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[2019dclmed]

Debarkation/Return to USA - Sat., June 1, 2019

Debarkation/Return to USA - Saturday, June 1, 2019

Settle in for another flying adventure, folks!

We set alarms even though we know the ship docking always wakes us up. It’s a good thing we set those alarms, because somehow the ship docked smoothly and quietly. We gave ourselves about 30 minutes to get ready/get out since most of our luggage was already gone. It’s also a good thing we give ourselves a bit of extra time because this was taking longer than anticipated. 

At some point Kara decided to dash down to claim her limoncello and meet me in Cabanas. FYI we never dine in the Main Dining Rooms (MDR) for breakfast. The times are always earlier than we want (especially with Main/early dining) and we find the meals to be too fast and lacking options. A buffet, where I can pick & choose what I want and how much, is always going to win. We calmly sat back to dine and wait for our luggage character (Minnie) to be called. While waiting we chatted with our Palo server, Alvin. 

Kara: It has been hit or miss whether you actually get Mickey waffles in the buffet on this last morning - and we DID!!!

Too soon Minnie was called. We headed down to Deck 3 to wait in the 2 dreaded lines to drop off our cruise survey and swipe off the ship. :( 

We were likely off the ship around 8:30am? Fairly quickly we found our luggage and were happy/surprised there was no customs to contend with!

We hadn’t booked transfers to the airport and this time were very glad we didn’t. While the taxi queue was long, it moved quite quickly. We even got to jump ahead because there were only two of us (vs the larger families with a bunch of luggage needing a larger vehicle). 

Traffic at the BCN airport was crazier than anticipated. Once inside we went to work to reorganize our luggage, moving a ton of stuff from the morning carry-off the ship into the checked bags. Kara also needed a break, as she wasn’t feeling well. We had plenty of time as we were probably at the airport by 9am and our flight was at 12:50pm.

Sidenote: Either the night prior or that morning Kara tried to check us in for our flight, but said she couldn’t. I thought this was lack of signal or being out of data….

It was time to face the American Airlines check-in - a place that had traumatized us just days earlier. We again went to the Priority line, as we’d booked Premium Economy for the return. At the desk our agent types. Looks at us. Types some more. Uh oh. I lean over to Kara and offer something like, “Since we didn’t arrive on American, I wonder if they think we never got here and canceled our tickets?” The agent then looks down the line to the (dreaded) station labeled “pasajeros con incedentes” (roughly “passengers with incidents” and picks up the phone. OH NO.

Kara: I realize now we didn’t include this the first time but we had visited this same lady last Saturday morning when we’d arrived/returned to the airport desperate for our luggage.  We needed some direction as to how to get down to baggage claim even though we didn’t have security screening.  She was, on that previous day, helpful. Today would sort of be a seemingly different story.

The agent then indicates for us to follow him to the dreaded station, where the same woman (Isabel) from last week is working. No. NO. NO! Isabel gets to typing and yep - that’s exactly what happened. American canceled our return tickets! Isabel says no problem she’ll just add us back, and… the flight is sold out. Are you freaking kidding me?! At this point Kara and I were so beat down from the arrival debacle, we were in a joint “Whatever”-mode. We were going home and had no time table so there was no reason to freak out (this time). 

Isabel finally finds us a Barcelona to JFK flight that she joyfully proclaims, “...will get you home 2+ hours earlier!” Whoopie. JFK?! Yet another of our most hated airports. And to keep adding insult to injury, of course Premium Economy was full and Isabel couldn’t figure out how to add us to the waitlist. Yes, because this is the international flying fate we have on this trip. She keeps trying, but at this point urges us to head to security. This flight shows it boards at 10am! YIKES!

So off we go! We quickly toss our full bottles of water and eventually find our way to security. Through a snaking line we make our way through, but OOPS (Americans), Kara and I both leave our tablets in our bags and are made to take them out and go through the process again. (FYI there were no signs.)

After this we immediately find ourselves in an equally long line for Customs. (FYI I think there was an expedited line for a few countries, including the USA, but I’d forgotten USA in Spanish is EU and didn’t connect it as an option.) As we are in this line, I realize it’s now 10am! (I also noticed a small group in front of us are going to Japan and their boarding passes say they board at 9:50am.)

We eventually make it through and are trying to dash to our gate. We see every gate number except ours as we look around frantically and realize there is barely any A/C in this airport. It had to be at least 75F in there. We finally ask and the man points to a gate yes, but there are no seats anywhere. (Not all the seats are full, but rather there is no seating at all.) We ask for the restrooms, which are hidden fully out of site behind walls facing the glass looking out onto the tarmac. Yet another line for the restroom, which only has 4 stalls, 3 sinks, and one dryer. 

Exiting the bathroom we notice there is now a line snaking fully out into the walkway that ends at the doors of our gate. We hear no announcements and of the 2 lines to our gate, we don’t know which to stand in. We kinda guess. Eventually an employee comes by, needs to inspect our passports, and puts a sticker on the back. Weird. Then another walks through inspecting carry-ons, noting if they needs to be gate-checked or not. Boarding moves along quite slowly. 

We were about 2 people from the front of the line when we hear our names called over the speaker. What now?! In a miracle Isabel was apparently able to get us on the Premium Economy waitlist and it came through. While we were in Premium Economy we were in the middle of a row of 4 instead of the window option of just 2 seats. At this point we’d take whatever we got. 

We scan through and follow other passengers… to stairs leading down?! Then I remember a single article I read about having to bus to your plane. Yep, we load onto one of those busses with the joint in the middle. Exiting the bus there is no direction if we are to go up the stairs at the front or rear of the plane. Knowing we were in Premium Economy (PE) we headed for the stairs at the front. (How did they handle any passengers with disabilities?!)

Our aisle seatmates were obviously already seated and settled in. Thus, we were tossing items in our seats trying to figure out what to put in the overhead vs keeping at our seats. Since we were in the first row of PE there was a divider/bulkhead wall, so we couldn’t stow our backpacks on the floor in front of us.

I spent a good deal of the flight typing this report; it was the only reason I packed the portable keyboard all the way there and back. FYI I felt stupid that I couldn’t get my in-seat screen to deploy, as I thought I’d tried every button and knob in reach. Apparently not. On this note the earphones plug into the back/under the armrest, where even on my knees and using my phone’s flashlight, I could barely find the port! After all that frustration, I settled in for “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald”. The first film in this series I just couldn’t get into and thought a flight with no interruptions would help. I really enjoyed this follow-up film; it’s what I thought the first one would be and am looking forward to the next. 

The lunch was pretty ok; I got the cauliflower mac & cheese. Along with a small salad and roll there was also some chocolate ganache cold pudding. The snack, which Kara can probably detail, was a set of (to me) disgusting options to the point I only ate the dry cracker straws. 

Kara: I have absolutely no recollection of anything other than a not great container of ice cream. The premium economy option was nice but I felt hindered by not having my backpack beneath the seat in front of me and thus I was anxious the whole flight. I prefer having my things in reach - like I said - anxious flyer.

About 6 of our 8 hours in we started chatting about our connection, primarily what time it was. While the in-flight screen showed a connection to IND, there was no time listed! We knew Isabel had told us we had like an hour and ten minutes, which was perfectly “legal”, but this is JFK! How would we make that with customs, claiming, & re-checking luggage?! 

As we are landing an announcement comes over telling people on 4 specific connections (IND included) to see the gate agent immediately upon landing. Ok. Long before this Kara had gone into “over it” mode and we brainstormed if we missed this connection. She said she’d either get a car to drive home or even take Frontier (an airline we avoid at all costs). I offered, “No, we’ll take Southwest... if it flew out of JFK.” (FYI it doesn’t.) As long as we were back in our country (or even Canada!) we’d get ourselves home! 

Exiting the plane we see 4 taped signs of the connections, one being IND. We approach and see neon orange Express Connections envelopes with our names on them. 

We’re told to keep the envelopes in our hands on top, which will expedite us to the front of lines. Ok.

We go to get in the LONG customs line (it’s JFK - and yes, remarkably they are still playing the Tapestry of Nations music from EPCOT that I remember from my 2011 trek through JFK!), but are looking if there’s somewhere else we are to go. (I initially looked for Mobile Passport, but it seemed this magical Express Connection would trump that.) Kara goes to ask, we are directed to another queue, but it dumps us out at the same place. We use the Customs kiosks, and with those receipts, are luckily plucked directly in front of a Customs window. As we wait, our little bright orange EC group grows to about 8 or 10 of us.

There is miscommunication that the expedited window is somehow taking regular people. As the last passenger in our Customs window leaves, the Customs agent closes the window and leaves! At this point, I’m on it and walk down the line to the airport employee trying to organize the lines. When I tell her what happened her eyes grow big and says she’ll be right there to move us. 

FINALLY we get through Customs, get to the baggage carousel and our bags haven’t dropped yet. Ugh. Not too long we get our bags, dash to the Baggage Re-Check area, literally toss them and take off. We are in Terminal A and our connection is in C. We find ourselves at the airline check-in desks area and luckily affirm we are headed in the right direction. At TSA we’re directed to Pre-Check (which we unexpectedly already have on our boarding passes), and luckily there were only about 4 people ahead of us - a miracle! 

