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!!! : )
Friday, July 13, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
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)
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Saturday, July 7, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
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.
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.
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