Western Europe? What do you think?

[disneyholic family]

Each to there own I suppose, but how you can call Cadiz garbage, I just do not know.

We live in Europe, so obviously the ports are not so much of a draw, as we can visit them easily. This was my first visit to both Cadiz and Lisbon, but both are fast becoming very popular and trendy to visit.

As I say it’s a bit different from your run of the mill Rome and the Amalfi coast. I would do some research for yourself and see if you think it suits your family. Don’t take any one else’s view either way!

Oh and Barcelona, Lisbon and Cadiz were all in the 30 to 35 degree (Celsius) range while we were there. It was quite warm...

absolutely....i agree...everyone has their own view on every place...
but my main point of view of this cruise is they're calling it western europe to allow higher pricing than calling it a repo.
as someone pointed out, the water will be rougher on this cruise...and having one or possibly two moderately interesting ports (cadiz and lisbon), isn't the same as having 4 extremely interesting ports....

but as you noted, one man's interesting is another man's garbage....so each person has to figure it out for themselves..

but regardless, i continue to feel it's overpriced for the ports and water it's offering....a repo for non-repo prices...

and again, we're booked on board either way....

.

 

[Shanti]

my main point of view of this cruise is they're calling it western europe to allow higher pricing than calling it a repo...

It's a cruise that involves 6 ports in 4 different countries in western Europe, so I don't think they're being sneaky by calling it a Western European cruise, lol. Typical repositioning cruises contain 1 - 2 ports, so I think characterizing this cruise as "just a repo", and therefore overpriced, and that the ports are therefore "garbage", is inaccurate.

I get that you don't happen to be interested in western European ports as you've personally already spent lots of time in Europe, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a cruise with ports in four different countries, and will offer as many experiences as any of the other 7-night European cruises DCL is offering.

We'll have spent a week in Italy by the time we take this cruise, visiting the major Italian cities and landmarks, but I still wouldn't call the Italy ports on DCL's Mediterranean cruises overpriced garbage just because I probably will have had my fill of Italy by that time, or because I was able to see more while touring Italy via land than you could during a cruise.

 

[disneyholic family]

It's a cruise that involves 6 ports in 4 different countries in western Europe, so I don't think they're being sneaky by calling it a Western European cruise, lol. Typical repositioning cruises contain 1 - 2 ports, so I think characterizing this cruise as "just a repo", and therefore overpriced, and that the ports are therefore "garbage", is inaccurate.

I get that you don't happen to be interested in western European ports as you've personally already spent lots of time in Europe, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a cruise with ports in four different countries, and will offer as many experiences as any of the other 7-night European cruises DCL is offering.

We'll have spent a week in Italy by the time we take this cruise, visiting the major Italian cities and landmarks, but I still wouldn't call the Italy ports on DCL's Mediterranean cruises overpriced garbage just because I probably will have had my fill of Italy by that time, or because I was able to see more while touring Italy via land than you could during a cruise.

this is the name of the cruise on our booking page: 7 Night Barcelona to Dover Repositioning

so apparently someone even in official DCL land thinks of it as a repo..

you're counting the beginning and the end as ports? interesting count....

 

[o&smom]

personally i think they're garbage ports - this is basically a repositioning cruise just to get the ship from barcelona to dover..
they're just calling it western europe to take your mind off the fact that it's just a repo cruise going to boring ports..

that said, i just paid a bundle in deposits on three staterooms for that very cruise....

i would much rather do the med, but the med cruises are all in june and so don't work for us...
so we're on that repo....better than nothing...



no, this repo is not hot....barcelona will be warm i suppose, but none of these ports are terribly hot....and the last two are actually kind of cold by normal summer measurements....you can google july weather in each port to see...

we would actually rather have HOT ports (we live in heat, so anything less that HOT isn't really that comfortable for swimming etc)...

but as i said, this is the one that works for us...

.

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Hey Disneyholic family,
So funny that I did not realize we will be on the same cruise! We chatted a bit yesterday about deck two and Disneyland Paris. Small world; and we will almost be neighbors in room 2111 - our second cruise in an inside stateroom. I agree that these are not the biggest and most exciting ports, but that also should mean less crowded in tourist season. Some of our favorite days have been in ports that we did not expect much out of. Sometimes it is just about the icecream we ate while walking along the beach.

