnight eastern standard time which means we were essentially up and traveling for 24 hours. My wife and I were pleasantly (groan) awaken by our kids actually asking to go to school today (last few days are play days and games). I need their batteries. Travel back was relatively uneventful except being told by the information desk in Barcelona that the VAT tax drop off was on the other side of security when in fact it was not and the refused to let me back through security to get the reciepts stamped since my passport was already stamped. This was the first time Delta not only was not delayed but actually was early for all our connections! Great trip and I enjoyed the preplanning phase almost as much as the trip. It will be hard not to get back to my routine of checking the postings every morning and afternoon while at work. You guys were all great. Time to plan the next cruise and write some trip reports for DIS and cruise critic!