Sept 18 2010 WB TransAtlantic Pirates/Capt Jacks Re-Repoing Repossession Cruise Pt.4

[birkner]

Grocery shopping at El Corte Ingles. Photo by modulor.
By Regina W Bryan in Barcelona—
There are two aspects of traveling in Barcelona that are particularly hard on the pocketbook: hotels and eating out. (EuroCheapo already has you covered on the cheap hotel front.) Even though Barcelona offers a fair amount of cheap eateries, eating out three times a day adds up. Instead of hitting up a café or restaurant, consider buying a few meals at the grocery store.
Making good use of the local grocery
Even if you don’t have a kitchen at your hotel or hostel, the grocery store can still be a good option. Simply buy ready-made snacks and drinks, or grab some plastic cutlery and some paper plates and head for the park.
Although this last week (September 2009) has been stormy in Barcelona, the weather is usually sunny regardless of the season, so eating on a bench or having a simple picnic in the city center is totally realistic.
Some foods you might look for at the grocery store include: ready-made sandwiches (ham and cheese, tuna, egg, etc.), bottled gazpacho, bottled yogurt (to drink, like a smoothie), bags of olives, chips and dips, sliced Spanish hams and cheeses, ready-made salads, and fruit.
Pick up the basics at the supermarket, then head to a bakery for fresh baguettes and croissants (perfect for breakfast).
Three central Barcelona supermarkets
In the center of the city, it may be hard for the untrained eye to find the grocery stores hidden among the sea of touristy restaurants. Here are three suggestions:
Carrefour
Rambla de los Estudios, 113
Located on the Rambla, Carrefour is one of the most complete supermarkets in town, and it’s also cheap. You’ll find ready-made goods at the front of the store.
El Corte Ingles
Plaza Cataluña
It doesn’t look like a grocery store, but go down to the “-1″ level of this department store on Plaza Cataluña and you’ll find a full-service supermarket with local and international products.
Bonpreu
Calle Jordi De Sant Jordi 1
Meaning “good price” in Catalan, Bonpreu is true to its name. The supermarket is the smallest of the three, and offers local products and, usually, a bakery.

 

[Dizneyholic]

Did you guys see this story???

ATHENS, Greece (March 3) -- A 26-foot wave smashed into a cruise ship carrying nearly 2,000 people in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, smashing glass windshields and killing two passengers, according to officials and news reports.

Another six people suffered light injuries, the Greek coast guard said in a statement. The victims were identified as a German and an Italian man.

Louis Cruise Lines
The Louis Majesty cruise ship is docked Wednesday in Barcelona, Spain. A massive wave slammed into the ship off France, killing two people.
It was unclear late Wednesday exactly where the incident took place. The Greek coast guard said the accident occurred near the French Mediterranean port of Marseille as the Cypriot-owned Louis Majesty was sailing from Barcelona to the Italian city of Genoa with 1,350 passengers and 580 crew members on board.

But the French newspaper Le Figaro said the accident happened off Capo de Begur, off the coast of Spain about 80 miles northeast of Barcelona. A spokesman for the cruise line said the ship was returning to Barcelona.

Cmdr. Bernard Celier of the French maritime authority in the southwestern city of Toulon, on the Mediterranean coast, said there had been "no signs of the least problem with the Louis Majesty."

But he noted there had been winds of over 100 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour) in the area.

A spokeswoman for the port in Barcelona said the Louis Majesty was expected to return to the port, where the bodies would be removed and the injured treated. She said the ship had asked permission to make an emergency docking in Barcelona after it was hit by the wave.

Louis Cruise Lines spokesman Michael Maratheftis said the ship was hit by three "abnormally high" waves up to 26 feet (8 meters) high that broke glass windshields in the forward section.

Louis Cruise Lines' Web site says the ship is 207 meters (680 feet) long, and features 10 passenger decks and 732 staterooms along with various bars, pools, restaurants and shops.

 

[su_kraft]

Awesome info! I hope that the weather is good so we can pack a lunch or dinner of various local Tapas and head to a park! Also - thanks for the grocery store names - the one in the department store has been mentioned before as a great place close to the port to buy wine.

