jd99
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2001
- Messages
- 6,230
So when I arrived at the airport and found a parking space not too far out in the extended lot, I was thrilled. Then I saw it was row 13. And we were going on a cruise that included Friday the 13th as one of its sea days. Yep I thought about it but I still parked there. Mistake? Perhaps.
Prologue
First and foremost we had an amazing amazing time on the August 7 11-night Med cruise. The experiences onboard and in port were mostly better than ever. Service by DCL staff was better than ever. Our service team (Melroy and Petra) was the best. Our excursions were exhausting but overall amazing. We hit a few bumps in the road but in hindsight it only added to the richness of the stories we have to tell about our vacation.
The cast of characters: me (Jeff aka Dad), Mina (aka Mom), Elizabeth (aka 11-year-old big sister) and Emily (aka 6 ½ year old little sister). I want to say that we were really concerned that the itinerary of excursions was going to be too much for our kids heck they were too much for us but the girls were troopers. No meltdowns, no grouchiness, just a sense of fun and discovery that made this a trip of a lifetime.
This will not be a typical trip report. I plan to cover each day but it will be more about the good, the bad and the ugly than it will a complete recap of our days. Frankly I dont remember everything about our days since we were mostly busy from sun up to late into the night just the way a vacation should be. We took about 1,000 pictures but I obviously will only share a small sample here. The greatest testament to DCL we keep coming back and we currently have four cruises booked for the future .
Preparation and things I wish I knew then that I know now.
We didnt do nearly as much research as we should have given that this was our first trip to Europe as a family (only my wife had ever been anywhere on the continent and that was a number of years ago). While we bought books and read trip reports and other web information we still could have been much more prepared. That being said, the hysteria about pickpockets and gypsies is so blown out of proportion that I just dont get it. I never felt less safe in Rome, Tunisia or Barcelona than I do traveling to New York or Chicago. And I feel pretty darn safe in those places. So the first thing I wish is that I wouldnt have worried so much about pickpockets and gypsies ready to take my money. I spent more time researching backpacks and front pocket wallets than I should have.
So here we were: ready to leave home and what did we have?
A decent amount of planning. Check
Way too much excitement. Check
Stress, fear and nervousness. Check. Check and Check.
Having never traveled abroad as a family, this trip was meant to be our European sampler and we planned accordingly. Booked excursions with DCL for the most part but found 2 of them to be canceled long before we sailed. beach breaks in Tunisia and Corsica meant to be our relaxing days. Oh well, well figure something out.
So after parking in row 13, we were on our way. Flights had great connections: Pittsburgh to Philly to Barcelona with nearly 3 hours in Philly in case of any issues. No problem, right?
Enter dramatic music here. So begins the curse of Row 13.
Our original flight left nearly 3 hours late just in time to screw over every passenger (20 plus) flying internationally. Useless Air actually found a plane to put us all on but not until it was nearly too late for everyone to make their connections. Why they couldnt find a plane an hour earlier, who knows? My theory: if they got us out of Pittsburgh we werent their problem anymore.
Landing in Philly, we were literally moments away from our connection leaving. We ran what had to be nearly a mile from one end of the airport (terminal D) to Terminal A. Doors were closing and they were going to refuse us entry but one of the folks from our flight (there were 11 of us) talked them into letting us on. So on we went, tired, sweaty and stressed.
Flight was relatively easy but we were pretty sure our luggage wasnt going to be there. Of course it wasnt so we filed a claim and hoped for the best. (The curse of Row 13 hits again). Thank goodness we came in a night early. But we had to make calls to USAir ground service and worked with our concierge to figure out what to do next. We had planned to try to see some of Barcelona but between the stress and the time difference, we were exhausted. Took naps then headed to a Barcelona department store to buy some clothes in case our luggage never made it. It was actually a fun experience since I got to use my limited Spanish to find stuff. Back to the hotel for dinner and some sleep. The next morning, the concierge told us our luggage was in Barcelona (at the airport) and would be sent to the port. To make a long story short, we sweated this out until about 5 p.m. when we got a message from Guest Services on the Magic letting us know it was on its way and would be delivered soon. Hooray let the fun begin.
Oh - almost forgot. Our cab ride to the port? - we were in an accident. Our cab sideswiped a car going around a corner. We were left out on a corner about a mile from the ship and luckily our driver (and us) flagged down another cab. I have a feeling I basically paid for the cab ride twice but we made it. Again. Dramatic music - The curse of Row 13.
