May Med Magic - May 15 2010 - Meet thread

[sleigh]

I am hoping to book my flights tonight but am undecided if we should fly in a day early. We have to stay a night after the cruise because of the flight times, so I really didn't want to have to stay an extra night on both ends. If we fly in on the day of the cruise, we would arrive at 11:15, would that give us enough time to get to the port?

 

[Travelbee]

I hear you on that one! This is my first GTY and I bet all of us solo cruisers stay in Cat 12. I've never been upgraded in my previous 3 Disney cruises.

At least Disney is a little more reasonable on the single supplement. I had to pay 200% on RCI.

Jill in CO

I've been on 3 previous Disney cruises, booked Cat 10 and got Cat 10 each time. I'm really hoping for an upgrade ... otherwise, I don't know how we'd do without the split bath!

My wife is the same way. I'm completely the opposite because I automatically wake up when light comes in the room whether I'm ready to get up or not.

DD is the same way. She's up with the sun no matter where we go. It's a blessing whenever we go to Hawaii because she'd actually sleep in!

We got airfare!!!! Woohoo!!

That's a big relief to have that over with.

Us too. Bit the bullet today and paid $1100 each. We're flying into London on 5/12, then to Barcelona on 5/14, and leaving home (LAX) from Barcelona on the 5/30. It was the same price with or without the stop in London so we squeeze another trip out of it!

 

[MPS516]

BckBlue

We have book tours in these 3 ports, it is myself, wife and 2 daughters (19)


NAPLES
The ruins of Pompeii, part of an ancient Roman city destroyed and buried by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

Herculaneum is an ancient residential town of Greek origins, destroyed and buried in ashes, together with Pompeii, by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79 A.D. that also offers a variety of beautiful scenery and invaluable arts.

View the crater of Vesuvius, 1281 meters above sea level, by walking for approximately 45 minutes up the steep mount, as the road for vehicles terminates half way up this climb.
3 or 4 openings to share

La Spezia
The first stop will be in the Piazzale Michelangelo, before arriving in Florence, to admire one of the most superb views of the city. The Monuments to Michelangelo (1875) with a bronze reproduction of the four statues depicting Day, Night, Dawn and Dusk, dominated by the statue of David, that stand proudly in this wide terrace. The famous Statue of David by Michelangelo, as well as other important Italian works of art.

Piazza del Duomo is the site of the principal places of religious interest: the Baptistery, a Romanesque building, built between 11th-12th century, with beautiful bronze doors (14th-15th century by A. Pisano and L. Ghiberti) and mosaics; the Giotto Bell Tower, built in 14th century; and the Duomo which is one of the world’s largest Cathedrals that boasts many works in various media by famous artists.

The Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), church of Santa Croce (13th century, Gothic), containing the tombs of Michelangelo, Galilei, Alfieri, Machiavelli, Foscolo and other great men. Take lunch in a fine local restaurant and, depending on time, experience the shopping malls of Florence in leisurely time.

The town of Pisa. The Leaning Tower, the "Field of Miracles", the cathedral, the “Campo Santo” cemetery, the Baptistery, and the cathedral museum.
3 or 4 openings to share

Civitavecchia
Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Church; Colosseum; Roman Forum St. Paul outside the wall; Pantheon; Christian Catacombs; Spanish Steps (Piazza Spagna) and Barcaccia Fountain

We have room for 3 or 4 more wishing to share

 

[BckBlue]

Thanks Jeff I will take a look back in the thread, abird I will look back the thread at the moment we have not decided on what exactly we want to see yet.
I was just testing the water here new to this kind of thing but will keep an eye the thread and get back in touch later perhaps.

 

[sarahgirl]

Just booked my air and trip insurance. I was so nervous when I was booking my airfare, I must have checked everything over a zillion times before I hit the purchase button. I didn't want to make any mistakes. As soon as I got done with that I went and bought my trip insurance right away. That helped me feel alittle more at ease.

I'll be flying in at 9:50AM on USAirways via Frankfurt (I just love saying that--always reminds me of hotdogs) on 5/14.

Now the only thing I have left to book is my hotel.

 

[tripodjw]

I am hoping to book my flights tonight but am undecided if we should fly in a day early. We have to stay a night after the cruise because of the flight times, so I really didn't want to have to stay an extra night on both ends. If we fly in on the day of the cruise, we would arrive at 11:15, would that give us enough time to get to the port?

Personally i would recommend flying in the day before, or certainly getting a flight that is due into Barcelona much earlier than 11.15am.

All aboard is 4or 5 ish, and you need to allow at least an hour for immigration/customs/luggage pick up and to get from airport to port and for check-in at the port.

Pretty much that means your flight can only be up to 4 hours late.

My experience of transatlantic flights (and of watching departure boards in airports) is that 2 hours delay can be pretty common and 4 hours is a more common occurrence than you'd think.

I personally wouldn't want the worry and if you can get the day off work to go a day earlier i would.

If you go ahead and book a flight that arrives on the day i'd suggest making sure there are later flights on that airline aswell so that if your flight is cancelled you stand a chance of getting onto a later flight. If you go for the last flight of the day and it is cancelled then you will almost certainly not make it (it's rare for airlines to transfer you to another airline unless there's huge problems).

 

[Welsh Girl]

Think we are going to book into the Holiday Inn...it's hundred pound but that includes leaing your car there so not a bad price! Plus its so close it means a few more precious mins in bed

Hi Welsh Girl
yes we are, we must be on the same flight are you staying at one of the gatwick hotels in the 14th?

 

[Jeff Spencer]

Regarding flying in a day early, another reason is to improve the odds that both you and your luggage make the cruise. When we did this cruise in 2007, had we not flown in a day early we would have been without one of our bags that included all of our shoes (except the tennis shoes we had on), belts, and other essentials.