Grocery shopping at El Corte Ingles. Photo by modulor.
By Regina W Bryan in Barcelona—
There are two aspects of traveling in Barcelona that are particularly hard on the pocketbook: hotels and eating out. (EuroCheapo already has you covered on the cheap hotel front.) Even though Barcelona offers a fair amount of cheap eateries, eating out three times a day adds up. Instead of hitting up a café or restaurant, consider buying a few meals at the grocery store.
Making good use of the local grocery
Even if you don’t have a kitchen at your hotel or hostel, the grocery store can still be a good option. Simply buy ready-made snacks and drinks, or grab some plastic cutlery and some paper plates and head for the park.
Although this last week (September 2009) has been stormy in Barcelona, the weather is usually sunny regardless of the season, so eating on a bench or having a simple picnic in the city center is totally realistic.
Some foods you might look for at the grocery store include: ready-made sandwiches (ham and cheese, tuna, egg, etc.), bottled gazpacho, bottled yogurt (to drink, like a smoothie), bags of olives, chips and dips, sliced Spanish hams and cheeses, ready-made salads, and fruit.
Pick up the basics at the supermarket, then head to a bakery for fresh baguettes and croissants (perfect for breakfast).
Three central Barcelona supermarkets
In the center of the city, it may be hard for the untrained eye to find the grocery stores hidden among the sea of touristy restaurants. Here are three suggestions:
Carrefour
Rambla de los Estudios, 113
Located on the Rambla, Carrefour is one of the most complete supermarkets in town, and it’s also cheap. You’ll find ready-made goods at the front of the store.
El Corte Ingles
Plaza Cataluña
It doesn’t look like a grocery store, but go down to the “-1″ level of this department store on Plaza Cataluña and you’ll find a full-service supermarket with local and international products.
Bonpreu
Calle Jordi De Sant Jordi 1
Meaning “good price” in Catalan, Bonpreu is true to its name. The supermarket is the smallest of the three, and offers local products and, usually, a bakery.

 

[kamgen]

Theresa & Pj- thanks for the motivation! I appreciate the kind words to keep me on track. It is not been easy and has taken longer than I wanted with the holidays, but I managed to press on. I will start fresh again tomorrow. Now to figure out how to get motivated to workout more often! LOL! I just have to get back in shape.....for my health and so I start to enjoy things more!

Well, it is a little after 10pm here and my boys are both asleep. Whew! Last night I got about 90min sleep the whole night as I was up with Liam again....we are going back to the doctor on Friday morning.....poor thing. I hope he gets some good sleep tonight so mommy can too!

Night!

 

[su_kraft]

Well, it is a little after 10pm here and my boys are both asleep. Whew! Last night I got about 90min sleep the whole night as I was up with Liam again....we are going back to the doctor on Friday morning.....poor thing. I hope he gets some good sleep tonight so mommy can too!
Night!

How old are your boys? It is about 1030 here and my big boy just put his book down and turned the light out... Mom can officially relax a bit. Luckily my little one (she just turned 6) has been down for a couple hours...

Hope Liam is feeling better, and that you get some sleep!

Sue

 

[LittleDisneyLovers]

Okay, today I was really bad!!!! I have been doing pretty well with my eating and trying to lose weight....not so good with exercise, but that is another story. I have lost 30lbs with 30 left to go......and today, what did I do...went to Pizza Hut and ate 3 slices of pizza!!!! I cannot believe it....well, I can, but still. I know better and am sure my belly will fight with me later, but it did taste good. Okay, just had to vent! Now, back on the "eating right" wagon. I really want to hit my goal by May!

WOW, you should be so proud of yourself, that is a lot of weight that you've already lost! I am also on the weight loss journey, and don't worry my trainer tells me it's good to splurge occasionally, it gives your metabolism a jolt! He has the 90/10 rule, thats good 90% of the time and splurge 10%. I like the splurge bit the best

 

[TotallyAngelic]

This has probably been mentioned before, but I was wondering what everyone plans to do with their time in Barcelona? Other than recovering from the jet lag, of course. I'm trying to decide what I'd like to do with my day there, as I'm not so much a museum person.