 

[o&smom]

I actually like the idea of visiting European town/cities that aren't the most obvious. That seems like a good approach for a cruise, where you wouldn't have time to explore major cities in depth, anyway. I don't want to spend our cruise week taking hour-long bus rides to & from big cities and rushing around snapping photos. I want it to be fun and relaxing, as well as expose us to some different cultures/architecture/landscapes. I think this cruise could give us a nice introduction to four European countries. I'm an American and have never been to mainland Europe, and have only been to Britain once when I was about five. In March of next year, we'll take a land trip to Italy with my son's school, and will visit Rome, Florence, etc. I'd like our summer vacation cruise to be a lot more self-indulgent and relaxing than the educational school trip to Italy.

I have seen you mention the land trip to Italy with your son's school. Is this a trip they do in High School? We are traveling with DS who will have just turned 16 the day before boarding. He loves meeting new kids on the cruise and I was wondering the age of your DS. Enjoy your time in Italy.

 

[o&smom]

this is the name of the cruise on our booking page: 7 Night Barcelona to Dover Repositioning

so apparently someone even in official DCL land thinks of it as a repo..

you're counting the beginning and the end as ports? interesting count....

I did notice the "Disneyfying" of this repositioning by calling it a Western Europe cruise. In 2015 a similar itinerary was actually called a repositioning cruise and was a little over $5000 for a family of four in a 9B. Since Disney prices keep climbing I think maybe it is to make us all, feel better about being on a "Western Europe" cruise and not just a repositioning cruise. How's that for marketing! Either way, I know where we are going and am looking forward to checking out some places that we probably normally would not have on a trip to Europe.

 

[Kate_45]

Well other cruise lines do circular cruises from dover calling at some of those ports so I guess they also don't consider them garbage.

I personally think going to the capital of Portugal on a cruise makes far more sense than trying to shoehorn in a place over an hour away from the port (Civitavecchia is not Rome). I would easily find a range of interesting things to do at each of those ports which would give you a real feel of travel and experience of a diversity of cultures.

(I'm doing really well here, not referencing Naples notorious garbage strikes I feel)

 

[Kate_45]

...and having one or possibly two moderately interesting ports (cadiz and lisbon), isn't the same as having 4 extremely interesting ports....
.

All down to opinion. So many people (including me) regularly holiday in Brittany and consider it an interesting destination, I however don't find Cannes a remotely interesting port.

 

[disneyholic family]

Hey Disneyholic family,
So funny that I did not realize we will be on the same cruise! We chatted a bit yesterday about deck two and Disneyland Paris. Small world; and we will almost be neighbors in room 2111 - our second cruise in an inside stateroom. I agree that these are not the biggest and most exciting ports, but that also should mean less crowded in tourist season. Some of our favorite days have been in ports that we did not expect much out of. Sometimes it is just about the icecream we ate while walking along the beach.

hiya neighbor!!
yes, a cup of coffee at a nice little cafe by a port - if it's right by the ship - can be the nicest experience of a cruise..

when i originally looked at the various 2019 summer itineraries i foolishly thought this one might be cheap...ok...not cheap, but less expensive than the others given that it's a repo etc etc.
but foolish i was as this cruise is not only as expensive as the ones that i thought had better itineraries, but is even more than some of them....

but we're on it for the ship and for the touch of disney that's hard for us to get without spending an arm, leg and most of our vital organs to fly to the USA...

and this will mark the return to DCL of my son and his family - so that should be fun...possibly challenging with the 3 wee ones, but that's what the rest of us are there for..

and i booked the DLP part of our 2019 extravaganza....i booked it today....took about an hour on the phone, but got it all done...

so now i only have the flights, eurostar, port transfer to eurostar, hotel in barcelona, transfers from DLP to the airport...

and planning....we're totally unfamiliar with DLP, so that should be a lot of fun...

the disney magic part of the adventure will be a lot of chilling and family time on board the ship i think....

.

 

[anricat]

this is the name of the cruise on our booking page: 7 Night Barcelona to Dover Repositioning

so apparently someone even in official DCL land thinks of it as a repo..

you're counting the beginning and the end as ports? interesting count....

This summer we are on the Mediterranean cruise that starts in Barcelona and ends in Civitavecchia. The ship then turns around and does another 7-day starting there and ending in Barcelona. My cruise is also called a "Repositioning" cruise. I have to wonder if, in Disney lingo, "repositioning" just means "we start and end in different ports." You have to admit, the former rolls off the tongue a little better.