After that I’m the one scoping the gate numbers. First we have a long connection hall to traverse and then we arrive at like Gate 12? We need gate 31. Seriously. I’m basically jogging at this point on behalf of both of us, as Kara is in “given up” mode. 

Kara: I was actually jogging as well - and let’s be clear - I don’t jog.

Huffing and puffing at the gate, we still need to get seats assigned. We were supposed to have Main Cabin Extra on this leg, but this plane didn’t offer that. This time our seats weren’t even together. Kara asks how much time before boarding, as she has to go to the bathroom. The response? 8 minutes. More jogging/dashing! 

At the gate we’re basically just trying to text/message people we made it back to the USA when we hear the announcement our flight is now delayed for maintenance. REALLY?! Luckily only about 10 minutes later we are boarding a tiny jet with that terrible 1-2 seat configuration. Whatever. Just get us home.

Luckily we effortlessly returned to IND, which we casually strolled, now that all the upheaval was behind us! 

Next up - What’s Next?

I describe this trip in 3 parts: 1) best Disney Cruise Line “cruise” experience of our lives, 2) port adventures were hit or miss, and 3) airline nightmare.

In an embarrassment of riches, we were traveling together again less than 72 hrs later. We had the opportunity to attend Disney Institute’s inaugural Women’s Leadership Summit (with complimentary registration). Clearly no one bypasses that opportunity, so Tuesday we were headed to Disney’s Contemporary Resort!

Some of you may also know that the next Thursday Disney Cruise Line announced their Fall 2020 sailings, which is what we were waiting for. (I will be leading, and perhaps also Kara joining, a Rome/London study abroad May 2020, so we needed to push the next cruise to a later/regular fall time.)  

We were hoping for a New England option (with better ports than in the past), but no dice. So we got our options down to a September 5 night Halloween Double Dip on the Fantasy or a November 5 night Merrytime (San Juan to Miami) on the Magic. There were pros & cons to both. We went with the latter based solely on the lower cost. (And honestly after the amazing experience we just had on the Magic, this is the first time we actually used a specific ship as a factor in our decision! This is an especially big deal for me to give up having a Vanellope’s/Sweet on You feature!) We’re both wanting to do some home improvement projects, so we need to keep this trip cost low and may even consider skipping it altogether. We know there are at least 2 BIG trips we want to do 2021-2023 and those take priority. Stay tuned! 

P.S. Once home we did electronically submit refund requests to American Airlines, since we didn’t get the Business Class cabin we paid for. It said if we didn’t get a response in a week - which of course happened - to submit a follow-up email. Remarkably, about a week after that Kara and I each received our notable refunds. And yes it was actual refunded “cash” to our credit cards, not ridiculous airline points or vouchers! 

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

[2019dclmed]

Day at Sea - Friday, May 31, 2019

Day at Sea - Friday, May 31, 2019

As is typical, I have no journaling from this point forward. After four intense port days, we were excited to sleep in as much as we could and were again happy to see Cabanas was open until 11am. So we basically stuffed ourselves with a big breakfast/brunch. 

Actually I started great with a health(ier) omelet. 

But then, of course, killed it with Chocolate Banana Bread French Toast and Mickey waffles with maple syrup, chocolate sauce, strawberry compote, and whipped cream! My pancreas is a rock star!

Kara: No journaling here either.

There was plenty of reading and popping in and out of the verandah. Kara caught a nap, but strangely I wasn’t that tired. Even though we weren’t hungry, by afternoon I went to get us chicken fingers on the pool deck. (There is something about the breading on these that is magical and available nowhere else on Earth. At least that’s what we believe. Plus, they have the Midwest staple of BBQ sauce to make them even better!)

Too soon we began the traditional stateroom “dance” of simultaneously showering/getting ready for the evening and… (the worst thing ever) packing. After this many cruises we have a routine and rhythm for a more efficient process. 

Other than the final change into PJs/storing our evening clothes, we were all set when we left for dinner in Luminiere’s. 

As we casually waited in the lobby for dinner, the now customary celebrities stopped by.

Tonight was the expected Captain’s Gala, which means only one thing to us - lobster! Our server even prompted us to “order double”! Well, who can argue with that?! It was definitely the most lobster I’d ever had in a single sitting. (They brought us both a second serving of this glorious lobster tail.)

Kara actually got a “real” dessert off the menu (apple pie), while I took full advantage of this being the last night to get both the lava cake and mint sundae.

We sadly bid farewell to our incredible servers Anwil & Joe, as well as Officer Zoe.

Then, like usual it was off to O’Gill’s Pub, as tonight was 2000s music trivia. Yikes - we were SO BAD at this, but I also have to add they only play about 3 seconds of a song and most of the time at a spot with no lyrics. Oh well! Who cares? We’re still on vacation! (I will always miss Clayton Lindsey as the cruise director; he’s why I feel compelled to bust out the Carlton Dance on every cruise. #best)

Of course I had to add the photo above. After 10+ years of Kara refusing to play chess with me (don’t ask), we started playing again a few years ago - but only on Disney Cruise Line! This photo is to document my amazingly smart BFF, who put herself in check. LOL!

It was then off to grab good seats for my favorite Disney Cruise Line stage show: Disney Dreams. 

(Yes, I’m one of those people who always cries at the end!) The only point of annoyance and disappointment was that they inserted THREE back-to-back songs from “Disney’s Frozen”. Really?! Yes, we got started with Anna doing “For the First Time in Forever”, which was good. But then it was followed up with Olaf doing “In Summer”, and of course you can guess, Elsa doing “”Let It Go”. Yes, the Elsa performer had possibly the best voice I’ve heard on any of our Disney Cruises, but again? And all 3?! Just no.

Finally it was the customary dash to change clothes and get the bags set-out by the 10:15pm deadline. Even though we did all the pre-work, the show seemed to get out a bit late, so my bag crossed our threshold at 10:14pm! And yes, there was one final call to Room Service for my cookies!

Next up: Departure Day!

[2019dclmed]

Monte Carlo/Monaco - Thursday, May 30, 2019

Monte Carlo/Monaco - Thursday, May 30, 2019

It was another 6:01am alarm for us with the PA call time of 7:30am. UGH. 

We were technically anchored at Villefranche, a central point for Nice, Cannes, Eze, & Monte Carlo/Monaco. I say anchored instead of docked, as this was our sole port that required tendering. 

Our PA for this port is the one we questioned the most, and it was the only one we did that was just a half-day.

Monaco, The Marina and The Little Train (V01)

Due to the “little train” portion of our PA, as expected, we had a large group with a handful of pretty young kids. In fact, I think they split our PA into 2 or 3 different groups, each filling an entire charter bus. I think there were actually about 30 in our group after tendering, which took longer than expected. 

Our guide was a nice British bloke, Paul. I think it was 8:15am by the time we pulled out. The port is at - and the busses travel through - a castle to exit; the tight turns required maneuvering by a charter bus that I didn’t believe was possible! Phew!

Kara: I love the water, but our only other experience with tendering was in the Caribbean, which is a bit unnerving. As we made our way out to the tender, I leaned back to G and said, “This isn’t your grandma’s tender boat.” They attached an entire ramped dock system to the side of the ship and our tender boat was a nice size touring ferry. Very, very easy. We also managed to get a couple of great shots of the ship while on the tender.

Also as expected, we drove around curvy roads and tunnels to get to Monte Carlo. They said there is one police officer for every 60 people in Monte Carlo, which totals 38,000 residents. (That’s over 600 police!) Honestly, you would need it for all of the overt wealth apparent everywhere you look. Overall, it was beautiful, clean, and the one word I’d use to describe it is “Opulent.” 

Of course our guide educated us about Princess Grace and Prince Rainier along with their children, the filming of 2 Bond films, and homes of U2 and Elton John. The Cannes Film Festival had been held just a few weeks prior. We walked through (quite quickly) the Cathedral. It reminded me of a much smaller version of a mix of both Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, as it had aspects of both “dark and light”. Somehow the combination worked beautifully here. 

We were given only about 10 minutes to browse around a few tourist shops, so it was no useful time at all.  

Then we took our 30 minute Little Train Tour, which had a good auto-audio guide. During the tour we witnessed the holistic dismantling of the Grand Prix circuit. Just the week prior the 90th running of the Monaco Grand Prix was held. We got to drive down the starting line and saw (didn’t drive on) the (to me) famous Tony Stark curve from “Iron Man 2”. 

Sidenote: The above statement is the main reason I chose a Monaco PA. Between my love of fast cars, Iron Man, and Disney-Pixar’s Cars 2, I really wanted to “be here”. My thoughts really changed weeks earlier, as (not being overdramatic) I was traumatized by what they did to Tony Stark in “Avengers: Endgame”. (I doubt I will ever be able to watch this movie again.) Thus, my experience was sadness rather than excited elation. However, between my Tony Stark/Endgame reflection and a book I was reading at the time, the experience gave me some deeper thoughts on what it means to be driven by fear….

Our tour ended with a beverage at the Marina with spectacular views of the harbor with its multi-million dollar yachts and the (no kidding) yacht-shaped Yacht Club - LOL! Monaco is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited, but with more time, I don’t know what we’d have done other than stroll around and find an overpriced cafe.