We plan to see the Gaudi Sagrada Familglia Catherdral and the Parc Guell as "must sees". Other than that we will just wander and soak up the atmosphere. I am hoping to check out the harbour area and the gothic quarter on our first afternoon / evening. I am not really a museum or tour person when just having a day or 2 in a city .... I like to just wander around and experience the city, with lots of stops in pavement cafes for coffee or drinks (evening). I like seeing how the city changes with the time of day and I like being up really early to watch the city come to life in the morning, and again in the evening.

Grocery shopping at El Corte Ingles. Photo by modulor.
By Regina W Bryan in Barcelona—
There are two aspects of traveling in Barcelona that are particularly hard on the pocketbook: hotels and eating out. (EuroCheapo already has you covered on the cheap hotel front.) Even though Barcelona offers a fair amount of cheap eateries, eating out three times a day adds up. Instead of hitting up a café or restaurant, consider buying a few meals at the grocery store.
Making good use of the local grocery
Even if you don’t have a kitchen at your hotel or hostel, the grocery store can still be a good option. Simply buy ready-made snacks and drinks, or grab some plastic cutlery and some paper plates and head for the park.
Although this last week (September 2009) has been stormy in Barcelona, the weather is usually sunny regardless of the season, so eating on a bench or having a simple picnic in the city center is totally realistic.
Some foods you might look for at the grocery store include: ready-made sandwiches (ham and cheese, tuna, egg, etc.), bottled gazpacho, bottled yogurt (to drink, like a smoothie), bags of olives, chips and dips, sliced Spanish hams and cheeses, ready-made salads, and fruit.
Pick up the basics at the supermarket, then head to a bakery for fresh baguettes and croissants (perfect for breakfast).
Three central Barcelona supermarkets
In the center of the city, it may be hard for the untrained eye to find the grocery stores hidden among the sea of touristy restaurants. Here are three suggestions:
Carrefour
Rambla de los Estudios, 113
Located on the Rambla, Carrefour is one of the most complete supermarkets in town, and it’s also cheap. You’ll find ready-made goods at the front of the store.
El Corte Ingles
Plaza Cataluña
It doesn’t look like a grocery store, but go down to the “-1″ level of this department store on Plaza Cataluña and you’ll find a full-service supermarket with local and international products.
Bonpreu
Calle Jordi De Sant Jordi 1
Meaning “good price” in Catalan, Bonpreu is true to its name. The supermarket is the smallest of the three, and offers local products and, usually, a bakery.

Thanks for this information ..... we like to do this for lunch when in Europe. In Paris we often have grabbed baguettes, ham and cheese and headed for a park in which to have lunch. I have added this information to my Barcelona fact-sheet and I am sure we will find it very useful.

I am off to work now ..... a 12 hour shift on a post-natal ward. Have a wonderful day everyone

 

[MrsMork]

This has probably been mentioned before, but I was wondering what everyone plans to do with their time in Barcelona? Other than recovering from the jet lag, of course. I'm trying to decide what I'd like to do with my day there, as I'm not so much a museum person.

Pretty sure we are going to do the hop on hop off bus on Friday.

I got BWV pool/garden view for the night we arrive in FL, checked off another DVC resort, just two more to go until Hawaii is possibly added, then three. I am happy, might even give Jelly rolls another try, it all depends on what parade is at MK, lol.

Pj

Glad you got that taken care of. We have not yet stayed at BWV. There are a couple we have not tried..AK, BL

 

[gismo1554]

Okay, today I was really bad!!!! I have been doing pretty well with my eating and trying to lose weight....not so good with exercise, but that is another story. I have lost 30lbs with 30 left to go......and today, what did I do...went to Pizza Hut and ate 3 slices of pizza!!!! I cannot believe it....well, I can, but still. I know better and am sure my belly will fight with me later, but it did taste good. Okay, just had to vent! Now, back on the "eating right" wagon. I really want to hit my goal by May!

Kammy don't stress over it honestly! Every now and then its nice to have a treat and fretting over it will just make it worse. Its best to just say - it happened

 

[dolphingirl47]

It was so nice, and so different then i tought. I have been in Egypt and tought Dubai is a bit the same only whit big buildings. But it's more like New York, and the people are so nice and relaxt. I loved the big malls so great, and Ski Dubai was also great. And the food was great real american food, and european.

