Updated Page 1...Madly Making Memories Multiply in Mediterranean Mickey Mode-Pre-trip

[shushh]

Mi auguro di avere successo! Forse ci rivedremo all'aeroporto di Barcelona...

 

[lmhall2000]

Shushhh!! Grazie!!

I'm a little alarmed in our Italian phrases book, under "Help for Women" here are three of the phrases they advise to use...

Ho una malattia contagiosa

La smetta di seguirmi

and the all important... Crepi!!!

Hopefully, my children won't read that section! My dh just traded our Rosetta German for Rosetta Italian...so we're going to have our southern American Italian accents ready!! Viva Italia!!!

Mrs. T

 

[shushh]

LOL! I guess the Italians are really afraid of getting ill?!?!?

It'll be good to resurrect the good old high school Italian. It is hard trying to that and learn French and Spanish at the same time as well though...

But that's nothing compared to what you're trying to accomplish pre-cruise! Go Tara! How's

 

[lmhall2000]

LOL! I guess the Italians are really afraid of getting ill?!?!?

It'll be good to resurrect the good old high school Italian. It is hard trying to that and learn French and Spanish at the same time as well though... How's...

My dh had 2 years of French in high school, I had 2 years of Spanish in high school so we'll trip and stumble through those but riding in a car all day with an Italian, we wanted to at least imagine we could communicate in his language...we're learning phrases like, "That's neat, tell me more" and "Could you please stop for a bathroom break?" Keep him talking and our physiological needs attended to!

We are so excited, but I'll be sidetracked with my backyardannigans I'm afraid the trip will sneak up on me and I won't be ready!! Feel much better having those airline seats booked!! Didn't realize pool coping was so expensive....need to save every euro!

Tara

 

[shushh]

Ah, you've booked your flights! Did you get the deal you wanted? I've been hanging out to hear what price you managed to get in the end!!

 

[lmhall2000]

Ah, you've booked your flights! Did you get the deal you wanted? I've been hanging out to hear what price you managed to get in the end!!

Ah, no....sorry meant "Will" feel much better....no tickets yet, they haven't gone below $950...I really want them around the $650 mark...They were $450 last February for May flights, so I'm not trying to be too scroogy!

It'll come!!

Tara

 

[lmhall2000]

COUNTDOWNS!!

10. No airfare yet!

9. 24 pounds lost since November!!

8. 100 miles walked in January!!

7. Dad finally applied for his passport!!

6. Mom is calling with questions on luggage....she's seeking out replacements for her luggage she took on the last cruise that would not make today's limits!! Great going Mom!!

5. Pool being constructed for our future summer camps...hoping to offer free swimming lessons/horse lessons to foster kids...scary undertaking when you see that big hole in the backyard!!

4. Science Olympiad, Teen Pact, Speech & Debate Tournament, Scouting campout, Tonsillectomy for ds, a loooong list of to-do's before the cruise, will it all get finished??

3. Did I mention no airfare yet??

2. Not in full panic mode yet...

1.


Mrs. T

 

[lmhall2000]

"You can't handle the truth......or Freeeee..dommmmm"

I'm not sure which I need to be screaming. Four months now I have been almost daily searching for airfare sales for the days we're going. Delta has had NO Europe sales out of Atlanta, only NYC...and to fly out of NYC with Delta it means we have to go back west to Texas then to DC then to NYC then to Madrid THEN to Barcelona! Having 4 connections scares the bejeebies out of me b/c there is a huge risk for them losing our luggage (with 7 going..it's scary). And although Delta has had sales out of NYC they have only been for dates up to April 30th, not May 5th.

On a higher note, the euro is dipping greatly due to a financial crisis in Greek (thanks to the Greeks!!)...so I really want to go ahead and exchange $$ here before the rates jump back up in May. I just don't like money, I don't like handling it, don't like thinking about it, wish I had freedom from having to deal with it....

We're moving along on our pool build...money is a beast. We're stretching ourselves fairly thin trying to make this summer camp a reality....but amazing things have happened that give me encouragment to keep going...3 of the subs working either were foster kids/orphans or have foster kids...their stories helped encourage me to keep up the work. I've had days where I just want to drop my jaw and say in a very sarcastic voice, "Really???" Like the day where the sub I asked for a bid on a 1500 sq. foot paver deck gave me a quote for $24,000!!! These are bricks!!! Not the yellow brick road! I have spent 6 weeks working down that bid to one fifth the cost....it's just so hard, but too many people just throw out numbers and expect you to accept them....it is an act of persistence but usually it is worth it...that's how I feel about the airline tickets....any savings is worth the daily looking and angst....it's only money....but it's money we have worked so very hard to stretch to make a lot of different things happen....our first vacation going on 4 years, a summer camp for very deserving kids, and a gift to two of the very most best parents in the world...none of that would have happened if we weren't so careful with money....but would have sitting back and not trying hard to save everywhere, just padding a retirement account really give us that much joy? Nah...I can handle the truth!