Kara: I could spend a few weeks in this general area and not take it all in. Between the museum, the castle, watching the water, going over to Eze and Nice and strolling - easily a few weeks. While there was certainly incredible opulence in Monaco I loved every moment of this tour, well except for one thing which you’ll read about in a moment.

We took a scenic route back through Eze - & inexplicably, Nice! In fact, we got stuck in traffic, not getting back to the ship until 1:15pm. (By the PA description we were supposed to be back by noon at the latest.) Thus, we could definitely see how people could easily miss the all aboard time in this port! 

When we finally did get back everyone was running off the bus, as we had a non-stop screaming infant in our group. He reminded me of Jack-Jack in full-on flame mode. (Kara said the same family was on her Naple/Sorrento tour during which the baby shrieked the entire time then as well. Kara nick-named him Demon Child.)

Kara: I adore kids, especially when they are cute and engaging as this little guy could be. G’s statement is true though - he had some demonic issues with being in a bus and I was OVER it.

This photos on the way back was fun to capture.

We dashed up to Cabanas before it closed at 2pm, since by this point we were starving. We did capture some lovely photos during/after lunch.

Then we escaped (finally) to our stateroom for some much-needed quiet. It was finally sunny and almost warm, so we sat on the verandah (me in a hoodie and jeans with sandals) to read. 

Kara - We enjoyed a little table right by the window in Cabanas - it was LOVELY! Then we strolled around on deck enjoying the sunshine.  I think Gayle might have been on a different cruise than me at this point because the weather was purely delightful.

Today’s VIP treat from Zoe was cookies - yum! We also stopped by Guest Service to make sure the gratuities were on my folio, as we always dedicate our onboard credit for this.

At 4pm I started to get ready for dinner, as I didn’t want to be late. Tonight we were in Rapunzel’s Royal Table for the second time. Part of the reason I requested this rotation was so we could be in Rapunzel’s Royal Table for the “Lantern Show” on the same night as the “Tangled” stage show. This was perhaps the thing I was MOST excited for on this cruise!

Thus, we were the FIRST people into the restaurant! As our head server indicated earlier in the cruise, we were able to move to an empty table nearby/on the center aisle (the exact location we were at on the Disney Wonder in Tiana’s)! I captured some video and Kara selflessly took pictures of me with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. 

Kara: We started OUTSIDE the restaurant with photos: 

The Famous Sea Bass!

Dessert Menu

My dessert came in a mini-cast iron skillet! (It was basically a donut with chocolate sauce & ice cream, which was underwhelming.)

Rapunzel VIDEO https://www.dropbox.com/s/83thkfq30cgwsw1/IMG_1843.MOV?dl=0

Our server challenged us to find the 3 “hidden” Pascals around the restaurant. I found 1; Kara found the other 2. BOOM. (We will not give away the locations here!) Since we were in early and are quick with ordering our meal, we again had time for our server to try to stump us with table/crayon puzzles. (FYI with the “Mickey Mouse” clue we were then able to solve the “4 boxes to 3 by moving 3 crayons. I include this here to recall it in the future!)

After dinner, I spotted Hotel Director Lisa (Zoe’s boss) to share our positive feedback about many aspects of our cruise experience. 

Part of tonight’s “Tangled” theme was O’Gills Pub being “taken-over” as the Snuggly Duckling! 

Kara taught me rummy, while we simultaneously played and sang “Thugo” (Thug-themed bingo) with the entertainers. 

Kara pointed out a great banner that I may (will definitely) duplicate in my office for my university honors students:

We all have dreams. Now go follow yours and get out!

LOL!!!

Kara prompted us to the theatre before the doors opened so I could pick a prime location to view “Tangled”. 

I will say the show was...good. (The puppeteer for Max was great and the singer portraying Mother Gothel was INCREDIBLE.) This is tough because the stage shows are simply a performance of the movie. My stance is I can go to my stateroom (or stay home - gasp!) and watch the movie. Disney Cruisers get accustomed to and have a deep appreciation for their original Broadway-style shows - something you can only get on Disney Cruise Line. (I’m looking at you “Disney Dreams”.) And some are only offered on one or two of the four ships at that. So putting the movies on stage seems like a lesser effort on their part. Based on the limited time and facility they really can’t go “full out” like they do with the Broadway tour productions. (FYI they do “Frozen” on the Disney Wonder, something I found to be a painful experience and have no intention of going to ever again.) Still if they have to choose a movie to put on stage, “Tangled” is definitely at the top of my list! 

Overall, it was a great night! And even more so since there was no alarm for the next day’s Day at Sea! Back in the stateroom we journaled and enjoyed our regular nightly cookies. 

Kara pointed out on this trip we visited the 2 smallest countries: The Vatican and Monaco! 

We tried not to go into pre-emptive “sad mode” since tomorrow was the last full day of the cruise. With all the PAs, a 7 night cruise never flew by as fast as this one. 

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Day at Sea!

[2019dclmed]

Florence - Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Florence - Wednesday, May 29, 2019

While our PA call time was “only” 9am, we’d stayed up late for the fireworks and still had a 7:30am alarm. Sigh. 

Speaking of, our PA was:

Cooking lesson at Castello del Trebbio (LV95)

This is the PA we were both most looking forward to! 

Today we were in a smaller “charter bus/van”, as there were probably only about 12 people on our PA, including one Cast Member (Bella from Mexico). It started sunny with a forecast of a high of 68F & partly cloudy; thus, I was in my planned short black & white polka dot dress. It rained on the way to our location, making it a solid 2 hour drive.

We were definitely in a hilly/rural area of NE Florence - pretty much what I had envisioned (minus the rain, of course). We passed many paper towel and paper product manufacturing plants, as the area is known for this along with various plants, nurseries, and landscaping businesses. Our guide educated us on this being an area of Puccini’s birthplace, where Michaelangelo died, and near both Ferrari and Fiat. We were told of the joke Fiat stands for “Fix it again, Tony!” (I’m sure my dad would have gotten a kick out of this, as he worked his entire life at Chrysler, which is now owned by Fiat.)

Upon arrival at Castello del Trebbio we toured the underground wine cellars of the castle; it reminded me of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction! 

Then we entered the outer courtyard before going into the family residence (where photos were not permitted). 

Inside, more than one of us remarked we were expecting “Beast” to appear at any moment, given the age and decor of the castle. 

In the kitchen proper we were offered aprons and we eventually determined each of us would take a turn at preparing part of the meal. Kara eagerly jumped at the chance for the first volunteer opportunity in making the pasta dough.

Kara: Let me just cut in right here. I was SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED for this PA. The first line from my journal, which I wrote on the bus on the way there was, “We’re going to go cook in a castle!” So, naturally, I must expound a bit here.

First, I’ll add a little more about the Castle. It began in 1150 as a fort. One of the cellars we toured was the original dungeon complete with hooks in the ceiling. In addition to learning about wine we also learned a bit about olive oil - I wish I’d taken better notes!

The lady of the castle, Ana, inherited the castle from her parents. She and her family live in and run the businesses associated with the castle. 

Now, let’s talk about the cooking. We all donned aprons. I made sure we were closest to the chef. When the chef asked for a volunteer, I practically leapt from my spot! I got to make a ball of pasta dough using the ratio of ½ c flower to 1 egg plus a bit of EVOO and salt. I uncharacteristically got an egg shell in things but luckily the chef grabbed it back out.

Most people took turns rolling, stretching, and then cutting a ball of dough that the chef had made before we arrived as it needs to sit for about 20 minutes before you do all of that. No wrinkles, no holes, all one thickness with nothing more than a large rolling pin.

Then it was time for the sauce!

Gayle: I eventually got drafted (after slinking back in line) to saute (just stir!) the veggies for the vegetarian sauce. Kara volunteered again to try cutting the noodles. VIDEO:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/x0aai7g98mstoni/IMG_1698.MOV?dl=0 

We then sat down for a wine tasting; appetizers of salami, cheese, bread with extra virgin olive oil, & olive crostini), both pastas (veggie & meat sauce), and a dessert wine. The food was good, but given my artificially-accustomed American palette, firmly believe the food in Palo was far better.

Kara here. Don’t get me wrong - I ADORE Palo but this was, without a doubt, the freshest pasta I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t even want to think about eating box pasta ever again. 

Luckily it was now sunny, but windy. I was able to get a couple of good hillside pictures. 

(This photo really reminds me of “Disney-Pixar’s Cars 2”....)

Then it was back on the bus for the long trip back. 

The closer we got to the ship the harder it rained - an honest to goodness downpour. Luckily I had my rain jacket with me and bolted back onto the ship by 4:30pm.

Kara: I checked in at home by GroupMe, caught up on journaling, and napped on the way back to the port. We also had a member of the Creative Services team on our PA, in addition to Bella. I never did manage to get his name but he had some cool stories about working for Disney I enjoyed listening to as I journaled and watched the Italian countryside pass us by.

(I believe the Creative Services team was onboard rehearsing and talking about possible new stage shoes for the ships.) Our VIP snack from Zoe was nuts & olives. (Not sure either of us consumed any of it. Ick.)

Kara: Pretty sure I ate all of it :-) Once the rain stopped we did get a few nice photos!