The weather was great 28 gr. celcius not to hot.

We flyed whit BA from dusseldorf to london and then to Dubai.

If you like i will put some photo's on the forum.

Connie

I have also recently been to Dubai and your photos have brought back some pleasant memories. For most of the trip we stayed at the Dusit Thani on Sheikh Zayed Road so we were almost next door to the Burj Khalifa. I just love this building. For me it was the second trip to Dubai and for DH the first. He was not too sure at first, but by day three he had so much fallen in love with Dubai that we are now considering relocating there at some stage. I work for a Dubai based airline here in the UK and I am now looking out for promotion opportunities in Dubai. If any of you are interested, a link to my trip report for our Dubai trip is in my signature (Sea, Sun, Sand and Camels).

Hello everyone

New to the Dis board! Have booked today for the transatlantic cruise from Barcelona. Me - Sarah and Mum Liz got a great price and we are so looking forward to it.

Second cruise, first Disney last June/July 7 nights on the Magic in the Caribbean to celebrate Mum's 60th Birthday with my sister.

We arrive in barcelona on the Friday and plan to take a bus tour in the afternoon so we see something of the city.

See you all there

Hello neighbours and welcome on board. We live in central Manchester and I work in Wilmslow. DH plays for East Cheshire Chess Club, which is based in Cheadle.

Which airline will you be flying with? We will also fly to Barcelona on the Friday from Manchester.

Corinna

 

[Bilbo UK]

Hi neighbour!!! We have a pool/garden view too!!

Two more at Boardwalk, we have a 1 bed standard view for 3 nights.
Ann

 

[dolphingirl47]

PSA obviously a USA airline...but the topic made me smile. Question for everyone, whats your earliest memory of travelling by plane?

My first ever trip was on an old Vickers Viscount from Liverpool Speke to the Isle of man on a school trip in 1967! Museum piece now lol! (The plane not me....)

I love planes and have clocked up many miles in the air since then. From big ones to small ones. Although admit I am rather anxious the next one as we are flying on the A380 Superjumbo next month ...having seen one parked up...its HUGE!

Any one else have fond plane memories?

I did not actually fly for the first time until I was 18 and that was fairly eventless. However, I grew up near a big international airport and spent many happy hours with my dad when I was a child watching the planes from the viewing gallery.
In 2006 I had a complete change of career. I am an elementary school teacher, but left teaching in the summer of 2005 and tried to make up my mind what I wanted to do next. I ended up applying for a job with an airline and got it. I really love my job and have progressed well. I was so scared to tell my mum though. However, her reaction was that it was about time that I did something that I feel really passionate about.

I was lucky enough to fly on the A380 on New Year's Day from Dubai to London. This aircraft is really fascinating. I have posted a few photos in my trip report.

Thought I would post a question of the week as nobody did it yesterday ....

Disney Question: What are your all-time favourite Disney songs / music and why?

Non-Disney Question: What are your favourite non-Disney movies?

There is a lot of Disney Music that I love. The soundtrack from Soarin always brings a little tear to my eyes. I love When You Wish Upon A Star, because it reminds me of the ships. I have always loved The Color of the Wind, A Whole New World and The Circle of Life, but I suppose my all time favourites are the version of It's A Small World that they play on the last night on the Magic and Chante, C'est Noelle from the Christmas Parade at Disneyland Paris. I actually have both of those on my iPod.

Non Disney favourite movie would be The Eye of the Dolphin, but I also love Love Actually, Angels and Demons, Legally Blond, Just Like Heaven and Dirty Dancing.

In the unlikely event that we get stranded on a uncharted island, which disney character would you want to be stranded with?

I think it would have to be Stitch as he is really mischievous and loads of fun to be with.

Corinna

 

[Steffy]

We are on the way to Disney World. See you in a week!

 

[granmaz]

Two more at Boardwalk, we have a 1 bed standard view for 3 nights.
Ann

BWV is obviously THE place to be!!!!! It will be great seeing fellow cruisers after the cruise.