 

[disneyholic family]

This summer we are on the Mediterranean cruise that starts in Barcelona and ends in Civitavecchia. The ship then turns around and does another 7-day starting there and ending in Barcelona. My cruise is also called a "Repositioning" cruise. I have to wonder if, in Disney lingo, "repositioning" just means "we start and end in different ports." You have to admit, the former rolls off the tongue a little better.

a repo is when they actually move to another port to stay there for a while...
not one way and then returning one way the other direction...
as in, when we cruise in alaska, we take a one way cruise either south or northbound (obviously not on dcl since they haven't discovered those yet for some reason)..

.

 

[Shanti]

I have seen you mention the land trip to Italy with your son's school. Is this a trip they do in High School? We are traveling with DS who will have just turned 16 the day before boarding. He loves meeting new kids on the cruise and I was wondering the age of your DS. Enjoy your time in Italy.

Thanks! It's an 8th grade trip. His school's patron saint is St. Francis, so there is an annual 8th grade trip to visit his homeland.

 

[tink1970]

We did a similar reverse of this last year, and loved it

We were on that one, too! We absolutely loved it!

. I want it to be fun and relaxing, as well as expose us to some different cultures/architecture/landscapes. I think this cruise could give us a nice introduction to four European countries. I'm an American and have never been to mainland Europe, and have only been to Britain once when I was about five. In March of next year, we'll take a land trip to Italy with my son's school, and will visit Rome, Florence, etc. I'd like our summer vacation cruise to be a lot more self-indulgent and relaxing than the educational school trip to Italy.

I think it's a nice cruise to see some variety in Europe. We went on the Dover to Barcelona last summer (like @Keris) and it had something new for all of us: Lisbon was new for everyone, London and Paris new for my mother and husband, the DDay beaches new for my dad (and a bucket list item...one of the best days of his life!), and Cadiz/Barcelona new for mom, DH and myself. We had extra days in London and enjoyed Barcelona so much DH and I are headed back in July this year; DD, DM and I are going back for a med cruise in '19. I think it will give you a great overview of several places AND you might decide you have to return

ps-as someone who stayed on board on the Cadiz and Le Havre (France) ports...it is also quite possible to just relax and enjoy the ship

 

[o&smom]

hiya neighbor!!
yes, a cup of coffee at a nice little cafe by a port - if it's right by the ship - can be the nicest experience of a cruise..

when i originally looked at the various 2019 summer itineraries i foolishly thought this one might be cheap...ok...not cheap, but less expensive than the others given that it's a repo etc etc.
but foolish i was as this cruise is not only as expensive as the ones that i thought had better itineraries, but is even more than some of them....

but we're on it for the ship and for the touch of disney that's hard for us to get without spending an arm, leg and most of our vital organs to fly to the USA...

and this will mark the return to DCL of my son and his family - so that should be fun...possibly challenging with the 3 wee ones, but that's what the rest of us are there for..

and i booked the DLP part of our 2019 extravaganza....i booked it today....took about an hour on the phone, but got it all done...

so now i only have the flights, eurostar, port transfer to eurostar, hotel in barcelona, transfers from DLP to the airport...

and planning....we're totally unfamiliar with DLP, so that should be a lot of fun...

the disney magic part of the adventure will be a lot of chilling and family time on board the ship i think....

.

Sounds like you are well on your way to getting everything tied down. I think you posted somewhere the ages of the grandkids...3,4,5ish. You all will have so much fun making special memories together. We have cruised Disney with our kids when they were 3months & 7, 15 months & 8, 2 & 8, 3 & 9, 4 & 10, 5 & 11, 6 & 12 and 6 & 13. We have had so much fun ourselves, but it is so special to see the wonder in the eyes of children. Sometimes it is funny the things that stand out in their minds. Since we live on the west coast of the U.S., Disney has been such am amazing way for us to share Europe with our kids when they have been young - even if it is just a taste. The thing my daughter (7) remembers about Scotland is petting the sheep with blue paint on their hind quarters who kept pooping everywhere. This is while we were standing in an ancient stone circle. At least she remembers Scotland very vividly! Happy planning and we'll probably see you in 2019.

 

[o&smom]

Well other cruise lines do circular cruises from dover calling at some of those ports so I guess they also don't consider them garbage.

I personally think going to the capital of Portugal on a cruise makes far more sense than trying to shoehorn in a place over an hour away from the port (Civitavecchia is not Rome). I would easily find a range of interesting things to do at each of those ports which would give you a real feel of travel and experience of a diversity of cultures.