At 5pm we decided to skip our MDR in Animator’s Palate, as it’s our least favorite menus. Instead we finally got to the theatre for the first time on this cruise for the 6:30pm “Once Upon a Song”, a stage show I didn’t think I’d previously experienced. 

It was good, probably the most “adult” offering of a Disney stage show. It was mostly a serious musical tribute to some of the best, perhaps less-familiar Disney tunes. At the end I wondered how some of the little kids sat through it.

Kara: I truly enjoyed this show - it was extremely well done.

This allowed us to have dinner around 7:30pm in Cabanas. (I think it was closing at 8 or 8:30pm?) This is the first time I’ve had dinner in Cabanas in a good long while. I recalled previously is was a scaled down version of the MDR with table service, like a good training ground for new servers. This is not the case now, as it’s full-buffet on one side of Cabanas. I actually appreciate this so I can choose exactly what I want and how much.

Since we had another crazy early call time tomorrow morning, it was off to a relatively early sleep. I was SO glad this was the last night I had to “be good” and go to bed at a decent time, an “early bird” I will never be!

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Monaco/Monte Carlo!

[2019dclmed]

Rome - Tues., May 28, 2019

Rome - Tuesday, May 28, 2019

It was another early morning with a 5:47am alarm for our 7:15am PA call time. By now we had a routine of getting ready, eating our room service, taking seasick pills, and packing our backpacks. The forecast was only 64, but no rain. I donned a plaid dress & navy sweater, but stashed my Lauren hoodie & footies (for the bus) in my bag! Luckily, neither were used. 

As a reminder of our chosen Port Adventure:

Vatican Behind the Scenes and Panoramic Drive (CV105)

10 Hours to 10.5 Hours 

It was about an hour drive into the city and we were dropped off just outside the Vatican City wall. We were led down a Groups path (FastPass), went through security scanners, and then awaited our tickets. (The regular line wrapped all the way down one of the walls and around the corner. Again, unless you arrive prior to opening or have a tour like ours booked, the wait to just get in would be excessive!) 

Then it was upstairs for our radio guides, but it was to hear our personal guide, not the Vatican Museums audio guide. Our group was led out to the Gardens, a blissful escape from the crowds. (As uttered on the Disney Cruise Line Blog Podcast, when at the Vatican be prepared to “pack your patience and give up your personal space!”)

The Gardens (requiring a special ticket or with a tour) are quite hilly with all sorts of cement, cobblestone, and rock pathways. (I was happy my new Chacos conquered it all!) One in our group had mobility issues and opted out of a significant portion of the tour. We were told about the history and meaning behind many of these sites, refurbishment of a considerable monument, and the building to which retired Pope Benedict has retired. This area also provided beautiful natural, quiet, and unobtrusive views of the back of both the St. Peter's Basilica Dome and Sistine Chapel. The numerous gardeners were out and about to the point it felt a bit Disney-esque. We regularly got out of the way of the golf carts and 4-wheelers (that I wanted to commandeer)! 

This is Kara - I’ll just add that the Gardens were very pretty - made even more enjoyable by the fact the weather was absolutely perfect. I especially enjoyed Pope Pius IV’s building from 1550 and its sunbathing turtles.

Too soon we returned to the outside public area of Vatican City. We stopped in front of a set of six signs, each explaining different part of the Sistine Chapel. I had not seen this on my previous visit. It gave much needed context to the famous painting we were about to view, so this is highly recommended.

Kara here: I agree completely that without the explanations of these signs or some real preparation for the Sistine Chapel, you’re not going to really get all that much from the experience.

Next we were back inside to another “skip the line” point, but still had to traverse through the expansive galleries. (One in our party lost contact with one or two of their four girls, which caused a delay. FYI - tour guides are not your babysitters!) 

We were informed the ceiling art is simply lat painting, but they appear 3D! Talk about masterful historic art techniques! Note what looks like “tape” across the giant crack!

This brought us to yet another “skip the line” into the Sistine Chapel. We were there for only about 10 minutes and it was lighter in there than I recalled. 

Kara: The three galleries we passed through were candelabra, maps, and tapestry. The tapestry where Jesus’s eyes follow you - FREAKY! While I tend to enjoy museums like this a little more than Gayle, the Disney Cruise Line Blog should go one step further and say that if you’re an introvert or you actually expect to be able to look at something and enjoy doing so while in the Vatican, you’ve come with the wrong expectations. The next picture truly captures why while I’m glad to have visited the Vatican, unless I’m enjoying a private audience with the Pope, I have no need to return.

From the Sistine Chapel we exited almost directly into St. Peter’s Basilica, where our guide pointed out the key highlights. (I was personally relieved at this. Last time I did the audio guide, and like Westminster, tried to do the whole thing. Yet, the monuments here are great in number and I easily lost track if I was looking at the right thing!) We finished around 1pm and were directed to meet back in front of St. Peter’s by 2:45pm.

Kara: I tend to love visiting churches. I’d go back in a heartbeat to nearly every other church I’ve ever visited.  There was absolutely nothing reverent or inspiring for me about the shear audacity and grandiosity of St. Peters.

Knowing of this free time, I’d prepared for us to grab a bite to eat. Employing my offline map we sought out the nearby “Alice” for pizza. I’d searched for “good pizza near the Vatican” since we didn’t have a ton of time and thought Kara needed to experience “street food”. While waiting for Kara to get the pizza from this walk-up restaurant, a pigeon “poo-ed” on my backpack! Luckily I had supplies to clean it, but these birds were really aggressive in trying to snatch our food. On top of this the pizza was bad. Really bad. (I have no idea how this “restaurant” was highly rated.) So I felt guilt for leading us here. 

Kara: The staff was also not pleasant at all.  I didn’t think the pizza was really bad, but it definitely was just food - nothing special.

Next we ventured a few more blocks to “Old Bridge Gelateria” for yes - gelato! (After our Alice experience, I was scared!) It was another traditional walk-up establishment directly across from a Vatican wall. Kara ordered mixed berry, strawberry, & lemon; I ordered dark chocolate and strawberry. When I tossed a tip in their jar, the guys Dabbed! LOL! This gelato was YUMMY (if slightly overpriced - but location, you know) & more than made up for the terrible pizza!

Kara: Back when we decided to do this trip, I tried valiantly for about six months to pick up enough Italian to at least understand the basics. I wasn’t confident but I was really pleased at how kind everyone was as I tried out the language and how gentle they were in corrections of pronunciations. Both Luigi the day before and the guys at the gelato place were really nice to patiently let me try Italian.  Nothing like my experience in Paris a few years back. Also, a note for a future trip should one ever occur to Rome - there is currently a great little sandwich and pasta shop right next to the this gelato place.

We returned to our meeting point (one of the official gift shops) where Kara picked up a number of items and I purchased needed postcards. 

(A bracelet Kara bought me - to match my nails, of course!)

Due to the high tourist area, the streets surrounding the Vatican were full of pickpockets and street vendors pushing everything everywhere. We felt like a full picnic basket (especially with my checkered dress print) sitting on top of an anthill! Our guide finally led us to the Vatican’s “bus parking garage” and even here we endured musicians asking for money. 

Sidenote: We invested in our first pairs of Chacos for this trip - wanting a sandal that would support a lot of walking. Since I customized mine in all silver metallic, and “when in Rome”, I took to calling mine... 

At 3pm we began our panoramic drive through Rome, some sites I had seen, but not others. We were back on the ship by 5pm. (This port is HUGE and crazy! It must have taken us nearly 10 minutes to get to the ship after entering the port!) 

Kara: As this was my first visit to Rome, I was looking forward to the tour part - even though it was just a bus tour.  G and I are both watching the CBS show “Blood and Treasure” this summer and the pyramid was featured in it. Gayle is right about how enormous the port was - the last two photos are ones I grabbed as we were driving back into the port. 

Back in our stateroom we found some delectable “VIP” cupcakes from our new bestie Zoe. 

Tonight’s dinner was back in Lumiere’s with a new international menu (World of Flavor) we’d never experienced. I made no notes about this and only remember not being impressed. I believe my main course was disappointing salmon; the buffet salmon from embarkation day was better. 

Tonight Kara ordered some hard cider, which they brought in a bottle. Not a beer bottle, but rather more of a full wine-size bottle. Okkkkk. The process worked the same that they would re-cork it and bring it back for the next night’s dinner.

The Beef Empanada was actually quite tasty!

The ship’s Cheddar Cheese Soup will never compare to Le Cellier’s, but pretzel bread is always appreciated!

The Sundae was also quite good. (I would have gotten the Sacre Torte, but don’t care for apricot.)

Kara’s normal dessert selection.

We completed our post-dinner tendency of getting ice, shower/hair, and ordering Room Service for cookies (& tonight “chocolate cake”, which was actually mousse, so Kara was NOT happy. Are we confusing this with a previous night???) For some reason the ship left 45 minutes late.

The evening show was “Junnk” (similar to “Stomp”). We’d seen it before and due to our busy schedule decided to watch it on the stateroom TV since they show the nighttime stage shows on the in-room TVs. Lesson learned: They apparently only show the Disney original stage shows (pre-taped) on the TVs, so no show for us! 