 

[k8e]

I would also suggest flying in a day early if you can. I've been delayed about 18-20 hours flying domestic just due to thunderstorms. Better safe than sorry!!

 

[Prinny27]

Okay everyone - question. I'm slowly reading through this thread to learn about everything, since this is our first cruise. We're in full on planning mode since we just booked this last week. So I'm working on airfare. I think I'm the only one on here who doesn't have theirs booked! Anyway, I think we are unfortunately going to have to fly in the night before, leaving the NY area on the 14th in the afternoon/early evening because DH most likely won't be able to get off of work that Friday. I know, cutting things close, but not sure there's anything I can do about it. Anyway, what do you all consider a 'good' price for airfare, something that I should definitely grab if I see it? We've never flown out of the country so are a bit clueless about it! We're flying out of the Newark/NY area.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

 

[jedijill]

Okay everyone - question. I'm slowly reading through this thread to learn about everything, since this is our first cruise. We're in full on planning mode since we just booked this last week. So I'm working on airfare. I think I'm the only one on here who doesn't have theirs booked! Anyway, I think we are unfortunately going to have to fly in the night before, leaving the NY area on the 14th in the afternoon/early evening because DH most likely won't be able to get off of work that Friday. I know, cutting things close, but not sure there's anything I can do about it. Anyway, what do you all consider a 'good' price for airfare, something that I should definitely grab if I see it? We've never flown out of the country so are a bit clueless about it! We're flying out of the Newark/NY area.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

I just looked at flights from any NY airport to BCN for your dates on kayak.com and I see quite a few options for around $700. I would jump on them as that's the lowest I've seen. I'm paying $1100 but coming from Denver. I certainly don't think they are going to go down anytime soon.

HTH

Jill in CO

 

[Jeff Spencer]

You're not alone...I haven't booked our airfare from Alabama either. What I've been doing is watching the numbers of empty seats on the flights and using that as a gauge as to whether or not American might discount the flight. Unfortunately, I'm seeing the plane gradually but consistently fill up on the multiple itineraries that work for me so I'm going to bite the bullet and buy this week.

 

[jedijill]

Just booked my air and trip insurance. I was so nervous when I was booking my airfare, I must have checked everything over a zillion times before I hit the purchase button. I didn't want to make any mistakes. As soon as I got done with that I went and bought my trip insurance right away. That helped me feel alittle more at ease.

I'll be flying in at 9:50AM on USAirways via Frankfurt (I just love saying that--always reminds me of hotdogs) on 5/14.

Now the only thing I have left to book is my hotel.

I bought travel insurance as well yesterday. Made sure it covered trip delays and baggage delays. I'm flying in the day before the cruise but still petrified that my luggage will get lost!

Jill in CO

 

[Prinny27]

You're not alone...I haven't booked our airfare from Alabama either. What I've been doing is watching the numbers of empty seats on the flights and using that as a gauge as to whether or not American might discount the flight. Unfortunately, I'm seeing the plane gradually but consistently fill up on the multiple itineraries that work for me so I'm going to bite the bullet and buy this week.

That's a good idea. I'll start looking at seats, and then if they're mostly full I'll plan on buying them this week. Thanks!

 

[Prinny27]

Now another question. If we fly back home that day - the 26th - what is the earliest you'd all recommend our flight leaving? I don't want to jump all over a great deal that leaves at like 10 or 11 or something and just not be able to make it from the ship. Thanks!

 

[peterpanstout]

OK, did you guys get a packet from Disney yet? I see people know where the boat is docked and when we are leavcing, does that mean they sent packets out? DCL told me they won't send out luggage tags until 2 weeks before. Which means I will not get them, ugh, but wondering what else I am missing.

 

[peterpanstout]

Hey peterpanstout! I used to be stationed in Mannheim! I miss Germany.

Jill in CO

Hey Jill, let me know if you need me to bring anything for you! We live 5 minutes from the Ritter Sport factory in Waldenbuch.

 

[jedijill]

Hey Jill, let me know if you need me to bring anything for you! We live 5 minutes from the Ritter Sport factory in Waldenbuch.

OMG! I love Ritter Sport! I love the chocolate with hazelnuts! I would love a couple if its not too much trouble. I have money to trade! lol

Jill in CO

 

[sayhello]

Now another question. If we fly back home that day - the 26th - what is the earliest you'd all recommend our flight leaving? I don't want to jump all over a great deal that leaves at like 10 or 11 or something and just not be able to make it from the ship. Thanks!

You're going to get a lot of different opinions on that one. Personally, I think anything before noon is asking for trouble, and unnecessary stress, but I suppose if everything goes perfectly, you could make an 11am flight. We are scheduled to disembark at 7, then you need to get your luggage, and get to the airport, which is 45 minutes away, I've been told. Then get through security for an international flight, which, these days, they are recommending 3 hours for. Can it be done? Yes. Is there a lot of potential for things going a little wrong & messing this up? Yes. Is it worth the stress? Only you can answer that! For my part, I skipped the 11am flight, and got one for later in the afternoon. Just not worth the stress! I may regret it, but I'd rather regret waiting around the airport for my flight than regret *missing* my flight!

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

OK, did you guys get a packet from Disney yet? I see people know where the boat is docked and when we are leavcing, does that mean they sent packets out? DCL told me they won't send out luggage tags until 2 weeks before. Which means I will not get them, ugh, but wondering what else I am missing.

Disney sent out a little booklet (I just got it a few days ago) with fairly generic information about cruising, what to pack, things to do before you go, etc, but in the back it has a page with specifics about departure locale, times, etc. There's also a cool postcard from Goofy & Captain Mickey that lists the specifics of your reservation.

Sayhello