We are on the way to Disney World. See you in a week!

It is still cold today and tomorrow, but the sun helps. It is warming up from the weekend - AT LAST!!!!!!!!

 

[kamgen]

Good morning!

Sue- my boys are 3 and 4. Ryan slept till 7:30am this morning, Liam was up sick from 4am until 7am.....ugh! We are going to the doctor today.

Checked airfare again and it went up....seems to do that every so often. Does everyone else already have their air tickets????

 

[su_kraft]

Good morning!

Sue- my boys are 3 and 4. Ryan slept till 7:30am this morning, Liam was up sick from 4am until 7am.....ugh! We are going to the doctor today.

Checked airfare again and it went up....seems to do that every so often. Does everyone else already have their air tickets????

Sorry to hear that Liam was sick again. We have been lucky (I think) in that neither kiddo has been really sick. Stephen (12 about to be 13) broke his foot, but I doni't count that as sick.

We got our airfare when it hit a level we were Ok with. We really wanted a non stop from Atlanta, and they are hard to find. So when we saw one with all fees included for just over $600 per person we jumped on it. It had gone down about $40 each, but is back up again. I think you have to have a comfort zone for the fare, and then watch for it. We used tripadvisor.com to find ours. I know that I have stopped looking at fares because I really don't want to kow if the fare plumets...

Good luck with your search!
Sue

 

[M4travels]

Yes!!! We just booked two addtional nights at BWV (4th and 5th). I checked BLT and the first 2 nights of the stay weren't available so we're just gonna stick with BWV. We could do a split stay but moving after 2 days just isn't my idea of a fun time!

We'll take the bus or monorail over to MK for the MNSSHP event the first night and then revel in EPCOT thereafter!

Now.....does one do the dining plan or not? I'm thinking not this time around. There's just gonna be sooooooooooo much food while onboard. We may be down to dry toast for breakfast, watery broth for lunch, and a piece of fruit for dinner once we hit dry land!

Michael

 

[woody73]

We are on the way to Disney World. See you in a week!

Have a magical time.

Woody

 

[granmaz]

Yes!!! We just booked two addtional nights at BWV (4th and 5th). I checked BLT and the first 2 nights of the stay weren't available so we're just gonna stick with BWV. We could do a split stay but moving after 2 days just isn't my idea of a fun time!

We'll take the bus or monorail over to MK for the MNSSHP event the first night and then revel in EPCOT thereafter!

Now.....does one do the dining plan or not? I'm thinking not this time around. There's just gonna be sooooooooooo much food while onboard. We may be down to dry toast for breakfast, watery broth for lunch, and a piece of fruit for dinner once we hit dry land!

Michael

We will see you there Michael. We have 7 nights booked at the BWV. We won't be doing the dining plan. I think we can go at least 2 days on our new inbuilt fat stores from the cruise also!!! We normally only have a slice of toast for breakfast anyway and we can buy the bread at the resort shop.

 

[MrsMork]

Two more at Boardwalk, we have a 1 bed standard view for 3 nights.
Ann

Ann, we are so looking forward to seeing you again!

We are on the way to Disney World. See you in a week!

Have fun!

Yes!!! We just booked two addtional nights at BWV (4th and 5th). I checked BLT and the first 2 nights of the stay weren't available so we're just gonna stick with BWV. We could do a split stay but moving after 2 days just isn't my idea of a fun time!

We'll take the bus or monorail over to MK for the MNSSHP event the first night and then revel in EPCOT thereafter!

Now.....does one do the dining plan or not? I'm thinking not this time around. There's just gonna be sooooooooooo much food while onboard. We may be down to dry toast for breakfast, watery broth for lunch, and a piece of fruit for dinner once we hit dry land!

Michael

I think Marilyn is right, BWV is the place to be! We however will be right across the lagoon from you all at BCV. I think we will be doing the dining plan just because I love to eat, even after a cruise! We are in a studio so no real kitchen facilities for dinner, which always turns into our expensive meal. I am so looking forward to Tutto Italia! Copetta Sotto Bosco is my all time favorite dessert!! We may eat there twice!