Tonight was Pirate Night. As much as we wanted to embrace this cruise-specific offering and as the only cruise line having fireworks at sea, Pirate Night is a BIG DEAL! Yet with dropping temps, a wet/rainy environment, and notable winds, Mother Nature was prompting us to stay inside. When we saw the party didn’t start until 10:30pm (& knowing the fireworks wouldn’t go off until almost 11pm), we didn’t even try to pretend we were going. Instead we were barely able to stay awake for the fireworks, which we watched from our balcony (something Disney Cruise Line tells you NOT to do for safety). Yes, I broke a Disney rule. EEK! It’s the only one I break (& do so consistently. SHHHH!!!) We also know which side of the ship to reserve our stateroom just for this reason!

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Florence, Italy!

[2019dclmed]

Naples - Monday, May 27, 2019

Naples - Monday, May 27, 2019

My alarm went off at 6:15am (on a “vacation” day?!) I only slept 11pm-4am for no conceivable reason, and I felt bad about the alarm because Kara’s Port Adventure (PA) left an hour later than mine. The weather was again dark, cloudy, RAIN, and then the wind kicked up.

As a reminder, here are the PAs we booked. Details on them can be found in THIS POST.

Amalfi by Boat & the Splendor of Sorrento (NP41) - Gayle only

9.5 Hours to 10 Hours 

Timeless Pompeii and the Flavor of Sorrento (NP06) - Kara only

8.5 Hours to 9 Hours 

I (Gayle) arrived at D Lounge at 7:30am. We loaded on a charter bus and set out for Sorrento. On the way we learned about the 3 tunnels carving a path down the coast literally through the mountains. For safety there is a camera at the start of each tunnel and if you surpass the speed limit and exit the tunnel too soon, the camera snaps a photo of your license plate and mails you the ticket! They also have escape doors in case something happens that requires the tunnel to be evacuated. Our tour guide was (say it with me Italian accent-style) Rosario.

Our journey began by passing Mount Vesuvius. 

Very soon we stopped at a cameo factory. (It was obvious we stopped here in an agreement tourists might buy things in trade for pre-emptive use of the incredibly clean bathroom facilities.) It was amazing how tiny and detailed everything was made by hand-carving.

As we traveled from Naples from Sorrento, we tried to appreciate the views. We could only imagine what it would look like on a beautiful, sunny day. :(

Wondering why I snapped a photo of an industrial crane? 

It says “Fincantieri”. Why is that significant? Fincantieri is a large ship-builder. In fact, this group crafted both the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder! (The newer/bigger ships were made by a German firm.)

Arriving in Sorrento we were dropped off at Cuomo’s Lucky Store and provided a demonstration of how they hand-carve wood to craft tables, jewelry boxes, lazy Susan's, etc. with in-laid patterns. The multi-game tables were amazing! The special for the day was to consider price tags being in US dollars and large items included shipping anywhere in the world. Every pattern you see was carved and in-laid by hand! No lasers!

I then ventured to the main square of town and found the only other recommended store. It was basically a larger version of the first with lace & jewelry. I wandered down a couple of small alleys with tiny street shops. The larger better know shops weren’t yet open. It was already raining, so I put my rain jacket on over the backpack, which provided additional security from potential pickpockets as a barrier to the latches & zippers - not that I needed it as I have a Travelon backpack (& PacSafe purse at home). 

The rain started getting heavier, so I went back to the first store, which was also our meeting point. I was back so early I spent 30 minutes just standing in the storefront window with protection from the rain. This definitely wasn’t how I envisioned my visit to Naples/Sorrento. Check out the rain (via link):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fuiaa422u3cmymt/Sorrento%20rain.MOV?dl=0

Kara’s group showed up just as we were departing for lunch. 

Gayle’s group went to a nearby place that looked like Disney Cruise Line’s Enchanted Garden - a glasshouse Eden in the middle of an old, crumbling city. 

Our appetizers were an unknown meat, salad, puffs of ???, “ham & cheese” fried dough with pizza sauce, &... Fries - all served family-style. 

We were each then given entrees of penne pasta & a veggie lasagna wrap. Dessert was lemon cake. I ended up sitting with the “Gold Mickey” couple and a young couple from Guatemala, who are both doctors taking residency in Alabama soon. 

Just as lunch ended we were told the boat tour of the Amalfi Coast  - THE reason I booked this PA - was cancelled! As expected, the poor weather made the seas too rough. We were told we’ve receive some unknown amount of refund. (I doubted this as Disney Cruise Line listed the Naples city tour as a sub if the boat tour got cancelled.)

At 1pm we headed back for a substitute city tour of Naples at 2pm. I did learn Rome is the largest city with about 5M, Milan with about 2M, and Naples at 1M. (Other documents during our cruise gave very different figures….) It was an epically boring drive around Naples with two cold & windy stops by 3:30pm. Additionally, it was tough to get around the downtown/Oceanside section due to them installing a subway system; traffic and construction were everywhere. They made another stop where 3 of us decided to stay on the bus. 

I was getting really frustrated, as this wasn’t how I wanted to spend my day. Had I been able to see it, I would have just walked back to the ship. We finally got back to the ship at 4pm (luckily not the originally scheduled 5:45pm!) The last straw was standing on the gangway in cold, blowing wind as an elderly couple couldn’t seem to clear the security scanner. 

I zipped up to our stateroom, as I’d gotten “chilled to the bone” (even with a sweater, jeans, & sneakers)! I cranked up the heat and got in bed. If I wasn’t already dressed for dinner (minus shoe change), I would have gotten in the shower to get warm! The next day was already a concern with a similar forecast and the issue I was slated to wear a light dress. 

Oh, we also has this as our VIP snack for the day. Even with the cover the bleu cheese was sticking-up the room, so I had it summarily returned (when Room Service brought more cookies!)

Kara: Before we tell you about dinner, I’ll recap my tour/day. After G left to meet her group, I got ready and then headed to Fathoms to wait for my departure at 8:30 a.m. It was clear from the get go that this was NOT an adults only departure. 

We met our guide, Pierlugi (Luigi for short), as we boarded the bus. It was raining lightly as we left the port. We took the highway from Naples to Sorrento. As we left the port, Luigi informed us the Port is the second largest in Italy. This area is also one of the most densely populated in all of Europe - Luigi used the word overpopulated a couple of times. As we drove, I was struck by the number of greenhouses and the amount of land in this clearly urban/suburban area that was used for agriculture. 

As we drove, we passed through three long tunnels - the last of which was 5 km long.  We also passed by a 900 year old castle with a stunning view that is used today for events like weddings.  

Our bus arrived at the farm - Colline de Sorrento - where I snapped a selfie and then got under shelter before the sky completely opened up.

The proprietor of the farm and one of the other staff VERY QUICKLY sort of demonstrated how three different kinds of cheese were made - mozzarella and ricotta and one type I didn’t understand but that tasted good. 

I sat down for the tasting at a table with a couple about my age. They were Katelyn and Bill. Katelyn and I both availed ourselves of the facilities on two separate trips. Bill and I chatted while Katelyn was gone. Then when I returned to the table, Katelyn says, “Are you Gayle’s friend?” She and G had “met” via the Facebook group for our cruise and G had mentioned I was on this tour. We all work in higher ed so my guess is it stuck. 

We shopped in the little farm store. I grabbed some limoncello and orange marmalade. This shopping trip I enjoyed as this is my kind of shopping. We loaded back onto the bus in the pouring rain. 

From the farm, we rode into Sorrento. You already know we also arrived at Cuomo’s Lucky store where I ran into Gayle. And because this photo is awesome:

I walked through Cuomos and then headed into Sorrento to stroll the cobblestone street.  The rain was just intermittent, so it wasn’t terrible. I ran into a group from my tour that was walking through town with Luigi so I followed them for a bit.  Luigi pointed us towards a great view of the Bay of Sorrento.

I had lunch at a little street cafe called Ristorante Sorrenti. I just ordered quickly with the Margherita pizza which I regret because I wish I’d had the carbonara or caccio a pepe while we were in Italy - neither of which I was smart enough to think through. The pizza was tasty.

I did a little shopping and browsing. This part of Sorrento was fun to just walk around in, although other than tourist shops there wasn’t much culturally significant. 

From Sorrento our group headed less than 10 km down the road to a parking lot at what turned out to be a limoncello factory with a store and cafe attached. There was a patio where you could look across the road and see another view of the Bay. It was so unimpressive in my mind, I took no pictures.

We loaded back up after our third stop, shop, move on stop and I was a bit over it. When we arrived in Pompei and our first stop was this Cameo factory (which had been on the tour description so I knew it was coming), I was pretty done. And yet, we still had Pompei to go which I hadn’t been looking that forward to. While I’m interested in history, this for some reason has never been a part of history that interested me. Looking back a few weeks later now, I actually am really glad I had the opportunity to see Pompei. 

I’ll get to a brief description of my highlights of the town. But for any of you who have been there - can anyone explain to me how the chariots drove through the streets with these three big pillars sticking up out of the middle of the street? I get the pillars allowed you to cross flooded streets - but I still don’t have a visualization of chariots that works in those streets. 

Okay - as for my highlights of Pompei - which I have to admit was much better now because the sun was out and it was nice and warm. I really enjoyed the Bath House as well as the main square. To think that the marble stage of the theatre is still intact is absolutely incredible to me. 