(I'm doing really well here, not referencing Naples notorious garbage strikes I feel)

We had only heard bad things about Naples before our first cruise, and it ended up being one of our favorite ports. We took a taxi from the port to the archeological musuem and then walked a few blocks to get authentic pizza (which was amazing!). We then grabbed a cab back to the ship before our afternoon port adventure to Herculaneum. The cab rides were an adventure in themselves; almost like an amusement park ride. Our cruise directir had warned us that street signals were just a suggestion. So true! We still talk about the pizza and the crazy cab rides even more than Herculaneum which was wonderful to experience.

 

[o&smom]

Thanks! It's an 8th grade trip. His school's patron saint is St. Francis, so there is an annual 8th grade trip to visit his homeland.

That's amazing! Our kids go to Washington D.C. their junior year. I wish it was Italy!

 

[anricat]

a repo is when they actually move to another port to stay there for a while...
not one way and then returning one way the other direction...
as in, when we cruise in alaska, we take a one way cruise either south or northbound (obviously not on dcl since they haven't discovered those yet for some reason)..

.

Tell that to Disney. They're calling it a repositioning cruise. On June 23 after we get off, the Magic turns around and does the same cruise in the other direction (Civitavecchia to Barcelona). So clearly they are using the verbiage "repositioning" to mean "we start in one port and end in another" not "we are moving to another port and staying there for awhile."

 

[disneyholic family]

We were on that one, too! We absolutely loved it!



I think it's a nice cruise to see some variety in Europe. We went on the Dover to Barcelona last summer (like @Keris) and it had something new for all of us: Lisbon was new for everyone, London and Paris new for my mother and husband, the DDay beaches new for my dad (and a bucket list item...one of the best days of his life!), and Cadiz/Barcelona new for mom, DH and myself. We had extra days in London and enjoyed Barcelona so much DH and I are headed back in July this year; DD, DM and I are going back for a med cruise in '19. I think it will give you a great overview of several places AND you might decide you have to return

ps-as someone who stayed on board on the Cadiz and Le Havre (France) ports...it is also quite possible to just relax and enjoy the ship

sadly, Brest isn't Le Havre.... my initial reaction was the same - oh....a DDay visit....since i wasn't paying attention that it was brest, and not le havre..
brest is kind of in the middle of nowhere, not really near anything....i guess they just wanted to add on france, so that they could say it included france..
i'm guessing the entire ship will stay on board in that port...
had it been le havre, i would have definitely wanted to visit the beaches of normandy...that is history....(since the last time i docked in le havre i was 7 years old and not really all that interested in history)...

but no....it's brest....

 

[disneyholic family]

Sounds like you are well on your way to getting everything tied down. I think you posted somewhere the ages of the grandkids...3,4,5ish. You all will have so much fun making special memories together. We have cruised Disney with our kids when they were 3months & 7, 15 months & 8, 2 & 8, 3 & 9, 4 & 10, 5 & 11, 6 & 12 and 6 & 13. We have had so much fun ourselves, but it is so special to see the wonder in the eyes of children. Sometimes it is funny the things that stand out in their minds. Since we live on the west coast of the U.S., Disney has been such am amazing way for us to share Europe with our kids when they have been young - even if it is just a taste. The thing my daughter (7) remembers about Scotland is petting the sheep with blue paint on their hind quarters who kept pooping everywhere. This is while we were standing in an ancient stone circle. At least she remembers Scotland very vividly! Happy planning and we'll probably see you in 2019.

it will be a 14 month old, a 3 (almost 4 year old) and a 5 year old....
the baby won't remember a thing of course....i'm guessing the 3 and 5 year olds will..
but it doesn't really matter...it's just to have fun together. 'doing disney' and having fun on the ship..
and then at DLP after the cruise...

the kids will have an interesting time in barcelona before the cruise since they're trilingual - one of the languages being spanish (though not exactly the form spoken in barcelona, but it's more similar than different)....

i'm looking forward to being on the Magic - it's been a really long time since i was on one of the 'classic' ships so it will be interesting to see the difference....

.

.

 

[bbel]

a repo is when they actually move to another port to stay there for a while...
not one way and then returning one way the other direction...
as in, when we cruise in alaska, we take a one way cruise either south or northbound (obviously not on dcl since they haven't discovered those yet for some reason)..

.

Fwiw, I've worked for 2 cruise lines. They call any cruise that starts and ends in a different port a repositioning (even if it's a port in the same country), whether they advertise/sell it as that or not...

Also, a quick google search: