07/07/07---Get Off The Ship!!!

We programmed a wake up call for 6:30, but I woke up about 5:30. We were already back in Barcelona. Lots of activity going on outside. I sat on the verandah and watched as they unloaded the lugguge. Eventually, I got everyone up, showered and dressed. Made one last ck of the rooms and at 7:45 headed to breakfast in Animators Palette. We were in no rush, as our flight didn't leave until 3:30 and Ivo and Alessandro didn't make us feel like we needed to hurry. We finished up and said our last good byes to our tablemates and our serving teams. Hugs and kisses all around. Off the ship and into the terminal where we grabbed a porter and searched out our bags. The were all set up according to the lugguge tags we were given, red Mickeys. Found all our bags, but one required a bit of a search. Found it and headed outside where our driver was waiting for us. Took a few last shots of the ship and loaded up the bags and off to the airport. We were all cked in by 10:30 or so and then just had to wait for boarding. Flight was due to take off at 3:30, but we didn't even board until 3:45, so we were a bit late taking off. Not a problem as we had about a 3 hr layover in London. We had to go from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 by bus. That was the easy part. We had to wait to go through security and it took about 1.5 to 2 hrs to get through. They only had one security lane open. While we were standing in line, I noticed two unattended suitcases/bags just sitting there. With some of the things that had gone on in London and Scotland while we were away, it made me a bit nervous. I notified a security person and they came over. They asked whose bags they were and no one claimed them. Then a woman and her daughter came up and claimed them. They got quite a talking to by the security guy. They were kink of annoyed, but I was glad I said something. Better safe than sorry. My advise, just hold onto your stuff and there won't be any problems.

We finally got throught the line and headed to the flight connections desk where we were able to get our boarding passes which I was unable to print out the night before on board the ship. Headed to our gate where we had about 30 to 40 minutes to wait. Grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant near the gate and then we were boarding.

Settled in for the 7+ hour flight. I watched the movie "Wild Hogs" Kind of funny. Everyone managed to sleep a bit, which is helpful, it makes the trip go somewhat faster.

Landed, went through customs, got our lugguge and headed out to the car. Got home about 1:00 AM and everyone crashed. Still working on getting myself organized almost a week later.

I loved this trip. It ranks right up there with our first trip to Egypt. I can't stop looking at all the pics we took and remembering. I am know in the process of planning next years summer vacation. Looking into Hawaii or maybe even another Disney cruise. It's the only thing that helps getting over that vacation is over letdown.

Hope you all enjoyed following along. I really enjoyed sharing our experience. Until next time. Ciao!!! : )

July 6, 2007-Sea Day & Last Day : (

Woke up early this morning. I didn't want my last day to be wasted by sleeping late. Got up and took a shower and went and got my usual morning beverage, diet coke. Then I went and sat outside Cove Cafe. This, to me, is one of the most relaxing places on the ship. It's so nice to sit there and watch the world float by. So peaceful.

Went back to the room and got the kids up. Laura went up on deck 10 to lay out. It was very important for her to come back w/ a nice, golden tan. Mission accomplished!! At 12 we headed up to Topsiders Buffet for lunch. I thought Topsiders was the best bet when it came to breakfast and lunch.

In the afternoon, Julie and I went to the Character meet in the atrium. They had Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip and Dale, Peter Pan, Capt. Hook, Belle, Cinderella, and more I can't remember. You just stood in line to get an autograph or take a pic w/ your own camera. It was not crowded at all and I took Julie's picture w/ just about all the characters. It was fun.

Since all lugguge needed to be outside the staterooms between 8:00 and 10:00, I felt the need to get the packing completed. It took a while to get it all sorted out and all the extras packed up. Julie and Zach headed up to the last show, Remember the Magic. I wish I went, because they said the show was really funny. They are still telling the jokes they heard.

Final dinner was nice and we took pics w/ our dining team. They were soooo great. Kids made final stops in their clubs and said goodbye to the few friends they made. We were all in bed by 12 w/ 6:30 Am wake up calls set.

Next up: Off the ship (boo hoo)

Last Ones....Maybe : )

Here's More....

pics, once again

July 5, 2007-Villefranche

Today was Villefranche and a tender port. The tender process went very smoothly, no problems getting off or on. This port you can visit the cities of Monaco, Nice, Eze, Monte Carlo. Our excursion was Highlights of Monaco and the Top Car Museum, again in the afternoon. This was a great tour. We took a bus up to the Rock of Monaco and let me tell you, the views were beautiful. Our tour guide then took us to the Monaco Cathedral where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier were married and where they are both buried. It was a lovely church. We then saw the Prince's Palace and were able to watch the changing of the guard. We also took a stroll through some lovely gardens w/ some more gorgeous views of the Mediterrainean Sea.

After, we were taken to the Car Museum where all the Prince's private collection of cars is kept. Zach really enjoyed this part of the tour. He loved seeing all the classic cars. Prince Rainier had quite a collection, some american models, and a lot of foreign models we never heard of.

I enjoyed this excursion. It was such a beautiful place. I could live there, but I think I would need to win the lottery a couple of time over first!!!

Missed the show and the deck party this night. I have no idea what I was doing and no drink of the day. I think this is the night that I fell asleep around 11:00.

Tomorrow, sea day and the rush to pack up.

July 4, 2007-Marseille

Today was Marseille and the Little Train. I think this was one of my poorer choices. We took this little train like thing up some very narrow streets w/ cars following very close behind. Big mistake to sit all the way in the rear. You get to look the car drivers right in the eye. I was a bit nervous that one would smash into the back of us, that's how close they came to the back. Then you have the scooters zipping in and out. Interesting, to say the least.

We got to the top and saw the outside of the Notre Dame de la Garde Basillica. We only had about 20 minutes there and then it was back on the train to head back down. The Basillica was very lovely from the outside and there is a golden statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of the bell tower. It was said that the Virgin Mary watches over the city of Marseille and protects it from misfortune. It was very pretty and the views were really nice.

We were given 30 mins of free time to shop and look around and then it back on the bus and back to the ship. They had some souviener shops right outside on the dock where we bought a bunch of stuff. That was the best part of the whole day.

We saw the 6:30 showing of Disney Dreams. We have seen that a few other times on our Wonder cruises. I think they've added a few new things here and there. We enjoyed that show, even having seen it before.

Tonight was Pirate night. We had pirate bandanas waiting for us at dinner. They also gave us champagne to help celebrate the 4th of July. The deck party was pretty much the same as on our other cruises, but still fun. Mickey swoops down and saves the day. Then they shot off some fireworks. Drink of the day was Stars and Stripes. Red, white and blue. Tasty. Enjoyed that while sitting outside Cove Cafe w/ Sam.

I'll put pics of Marseille up in a bit.

July 3, 2007-La Spezia

We had an excursion planned for this morning at 8:30 AM. Well, when you wake up at 8:20 there is no way in hell you are going to make it. We were scheduled to do the Pisa excursion. I was so upset that we had overslept. What we ended up doing was just hanging on the ship. I had a manicure at 4:00 and Laura had a massage at 6:00. Julie, Sam and I went and saw Twice Charmed at 6:30. This is the first time we had seen this show and we really enjoyed it a lot.

In the afternoon, Julie swam in an empty Goofy pool and I sat on the edge and dangled my tootsies. It was really quiet on the ship which was kind of nice. Had my drink of the day called Italian Mojito. Didn't really care for this one and didn't even finish it all.

So, this day was treated like a day at sea, just relaxed and hung out. That means I don't really have any pics to share. Maybe a few on the ship or some of the port area.

Next day will be better. No chance of sleeping in as our excursion will be in the afternoon.

Pics, Again

Pics, Part 3

Pics, Part 2

Some Pics

Home!!!

Well, it's 1:06 AM and we just got home. This has been an incredibly long day. Sleeping on the plane is next to impossible, so everyone is exhausted. Julie and Zach are both in bed already. I don't even think they changed into pj's.

I will update tomorrow on the days that are missing and get some pics up.

This was a great vacation. I'm so glad we did it and I think I would do it again.

Right now, I'm off to bed.

Rome!!!

What can I say about Rome? It was fabulous, a very long and tiring day, but great.

Instead of doing an excursion w/ DCL, I hired a tour service, limoinrome.com. Marcello was our driver/guide. He was great. The van was right there waiting for us when we got off the ship at 7:30 AM He took us to all the major sites and walked with us and explained so much about the different sites. He would even stop and pullover to the side if we wanted a picture of something. He took us to the Coliseum, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and other places that escape my crowded mind. We threw our coins into the fountain to insure our return to Rome one day. I certainly hope I get the opportunity to come back one day.

We then had a private guide, Natasha, arranged by Marcello, to take us through the Vatican Museums, The Sistine Chapel, and St. Peters Basillica. She was great and very informative. The whole place was jammed packed w/ people. The Sistine Chapel was a bit hard to enjoy as we felt packed in like sardines. Could barely move. We were there in the afternoon. Don't know if that makes a difference or not.

Before the tour of the above, Marcello took us to this great little restaurant where we enjoyed the most delicious pizza and spaghetti. I'll post later the name of the place as I can't remember it at the moment. It was sooo good.

You must be very careful when in a crowded area. Two men almost came to blows when one accused the other of trying to pickpocket him. Rather interesting. Just hold tight to your belongings.

Dinner was scheduled a 1/2 hour later than normal, 9:00 instead of 8:30. This was good for us. It gave us time to rest up and shower after the long day. We were off the ship at 7:30 and got back about 6:00

Someone asked who our servers are. Head server is Ivo, Asst. server is Alessandro and the Head Waiter is also Alessandro. Our serving team of Ivo and Alessandro are wonderful, love them. Our stateroom hostess is Denista. She is wonderful. She joined in yesterday w/ Laura, Julie and Sam to sing me happy birthday. She is very sweet and is always available for anything we need.

Today we were supposed to go see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Our excursion was scheduled for 8:30 Am, but we overslept and missed it. We are using today as a day to relax. Laura has a massage at 6:00 and I have a manicure at 4:00. I felt so bad this morning, but I guess it worked out for the best. The 11 day cruisers have a sea day in the middle, which will be very helpful to them. Us 10 day cruisers don't have that and this cruise is so port intensive, it can be a bit exhausting.

We are having a great time. Sorry about not being able to post pics. I will post when we get home. I should clarify that the pic I posted from Barcelona did not post correctly. I guess it was too big or something. I'll fix it when back home.

Thanks to all who are reading and posting comments. More tomorrow.

Olbia, Sardinia

This is going to be short. Tomorrow is Rome and we all need to hit the sack early tonight.

Our excursion today was to Costa Smerelda. This is the haven for the rich and famous in Europe. It was soooo beautiful. The water was so clear. The ride there was a bit spooky. The roads were so narrow and getting a big tour bus up there was interesting. The place was filled with yachts, big villas and some fancy cars. The views were amazing. I've decided when I win the lottery, this is where I'm going!!!

The weather so far has been fairly comfortable. Warm, but mixed with cool breezes. Food on the ship has been great. We skipped the first semi-formal night because I didn't feel like getting dressed up. The girls went without us.

Well, gotta run, my minutes are running low.

Roma, here I come.

Palermo and Naples (2 Days in 1)

First off, the internet on the ship sucks!!! The only good thing about bringing our own laptop is the ability to download the pictures from the camera to free up the memory card. Downloading pictures to the blog is impossible. The one pic from Barcelona did not post correctly, so everyone will have to wait until I get home to see pictures.