As we left Pompei we had about 15 minutes to browse the vendor stands or, do what I did, and grab a gelato. Definitely the best way to use that time. We turned to the port and, now, back to the rest of the story.

Gayle: Tonight was our first night in Rapunzel’s (for the Thug show). I couldn't wait to dine in Rapunzel’s even though the menu was questionable. Similar to the West Coast Repo cruise on the Disney Wonder, we were very near the stage (like at Tiana’s). Our head server even noted we could move the next time to the exact table we’d had in Tiana’s - on the main aisle with direct view of the stage!

The menu.

Video of Rapunzel! 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/spfwzrif6np6m16/Raps.MOV?dl=0 

Kara: Because we were so close to the stage, we had a rather long visit with the thug Vlad.

Kara: I’d also add here that this menu was not exciting.  If it weren’t for the stage show we wouldn’t have been thrilled with tonight.  I think next time I’m getting a kid’s chicken tenders and fries.

Having reviewed the menu, we noted nothing on the dessert menu of interest! So before dinner we’d pre-ordered Room Service for the White/Dark Chocolate cake and cookies for dessert. FYI Disney, when you say “cake”, Kara in particular has a vision for what that will be. THIS

Is NOT cake. THIS is mousse - which Kara doesn’t eat. (I had one disappointed BFF this evening!)

The new live-action Disney’s Aladdin film was being shown in the stage theatre tonight, but with the start time of 8:45pm and another early PA port time in the morning, we had to skip it. 

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

[2019dclmed]

Day at Sea!

Day at Sea - Sunday, May 26, 2019

Kara:.  I’ll kick off the story today. I woke up and knew Gayle had at least been awake as the curtain between the two sides of the stateroom was a little open and I could see some natural light coming through from the verandah window.  I moved a little so I could see through the curtain and waved my hand in G’s direction but didn’t get a response so I flopped back in bed and readjusted a bit to get comfortable - thinking I would read until she woke back up.  I was thrilled to see it was after 9 and was hoping she was sleeping well.  The sound of me moving around signaled to her I was awake and she came over and sat on the bed.  We had both slept well. What a relief.

Gayle: For the record, we slept from 10:30pm to 8:40am (me)/9:30am (Kara). Not sure if it was from the Dramamine or exhaustion/stress of the 2 days prior. Frankly at this point we didn’t care.

Kara: We put on some clothes - essentially public facing pajamas - and headed up to Cabanas for the breakfast buffet.  We’re neither one fans of the sit down restaurant breakfasts so it’s always a bonus when we get Cabanas.  Mickey Waffles with strawberry sauce rounded out my breakfast selection.  I don’t like waffles much at nearly any other time or place but these are so good.

Gayle: Yep it was great to see Cabana’s open until 11am, but we got there at 9:45am. Breakfast is my favorite meal, especially with a Disney buffet! So I piled up the most excellent (that we need to figure out how to replicate) Banana Bread French Toast, Mickey waffles, & Chocolate Cinnamon Brioche Bread. (And I pretty much work to make everything I can into a dessert!)

As is appropriate on a Day at Sea we napped from 11:40am-1:40pm! The afternoon was spent simply chatting, reading, & lounging in our stateroom. (This is due to us being varied levels of introvert and the new release of Disney’s Aladdin not being shown at any reasonable hour.)

Tonight was Formal Night, and for us Palo. (It’s also why I picked a rotation with Animator’s Palate tonight, so we could skip it, as it’s our least favorite menu.) Kara started getting ready at 3:30pm and me soon after at 4pm. We handled our “chores” at 5:30pm - getting extra seasick/Meclazine pills from Guest Service since we didn’t bring enough with us (on purpose knowing they have them complimentary on-board), applying our gift cards to the onboard accounts, and dropping off our two Placeholder re-booking forms. We stopped back by the room to drop things off and for me to grab an Excedrin Migraine, since I failed to take my normal caffeine in the morning.

With all this we chatted with Zoe in the lobby and were still at Palo before it opened/our 6pm reservation. Our Palo server was Alvin (Phillipines). He was funny (chipmunk!) and the whole environment of Palo felt more light-hearted than usual. Shockingly my chunk of lobster tail was slightly over-cooked, but all the rest was as incredible as usual. The pappardelle and chocolate souffles were as wonderful as ever!

Kara: Gayle and I get the same meal in Palo - the gnocchi, pappardelle, and scallops.  I ADORE the mushroom risotto but even if they bring you a half order it’s just too much food and I’d prefer to eat all the seafood. So I asked Alvin to bring me “just a bite” of risotto.  He chuckled at me and walked away. True to Disney Cruise Line service, he did bring me a tiny ramekin with just a bite or two of risotto - exactly what I’d asked for. And, then, of course, came the full plate or Risotto along with the parmesan crisp! The chef would never allow just that bite to leave the kitchen (shhhh - don’t tell).  I will add that we really got to know Alvin a bit more than any other Palo server. As an educator, his story of the role of education in his family was really meaningful to me. 

Here’s the photo journey of our favorite meal!

Kara and her glass of Rosa Regale. 

The starters of bread and anti-pasta. (The full offerings of the anti-pasta are brought table-side via cart and the server makes a plate of your choice.)

Potato gnocchi 

Kara’s “tiny ramekin” of mushroom risotto! LOL!

The pappardelle with lobster. (Gayle says this is on-par with the chocolate souffle. That says it all!)

Our lemon palate-cleanser between courses.

A close-up of one of the glorious scallops.

Gayle’s perfect chocolate souffles!

Kara’s dish of delectable berries.

(The light in Palo is not great for photos!)

We finished just after 8pm and skipped the stage show, Twice Charmed - An Original Twist on a Cinderella Story, as neither of us care for it.

We popped up to the Deck 9 drink station for ice in the morning, laid out our clothes for the first of four Port Adventure days, filled-out the breakfast Room Service card, and set a too-early alarm for Naples day. In our room that night we returned to find 6 chocolate-covered strawberries, presumably from Zoe, but with no note.

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Naples, Italy! Let the (port) adventures begin!

[2019dclmed]

Embarkation Day!

Embarkation Day - Saturday, May 25, 2019

Hola Disney Magic!

The alarms went off promptly at 7:30am. It wasn’t great sleep, but we each felt a bit better. Since we were already dressed (in the only clothes we had), we returned the adapters and requested a taxi. There was some miscommunication with the taxi initially, but we arrived back at BCN right around 9am, when the make-or-break flight was to be landing. 

Kara: A note here on Barcelona taxis.  The drivers are all extremely pleasant and helpful.  They load and unload bags without hesitation.  I was really impressed with how convenient and comfortable I felt.  Again, having not traveled much internationally, taxi drivers often create my first impression of any city I visit and Barcelona’s were a pleasure.

We went to the baggage carousel, as we didn’t know if they would arrive normally or be pulled for the office due to our inquiry (if they arrived at all). It felt like forever, as so many similar bags spilled out - none of them ours. 

Then finally Kara thought she spotted mine. As she went to check, I spotted hers! Happy tears and relieved hugs for everyone! 

Right in the middle of baggage claim we flung open our bags, found clothes for embarkation (as it had turned rainy, cool, & windy) and our toiletry bags. We changed in the nearby bathroom and did what we could with make-up on the awaiting benches. We stowed our dinner clothes in our carry-ons (as you often don’t get your checked bags delivered to your stateroom until very near or during Main Dining time). We left for the port by 10:45am and arrived at the port just past 11am! Plenty of people had already checked in and our small Platinum line went fairly quickly. (At this point, we didn’t care! We were there with all our things!) 

Kara: This is my first time in the Platinum line on my own!  YAY!!!!

We got our requested dining table for 2 and dining rotation, even though the request was added just 4 days ago. (We know we put this in during New Year’s, but I discovered by near accident the note had been deleted in the Disney Cruise Line system.) We also reviewed the Welcome Aboard paper Personal Navigator to learn they were not doing the “double evening show” schedule like last season and note the changes for us personally.

Kara: Gayle does a LOT of planning to figure out the ideal dining rotation, including Palo and then to put in those requests for a table on our own.  While I know some people go onto cruises to meet other people, that’s not me.  As Brene Brown says in her Netflix special, “I love humanity - I’m only so-so on people.”  So, when Gayle says we got our requested dining rotation, I have to give her Kudos because LARLARL with Palo on the first day at Sea was absolutely perfect.

Boarding began 11:30/11:45am, which was a bit surprising since they were just coming off the Transatlantic sailing. We skipped the embarkation photo and were the first ones to arrive on the left side of Cabanas for lunch. AHHH!!! Finally, having good food and taking deep breaths, we let all the stress bleed-off. 

I wrote most of this in Cove Cafe awaiting our room to be ready. It stayed chilly, cloudy, with spotted rain, so at this point we weren’t sure our shorts would ever see the light of day. (Note I packed 3 pair of shorts & only 2 pair of jeans….)

Kara: I tried to do a little writing in Cove Cafe but even with a Cafe Mocha in me, I dozed off.  Pretty sure this was the first unflattering photo she took of me sleeping.  What can I say, it’s what Monroe’s do when we sit down.  We do something or we sleep.

At promptly 1:30pm we headed to our stateroom (#6644) on the Disney Magic. 

We were greeted by our stateroom host and soon informed a brand new sofa bed with fold-down top-bunk had just been installed earlier that day. (Traditionally, the top bunks come down from the ceiling or fold down from the wall. This one was free-standing, mounted to the wall. It took up about another 8” of the room, but shows Disney Cruise Line is working to keep accommodating larger families. This room would usually max at 3 guests, but could now welcome 4.) 

A fruit basket was already in the room. We didn’t know why and thought perhaps it was our Platinum Castaway Club loyalty gift, even though they usually give you a choice for that. (More on this mystery later.) 

The 24 bottles of water (Evian!) Kara ordered were already unpackaged in the room as well. (We agreed with all our Port Adventures trying to keep our Contegos filled with the Deck 9 drink station wouldn’t suffice.)

The TV remote was dead, but was immediately replaced by our stateroom host, Suartana (Tana). We also took time to get more familiar with the Disney Cruise Line App that recently got a significant update, along with the new on-demand TV options. (FYI you could ask for paper Navigator’s at Guest Services, but it’s obvious they are all but dead in that format.) And FYI in case anyone needs a look at the current outlets at the desk:

They also now provide a heat pad to protect the desk from curling irons, flat irons, etc. Nice!

Soon Room Service called asking which option we wanted for the Platinum Castaway Club gift - cheese platter, fruit basket, or box of chocolate truffles. Of course I asked for the truffles, but not to deliver until final Day at Sea, (as we now consume them on the way home). Note I didn't even pause to ask Kara’s opinion since this was her first Platinum cruise. Whoops. So then what is this fruit basket for? We still didn’t know. My only guess was a special request from a new work acquaintance? 

We arrived to the Muster Drill early to ensure we got seats. So this gave us time to snap some pics of a few updated decor items outside Animator’s Palate.

Due to the weather and having listened to the new “Sail-A-Wave” boarding party, we skipped it. (It seems more family/kid focused and less adult than the previous iteration.)

Kara’s check bag arrived soon, so she unpacked, while I unpacked my carry-on as I awaited my checked bag. We changed clothes for dinner. My bag arrived just prior to dinner. For the first time ever we did Main (6pm on this sailing) Dining, due primarily to all the early call Port Adventures we’d have later in the week. Tonight we met our Head Server Munir, Server Anwil (India), & Assistant Server, Joe (Thailand).

Our rotation started in Lumiere’s, so I got my usual chilled appetizer of shrimp & lobster and an entree of salmon (instead of the lobster pasta). The salmon was meh. Kara got the Farmhouse Salad and steak. I kicked off the cruise with my customary two Grand Marnier Soufflés (with a bit of an upset tummy later) and Kara had the apple tartan. 

Near the end of dinner Officer Zoe (England) stopped by to introduce herself and mentioned the card in our stateroom (that came with the fruit basket). When I asked her about it, she responded it is due to the fact we are on the VIP List for this cruise. EXCUSE ME, WHAT?! Zoe said she would be checking in with us each night and to just call her direct number if we needed anything. (Zoe is the assistant to the Hotel Director, Lisa, who oversees all of the stateroom and dining sections of the ship.)

The shops were packed and our initial perusal indicated nothing to be excited about. Sad. We also stopped by the piano bar, Keys, and were unimpressed with the lounge entertainment.

We decided to skip the 8:45pm “Welcome Aboard” stage show that we’d seen plenty of times and instead went back to the stateroom to unpack. At some point we also discovered part of our VIP status meant we also had slippers and the most amazing DIsney Cruise Line robes in our stateroom! (FYI you can purchase these robes, but they are outrageously expensive. Sad.) By 9pm our eyelids were falling shut, which was understandable based on the prior two days! 

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Day at Sea

[2019dclmed]

Departure Day

Departure Day -Thursday, May 23, 2019

With my 16 year old cat, Kealy, having gotten sick many times throughout the day prior (even though she was already on antibiotics), I had another night of lacking sleep due to worry. 

I went to sleep around 11:30pm, couldn’t get to sleep, took something at 12:30am, and set my alarm for 6am - in case I needed to see the vet at 7am. Of course I awoke on my own promptly at 5:30am. Miraculously all seemed fine with Kealy (after checking the recordings on my Blink camera from overnight). So I set a new alarm for 7:15am. 

I was slow to get up & get in the shower since I didn’t need to leave until 10:30am. So I cleaned up the living room & kitchen, did the final prep & pack of the backpack.

I also made a couple of last minute swaps due to the (sad) decline in forecasted temps.

Grabbed some snuggles in my recliner with the kitty (watching the Rapunzel animated series to get in the mood), & pulled out by 10:35am. I stopped at a grocery near Kara’s to grab last minute gas, Wheat Thins, & caffeine pills in Indy. 

Our themed-luggage tags. We tend to make these for “big” trips!

This is Kara. I slept well, as I often do, and having finished nearly all packing the night before had a quiet, easy morning. I had even finished emptying my work inbox the night before so other than a few last small to do items, I got to just tidy up around the house, say goodbye to my plants and wait for Gayle.

We left by 12:05pm for lunch at Panera. Our flight was scheduled for 3:30pm. 

First it was delayed about ten minutes. Then delayed more. Then the news came: Ground Stop. Due to East Coast storms impacting Philadelphia, everything was stopped from even heading in that direction. 

We started talking about rebooking, as it seemed we’d miss our connection in PHL. However, the plane started boarding and figured we’d deal with it at PHL - at least we’d be closer to Barcelona and at an American Airlines hub. 

I ended up sobbing all the way to PHL. 

Huge Sidenote: Most people, including myself, would read all this and figure, “What’s the big deal? So you take a different flight? Maybe your luggage is late?” For me, this was 14 months of planning falling apart and we hadn’t even left our home airport yet. It was hours of work and planning for this flight, to find an option that would allow me to sleep (as I’m a terrible international/eastbound flier) and in a budget I could afford. 

That’s right folks, I mention that almighty dollar, as for some a trip like this can be a stretch. I have a great professional job, but I also chose a profession and position that can be lacking financial rewards. A “big trip” like this is something I need to plan years in advance, which I didn’t have this time, and wasn’t strong enough to tell Kara no. And putting it off just one year woudn’t work since I have to lead a study abroad next May. So this had been a YEAR of scrimping and saving, living somewhat like a “poor college student”, only to completely lose our business class seats. (Yes, I realize as I type this many are rolling their eyes, but in this moment my reality was crushed.)

We landed at PHL at 7:12pm; our connecting flight left at 7:10pm! We were sent to stand in line at a nearby customer service gate, while having learned from the past, I simultaneously called AA. I put in for a call-back as we waited in the line. The Customer Service desk tells us since we’re international, we have to “go over there” to get help - from C31 to A17! 

During the trek I didn't hear or feel my phone go off - twice! - of AA calling me back. We initially couldn’t find the international help desk tucked in a set-back cove past A17, but finally got ourselves into that line. I finally noticed the 3rd call-back attempt and after many minutes was told there were ZERO options for anything arriving before… SUNDAY! (Our cruise was leaving Saturday!) Another meltdown, now from anger, had set-in. The phone agent told us to stay in the line we were standing in, that the in-person agent might have more options. What? How?

Finally at the front of the line at 8:30pm we were offered two Economy (not our booked business) seats leaving in 30 minutes to…Paris with a 5 hour layover to Barcelona (BCN). (Trying to rebook us was so challenging, this flight would be via Air France, which is the SkyTeam-Delta, not OneWorld-American network.) It’s a testament to how desperate we were that we jumped at that option, with virtually no questions asked. 

When we arrived at the gate to get our seats, they were already boarding! To get any seats together, we were in the very last row- 35 G&H (which gave me deja vu for the very first time I went to Europe). I was able to shoot off a quick email to Barcelona Chocolate Tours, letting them know we couldn’t make our noon tour, as we wouldn’t be landing until nearly 6pm and respectfully requested a refund. We had a suitable Economy dinner and took ALL the drugs we packed to try to get even a little sleep. I think I maybe slept through 2.5-2.75 Harry Potter 1 movies.

This is Kara. Gayle did a good job recapping this crazy set of events.  I’ll add in here that we posted a photo to Facebook to commemorate the crazy turn of events as a last notification to our friends and family of what our status was. This specific photo is very important later in the story.

Breakfast on the plane was yogurt & figs - gross. So I had my packed protein bar. Deplaning we certainly asked for help knowing where to go next. As we suspected, there was no luggage when we got to Paris (CDG). Went to Baggage Service and was told to wait until we got to BCN to put in a luggage inquiry. What?! This makes no sense, especially for how long all this might take. Kara called AA and was again told to wait until BCN.

The small bit of “raging idealist” in me thought our luggage should be waiting for us in BCN. That AA knew we were going to BCN via our original ticket and the Air France ticket showed the same. So throw them on whatever the next BCN flight is. Period. 

After enduring the long layover at CDG (in a new beautiful Air France, but packed terminal), I put my headphones on to BCN because 1) Chatty Kathy was next to me, 2) Kara and I were 2 rows apart, 3) the aisle dude commandeered the armrest, and 4) Kara & I were both in middle seats.