More to come later, including lots of photos from the ports...
Prologue
First and foremost we had an amazing amazing time on the August 7 11-night Med cruise. The experiences onboard and in port were mostly better than ever. Service by DCL staff was better than ever. Our service team (Melroy and Petra) was the best. Our excursions were exhausting but overall amazing. We hit a few bumps in the road but in hindsight it only added to the richness of the stories we have to tell about our vacation.
The cast of characters: me (Jeff aka Dad), Mina (aka Mom), Elizabeth (aka 11-year-old big sister) and Emily (aka 6 ½ year old little sister). I want to say that we were really concerned that the itinerary of excursions was going to be too much for our kids heck they were too much for us but the girls were troopers. No meltdowns, no grouchiness, just a sense of fun and discovery that made this a trip of a lifetime.
This will not be a typical trip report. I plan to cover each day but it will be more about the good, the bad and the ugly than it will a complete recap of our days. Frankly I dont remember everything about our days since we were mostly busy from sun up to late into the night just the way a vacation should be. We took about 1,000 pictures but I obviously will only share a small sample here. The greatest testament to DCL we keep coming back and we currently have four cruises booked for the future .
Preparation and things I wish I knew then that I know now.
We didnt do nearly as much research as we should have given that this was our first trip to Europe as a family (only my wife had ever been anywhere on the continent and that was a number of years ago). While we bought books and read trip reports and other web information we still could have been much more prepared. That being said, the hysteria about pickpockets and gypsies is so blown out of proportion that I just dont get it. I never felt less safe in Rome, Tunisia or Barcelona than I do traveling to New York or Chicago. And I feel pretty darn safe in those places. So the first thing I wish is that I wouldnt have worried so much about pickpockets and gypsies ready to take my money. I spent more time researching backpacks and front pocket wallets than I should have.
So here we were: ready to leave home and what did we have?
A decent amount of planning. Check
Way too much excitement. Check
Stress, fear and nervousness. Check. Check and Check.
Having never traveled abroad as a family, this trip was meant to be our European sampler and we planned accordingly. Booked excursions with DCL for the most part but found 2 of them to be canceled long before we sailed. beach breaks in Tunisia and Corsica meant to be our relaxing days. Oh well, well figure something out.
So after parking in row 13, we were on our way. Flights had great connections: Pittsburgh to Philly to Barcelona with nearly 3 hours in Philly in case of any issues. No problem, right?
Enter dramatic music here. So begins the curse of Row 13.
Our original flight left nearly 3 hours late just in time to screw over every passenger (20 plus) flying internationally. Useless Air actually found a plane to put us all on but not until it was nearly too late for everyone to make their connections. Why they couldnt find a plane an hour earlier, who knows? My theory: if they got us out of Pittsburgh we werent their problem anymore.
Landing in Philly, we were literally moments away from our connection leaving. We ran what had to be nearly a mile from one end of the airport (terminal D) to Terminal A. Doors were closing and they were going to refuse us entry but one of the folks from our flight (there were 11 of us) talked them into letting us on. So on we went, tired, sweaty and stressed.
Flight was relatively easy but we were pretty sure our luggage wasnt going to be there. Of course it wasnt so we filed a claim and hoped for the best. (The curse of Row 13 hits again). Thank goodness we came in a night early. But we had to make calls to USAir ground service and worked with our concierge to figure out what to do next. We had planned to try to see some of Barcelona but between the stress and the time difference, we were exhausted. Took naps then headed to a Barcelona department store to buy some clothes in case our luggage never made it. It was actually a fun experience since I got to use my limited Spanish to find stuff. Back to the hotel for dinner and some sleep. The next morning, the concierge told us our luggage was in Barcelona (at the airport) and would be sent to the port. To make a long story short, we sweated this out until about 5 p.m. when we got a message from Guest Services on the Magic letting us know it was on its way and would be delivered soon. Hooray let the fun begin.
Oh - almost forgot. Our cab ride to the port? - we were in an accident. Our cab sideswiped a car going around a corner. We were left out on a corner about a mile from the ship and luckily our driver (and us) flagged down another cab. I have a feeling I basically paid for the cab ride twice but we made it. Again. Dramatic music - The curse of Row 13.
More to come later, including lots of photos from the ports...
didn't know about the accident...wow, it really was some begining to your trip.