Mrs. T

 

[lmhall2000]

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

I'll admit, I do have very vivid dreams. Last night I was in panic mode. I somehow was in Dublin Ireland and needed a ticket to get to Barcelona...when I realized that the ship set sail the next day! The counter said it was only open from 7:30-8:30 am...so I was in my pajamas at the counter waiting desperately for a counter agent to appear....she appears and seems to not be moved by my dilemma and offers me an airfare that is 3x what I paid to get to Dublin...

It was filled with so much detail and angst...even met a soccer crew from Oklahoma who offered to put me on their bus but would not get me to Barcelona in time..managed to clean up our hotel room in record time...kids were all packed with their backpacks, mom and dad were laid back and just saying it'd all work out....

So I'm going with that thought, last night American Airlines opened up sale fares to everywhere in the world through June 16th, except for their Europe sale that is still stuck on travel before April 17th...so that is a good sign, hoping to jump on it today if it bumps!

Tara

 

[mackeymouse4eva]

Love reading your pre-trip report!! Have you priced out Aer Lingus?? It could be fate: your dreams of Ireland, you step dancing daughter...! Really check it out, I am on the EBTA and MANY MANY of us are returning home on Aer Lingus because they were MUCH cheaper than the other airlines. I know they have flights from New York & Boston via Dublin, but I also think they service Chicago, DC and Atlanta. Several on the EBTA and 1st Med sailing booked tix between $350-600 for the Barcelona to US portion. I booked it later, mid-Feb and was still able to get a flight for $650, and we get two days in Dublin ( by choice )!! We do live about an hour from Boston - so we do not have to find another flight once we hit the US, but maybe you could find an OK deal??





Actually ...YOU should be able to get a better deal because you will be doing a roundtrip. We got nailed because it was only a one way! i think they were running a spring sale on roundtrips, starting in US, very recently. I didnt pay too much attention because I didnt qualify for the rate.

 

[lmhall2000]

Actually ...YOU should be able to get a better deal because you will be doing a roundtrip. We got nailed because it was only a one way! i think they were running a spring sale on roundtrips, starting in US, very recently. I didnt pay too much attention because I didnt qualify for the rate.

I am getting wary of these airline ups and downs! I was so excited when AA announced a sale for my dates, I went online and the outgoing was priced at $316...so I was thinking I could get a $700 RT and book...but NO, the return was priced at $1549!!! Then I go to Delta and their outgoing was $329 and their return was over $1000...eek! I'll just keep checking, I did try Aer Lingus but it shows no link to Barcelona, it just shows Atlanta or Boston to Dublin and no link to BCN, but I know I had called one time and they had a fare..so guess I just have to call them...thanks so much for your encouraging words, they really help me keep hope!

Thanks!
Tara

 

[lmhall2000]

Upgrades!!!

Thanks to a heads up from a fellow Med traveller, I checked and OILA! we received a category upgrade from cat 12 to cat 9 and they're adjoining rooms! I had hoped to upgrade to a cat 4 at port but the fact my parent's room will be right next to ours can be a great plus...it'll be like having double room with all the space since they're adjoining! I really want them to have their own space and was worried about us trying to squeeze 5 into our room, but we may just have to do that! I have a feeling the girls will end up in one room and boys in the other!

Still no airfare...even wrote to the President of Delta...and I must admit that although he said they could not do anything as far as alerting me of special fares, he did have customer care write back and it was encouraging to see customer care that still cares!

Need that airfare! Have lined up housesitters for our 2 dogs, horses and cats...son had his tonsils out, so far everyone is hanging in there, fighting all this chest stuff...I haven't walked 2 miles in 2 weeks, back to schedule tomorrow!


Mrs. T

 

[cj'smom]

Hey there! I can relate to being SO frustrated with fares from Atlanta. You'd think there would be deals from here - but NOOO. I feel like I have spent way too many hours over the last couple months checking airfare every night (often after midnight,lol). I was also waiting to get final dates on some end of year award banquets for my graduating Senior - didn't want to miss more than I had to.

I finally bit the bullet and booked using ff miles - still more miles than I wish but cheap in terms of $$. Plus, I really wanted an aisle/window combo for my dd and I so we wouldn't have to sleep snuggled up to a stranger all the way to B'lona. Those were just about gone on all flights. I got the last two on our flight.

We are flying into Barcelona for several days pre-trip and then going to Munich for a few days post-trip. May as well see the Alps while we are in that neck of the world! Glad to have that finally taken care of. Now, I just have to figure out where we are staying for our days in Barcelona and get that booked.

Congrats on the great upgrade! That will be great for you to have adjoining rooms. Checked ours and found we went from cat 12 to cat 8. Yippee!

 

[wrennies]

I am really surprised that you are still struggling with airfare out of ATL. I am in Knoxville and had been watching a few Delta flights, and as you know, everything goes through ATL, hahaha. I got ours for May 24 and returning on June 5 for $888 a person last week. It had been as much as $1400 a person. It does seem to change though. I first found it at this person and didn't "pull the trigger" and it went back to $1200. I found it again 5 days later for the same price. I took it quickly this time.

 

[lmhall2000]

Wrennies!!

I'm trying to save as much $$ as possible since we're footing the bill for 7 of us!! I have seen it at $909...just hoping we can get something close to $800..this time last year they had RT around $479!! (Taxes included!)..so if it drops below $900 I'll take it! Saving just $70 pp will pay for our excursion in Naples!! It's actually weird, I have found cheaper flights HSV-ATL-BCN than direct from ATL-BCN! For the same exact flight number they quoted $1037 for ATL-BCN, and then I did HSV-ATL-BCN and it was $909!

Strange!!
Hoping today a good fare comes out, they usually hit on Tuesdays!
Tara

 

[lmhall2000]

Please wake me from this nightmare...

Sadly, this is no nightmare but simply a result of too much pressure I've put on myself to find a fair fare. I could not sleep and decided to see if Delta had lowered their airfare on the return, 2 days ago they lowered the outgoing and I was hoping they'd match the return....you can imagine to my amazement when I saw they had!!! I was stunned! My dream of finalizing this vacation had finally come true! It was still very expensive ($800) but much less than $1035 which is what it has been for a few months now...then I began to think that it was too good to be true, what if I put the wrong date by accident? I couldn't back up, this fare might disappear if I don't buy!

I chatted online and they told me the fare could change from minute to minute and I should buy it...I figured I'd try to call the international line and see if they were seeing the same fare..but I was on hold for so long I was afraid I'd lose it...so I bought it!

WRONG DATE!

yes!! I had booked the return on May 14th not the 15th....my heart SANK!! I was told they could refund me 100% if I cancel before midnight of the day I booked but NO ONE is answering the phones...I've been on hold for 2 hours since this all started, my one phone ran out of battery and now I'm sitting at the kitchen table and crying my eyes out at the fool I was...oh please, please, send pixie dust this way...I'm in a self pity pit of despair...



Mrs. T

 

[lmhall2000]

Is it now evident to you readers that this gal NEEEDS a vacation??? I am breathing again, went online and found a person to chat, yes, my phone is still on hold...can't imagine how many people are booking tonight! They said there was bad weather and all reps are slammed..at 3 in the morning????

He showed me where I could go online and enter my confirmation number and cancel and all my funds would be restored...my eyes are as puffy as a puffer fish and I've blown more stress out of my nose than I care to take back...

Maybe sleep will help me...I'm terribly terribly ready for this day to end.

Thanks for the good thoughts!
Mrs. T

 

[wrennies]

I promise it will get better. Just remember that in about 6 weeks you will be on a cruise!!!!!
Keep holding out for the flights and checking constantly. I tried several times and even had it change once on me( in the time it took to "click" through everything) when we found the "right price".
As for seeing cheaper prices, it was cheaper for us to fly from Knoxville to Atlanta, than to drive to Atlanta and get on the same flight by $22 each!!! Amazing!!! My husband would not believe me until I showed him on several different sights!

 

[cj'smom]

Wow - so sorry that happened! Must have been extremely frustrating.
So glad they let you cancel and refunded your money - knowing Delta, I'm surprised that they did.

We booked wrong dates recently - my husband booked flights for a college visit for eldest dd - then found out the next day the dates were during Spring Break. Called Delta and they wanted to charge us $150/per ticket to change the dates plus the fares had doubled overnight! Eek! The Delta person took pity on us and reduced the change fee to $50 but the trip went from $400 to $900.

So were you able to go back and book the correct dates at the $800 fare?
Knowing how high fares have been from ATL, that is a good rate (though not as low as you wanted).
Sending some pixie dust and prayers your way!

 

[shushh]

So sorry to hear that! It must have been awful. Lots of hugs...and pixiedust your way.