Anyway, Palermo was very nice. The port is very industrial. Lots of mechanical type stuff around and freighters, no other cruise ships in port. The city itself is right there. Our excursion was Mysterious Palermo and was in the afternoon. We left the ship around 1:30 and were back by 5:00. We saw many sites on the bus ride to Zisa Castle. That was our first stop. Our tour guide, Rita, was very informative and spoke very good english. After the castle we went to the Catacombs to see all the mummies. The dead were not really buried, but kind of hung from the wall where the families would come visit them. The last person "buried" in this way was a little 2 yr old girl, in 1920. She was preserved in a different manner than others and it was amazing how she looked. She had her hair and all her facial features. It was really facsinating.

Today was Naples. Again, our excursion was in the afternoon and I guess we were all so tired that we all slept until 11:00. Got everyone up and went and grabbed some lunch and were off. Our excursion today was a tour of Herculaneum. This is near Pompeii. Both cities were destroyed in 78 AD by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Where some people in Pompeii were able to escape, there were no survivors of Herculaneum. In 1768 the cities were discovered and were uncovered. We walked through the reamins of the city and it was so interesting how wall paintings and such were perserved after all those thousands of years covered in volcanic ash and mud. After the ruins we went to a cameo factory and saw how they made cameos. That was fun and of course then they try to get you to buy their stuff. Some very expensive stuff.

Tomorrow is Olbia. Again an afternoon excursion to Costa Smerelda (Emerald Coast) We are having a great time. I'll try to post again soon, only if the darn internet will cooperate. And sorry about the pictures.

Ciao

Day 1 pic

On The Ship

We are finally on the ship. We got to the port around 12 PM and ckin was very smooth. It didn't take more than 20 mins., it that. We hung around the terminal for a bit cking out some of the little shops they had there. Then I asked someone when they were going to start calling the boarding numbers (we had a 6) and he said they weren't and we could just get on the ship. We had the standard embarking photo taken and stepped outside and up the gangway. I was soooo excited.

We went up to deck 9 and they announced our arrival. That always gives me chills. So cool. We headed over to Topsiders and grabbed a bite to eat. By the time we finished, it was time to go to our rooms. We have two category 5 staterooms (verandah rooms) w/ a connecting door between. Sam and I in one and the kids in the other.

We didn't do much today. Just kind of hung around and wandered around. Lugguge came quickly and everyone got all unpacked and organized. Dinner was @ 8:30 in Animators Palatte. I had lamb, which I thought was very good. We made it to the sailaway party on deck just in time. It was fun, but pretty much the same as it always it. We headed back to the room to again try to figure out the internet. As you can see, we finally got signed on.

Kids ordered room service at midnight and I hit the sack. Still needing to recover a bit from the jet lag. Tomorrow is a sea day. Just planning on taking it easy and see what happens. Formal night tonight, so we all get to get dressed up fancy.

I'm going to try to post some pics later. More later, if the internet cooperates. (So far, so good)

We Made It!!!

We arrived in Barcelona yesterday aroun 5:30 PM. Flights were fine, mostly on time. We did take off from DC about 45 mins late, but it wasn't an issue with our connecting flight. It was not difficult once in London getting throught the airport and didn't take much time at all.

The hotel, Rivioli Ramblas, is very nice and comfortable. We had two rooms, one double and one triple. Sam and Zach took the double and the girls and I took the triple. I was hoping for connecting rooms or at least two rooms right next door, but they were seperated by a room. It worked out ok. We didn't get out to really see anything, everyone was so tired. Everyone fell asleep almost immediately, but I tried to stay awake and made it until about 9:30 PM and was up again at 12 AM and back down around 2 AM. Woke up this morning at 7:00 and we all went to the buffet at the hotel for breakfast. It was a decent breakfast, but 19 Euros per person.

We are heading out in a few. Just waiting for our ride to the ship. I'll check back later with more info.

Almost.....

I can't believe that I booked this vacation 14 months ago and it is almost here. We leave tomorrow for the airport around 6 PM for our 10 PM flight. First stop London, then on to Barcelona.

I'm pretty much packed. My hopes of only 5 suitcases has been dashed. We are now at 7. Gotta watch the weight, have to keep them at 44 lbs each due to the fact that one leg of our flight is on Iberia Airlines and their limit is 44 lbs. No wonder I have 7 bags!!!

Still have a bunch of last minute stuff to get done, a little ironing, believe it or not. Have to make a run to the bank tomorrow and then a run to the courthouse to file papers for the tenants who just can't seem to manage to pay their rent. Also have to run to the grocery store, so that my mom will have sustenance while we are gone.

Well, next time I ck in we will be on the ship. Ciao

Got The Passport : )

Well, we got Julie's passport today. It was a rather trying experience. Our appt. for pickup was 11:30 and it took 3.5 hrs of waiting on line till I finally got that sucker in my hot little hands. It's done and she's good for 5 years. Oh, and the van is fixed. Picked it up this morning before heading to the passport office.

Still have tons of stuff to get done. Just a few more days and we are off.

6 Days and Counting

Today was the big day for Julie's passport. Up at 5 AM and leave the house by 6 AM. No problem, right? The three of us in the car, Sam backing out, smash, crack!!! What the hell was that? Sam hit the side view mirror against the basketball hoop pole. Tore the mirror right off. Well, it's hanging by a thread or should I say wire. Tomorrow it goes to the dealer to be fixed.

Anyway, we made it to the Passport office by 7:15 and the line was down the block. We were flipping out thinking this was going to take hours. They called people who had appts and put us in a seperate line and then inside to wait in another line and then to sit and wait for our number to be called. It took about 45 minutes and we get to pick up her new passport on Thurs. So glad that that is all done with.

Now, I need to start thinking about packing. I just have to pack for Julie and Zach and of course myself. Laura can take care of her own stuff. I've warned her that she is limited to 3 pairs of shoes; sneakers, sandels and dress shoes. We'll see how that works out!!!

The excitement is building. Can't wait.

Passports????

Of course I know that you need a passport to leave the country. I just didn't know that they need to be valid for at least 6 months after the end of your trip. Julie's passport expires in August, 1 month after we get back. And with a 10 to 12 week wait to receive a passport, well, I don't have that much time. Don't panic folks. It's all taken care of. We have an appt. on June 19th @ 8:00 AM @ the DC passport office to expediate her passport and should probably have it in hand by the 21st or 22nd. Talk about cutting it close.

You have to call an automated # to make the appt. and it took me an hour to get through to a computer, from 12 midnite to 1 AM. I was a bit tired the next morning, but at least it's done and she'll be good for another 5 years.

Leaving in 13 days, that's less than 2 weeks!!! So much still to do. I feel like a kid on Christmas, I am so excited. The rest of the crew, well, they just kind of put up with me.

Here we are, another day closer. I have bags and bags of stuff piled up here in my office. Shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, etc... I've started setting aside some clothes. I'm trying to limit us to one suitcase each. Wonder how that will work out!! With 3 females packing, it could be a challenge.

Ok, off to get some more laundry done.

Disney Magic

This is a picture of the Disney Magic heading out of Florida to the Med.

6/5/07---Getting Started

Just getting this new blog started so that anybody that wants to can follow along on our Disney Mediterranean Cruise. We will be leaving from Dulles Airport on June 25th 2007 @ 10:00 PM w/ a connection in London. We arrive in Barcelona, Spain on June 26th, 2007 @ 5:30 PM. We will be spending one nite @ the Hotel Rivioli Ramblas and on June 27th it will be off to the port to board our favorite cruise ship for a 10 day cruise. Being 22 days out, I'm starting to get things organized. I keep wanting to pack a suitcase, but I guess I can wait a few more days for that.

That's it for now. Ck back in a few days for more exciting updates.