Arrive at BCN - no luggage. We wait in line at the American luggage desk only to be told to go to the next bay to stand in line for Air France, as apparently it’s the final airlines responsibility to deal with the luggage. So yes, there I am again having a meltdown. Why? We’re told to put in an incident report, which requested our entire cruise port itinerary and that our bags haven’t left PHL! At this time I also got email offering us a chocolate tour for Sunday, but at this late time no refund would be given. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Meltdown Sidenote: Again, many might question the freak out. Here was a much bigger issue. They were now giving us indication they had no idea when or if we might get our bags and we were about to embark on a 7 night cruise with nothing but the literal clothes on our back and whatever snacks & tech we had in our small carry-ons! We knew our same PHL-BCN flight was leaving that night at 7:10pm with an arrival at 9am Saturday morning and basically begged to get our bags on that flight! As it was currently only about noon PHL time, we knew they had plenty of time, but all we were told was they would put in the inquiry (via tele-text?!) and PHL would have to act on it in time. If our bags didn’t arrive on that flight, we’d have only a couple of hours to try to go to unfamiliar stores and buy everything we’d need for PJs, toiletries, dinner clothes, port adventures clothes, and much more. 

From Kara - this is where that photo we posted on Facebook came into play.  Some might call my family intense. Nearly all the time I call them loving and incredibly supportive. We use an app called GroupMe and we also use Google Location Services to keep track of one another.  Gayle and I had difficulty getting on wi-fi at CDG so while my family knew we’d made it there okay because my phone had connected and updated my location, I didn’t really share an update.  When we got to BCN and were dealing with the aforementioned request being sent by tele-text, I noticed in the GroupMe app that my aunt mentioned that she’d let a cousin in Phoenix who works for American Airlines know about our plight.  My cousin found our record using the photo we’d posted with our boarding pass and, thankfully, our luggage was on the same record as we had actually booked this as one reservation which is not our norm.  

Before leaving BCN we somehow had the wherewithal to request the luggage be held at BCN if it arrived, as we didn’t trust and couldn’t take a risk of passing it or a delay in delivery to the hotel &/or ship. We’d determined no matter what we’d return to the airport seeking our luggage Saturday morning, as it was the only real strategy we could take control of. 

We finally got to our hotel, AC Hotel Marriott Diagonal D’Illa,  around 7:30-8pm and just like in all telling TV shows & films - yes, it was raining. It was fatefully connected to a mall. We ended up with basic chicken sandwiches (and by this I mean crustless white bread with shredded chicken) and water for dinner. I did pick up a piece of chocolate cake, more out of habit than want. 

That I couldn’t even bring myself to visit the Disney Store tells you how despondent I was. 

Our hotel room was like a “camp version” of a hotel room - just the bare basics. We showered (using every amenity kit we could from the hotel), put our same clothes back on, and borrowed electrical adapters to charge our phones. 

By absolute fate we had initially posted a photo of ourselves with our boarding passes on Facebook. I thought I’d covered our confirmation number, but apparently not. Via the “Monroe Family Network” (Kara’s family), her Aunt Idris sent our confirmation number to a distant cousin who happens to work for… American Airlines Customer Service! Through Idris we were told Cousin Kimberley spoke with a supervisor at PHL who had located our bags and would “do their best” to put them on our requested evening flight to arrive at 9am Saturday morning. Another follow-up re-affirmed. 

Friday night we also logged onto the Air France baggage site as instructed. The only thing it showed was “luggage found - awaiting confirmation”. At some point I decided trying to apply my social media knowledge (as I’m also a known blogger for a popular TV series). I sent the AA Twitter account a Direct Message with our confirmation number begging them to put our bags on the PHL-BCN 7:10pm-9am flight. Around 10:30pm we got a positive response that yes this would happen! 

Between this & Kara’s cousin’s messages, there were more hesitant and slight tears (of relief?), as we feared getting our hopes up.

Continuing to pile on, there was loud party music raging outside our room from somewhere we couldn’t see. So Kara looked for some brainless TV. With my experience in Europe I assured her if she looked long enough she’s probably find NCIS &/or Big Bang Theory. Sure enough Gibbs & the team gave us a slight calm in the midst of our storm. We tried to go to sleep by 11pm (which was only 5pm back home).  

I woke up just past 2am. On the AA app it showed our confirmation number to check-in for our PHL-BCN flight - yay! But for a Saturday departure/Sunday arrival - NO! I figured this was our bags and was again defeated. I freaked-out internally while Kara slept. But the AA website showed our bags were loaded onto the requested flight at 3:20pm? Huh? So I took more drugs to get back to sleep.

This is Kara. There isn’t much I can add to this day other than a little more about my, as my niece Ashley said in a Facebook post commenting later on in the week, “creepy” family. Yes, sometimes we are remarkably creepy in how we keep up with each other.  But, when push comes to shove, having a team of people in your immediate circle who are always in your corner is reassuring. I’d been checking in with them each time we got a network connection and giving them updates. I got to “meet” my cousin’s wife Kimberley for the first time through this situation and look forward to meeting her in person someday. The family was also watching my Google Location icon pop up all over the world all through the trip.  It truly is a good thing to know you’ve got people and they’ve got you too.

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Embarkation Day! Would the luggage actually arrive?

[2019dclmed]

Planning Port Adventures & Onboard Activities

Taking advantage of that Platinum status!

FYI in addition to the Disney Cruise Line website, we found “Rick Steve Mediterranean Cruise Ports Guidebook” and the Disney Cruise Line Blog Podcast’s Review of the 2018 Disney Cruise Line Med Cruise (Part 1 & Part 2) to be highly valuable.

Having never taken a European Disney Cruise, I had no real concept of how many Platinum cruisers might be sailing and thus, how competitive it might be to book our preferred Port Adventures. So being the risk-averse person that I am, I made sure to log on at midnight (even though I had to be at work at 8am). This time, luckily, it was effortless!

Our plans for this trip were:

Barcelona Planning

Hotel

For our one night stay, we took advantage of Kara’s Marriott Free Night Certificate. (Without this, we would have been very tempted to stay at the W, Renaissance, or Eurostars Grand Marina.) There were plenty of options, just none really close to the port. Ultimately the AC Hotel by Marriott Diagonal L’Illa was primarily my choice based on reviews, a higher potential to have two separate beds, and nearby a central shopping area. The shopping area was a factor as one of my great frustrations of international travel is the potential time and challenge of finding acceptable dining options, especially when I struggle with the native language. And of course, #DisneyStore! Finally, as we know we will be jet-lagged and already prefer quiet, calmer environments, we were additionally happy to avoid the popular Las Ramblas area.

Kara: With all the planning Gayle has done for us, the tiniest thing I could do is use a free night certificate for this hotel. In total it is costing us 2.42 EUR!

Tour

We were slated to arrive at BCN at 9am. Thus, to work to adapt to the time change and presuming our hotel room wouldn’t be ready that early, we needed to decide how we’d spend our few hours in Barcelona. After considerable research, we determined we really weren’t interested in the normal tourist sites of the city (including La Sagrada Familia, blasphemy, I know)! Kara voicing no preferences, I pitched my now go-to in any new city - a food/chocolate tour! (On the last study abroad, I had a chocolate tour booked in Rome that ultimately didn’t come together. However, the one I did in London was phenomenal and can’t wait to do it again!)

Most options started at 10am, so all of those were out. Quite happily we booked the Old Town Chocolate Tour from Barcelona Chocolate Tours. We selected the noon departure for this light two-hour experience for 59 Euro pp; it is gratefully limited to a maximum of 13 people. (We’re only slightly worried about making the meeting time!) The tour was described as:

Visit the chocolate museum of Barcelona and learn about how chocolate is fabricated today, a long process where starts from a cocoa tree. Discover the chocolate tradition in Barcelona by visiting the old town and the three most famous shops boasting the best chocolate in Barcelona along with a glass of champagne, coffee or tea, according to the group’s request. Meeting point at the Museum of chocolate .

Kara: After reading Dan Brown’s “Origin”, I am intrigued by La Sagrada Familia and many other sites in Barcelona. That said, given we have only a few hours in the city and knowing we’ll be exhausted, I think the chocolate tour will be a much better use of our jet lagged time to both see a bit about the city and to enjoy some sweets.

Sunday, May 26, 2019 - Day at Sea

Tonight, since we will have time to get ready and it’s Formal Night, we are dining at our beloved Palo. We really appreciate having this as a Platinum benefit. While we tried the Brunch once, we are the dinner lovers, especially the pappardelle and Chocolate Souffle (for me). I have a saying, the best desserts are souffle, brulee, and flambe!

As for the Port Adventures, this cruise will be a genuine “adventure” for us. Typically we cruise as an unplugged, relaxing vacation from our jobs. Not this time! Nope! If we’re flying all the way to Europe, we’re going to make the most of our location. So here is a chronological order of our Port Adventures and a little reasoning for them. (I like to include Disney’s official description so I can compare it to my actual experience later in the blog and to serve as a resource to future DCL Med cruisers!)

FYI we are doing only Disney Cruise Line Port Adventures. Why? Because unlike every other area of our lives, Kara is more risk-averse… to missing the ship! Doing some research, she’s not wrong. The majority of what we are doing, how long it will take, and where we are going is nowhere close to the ports. Additionally, the last time I was in Rome, we experienced a public transit strike! Also, we’re not really interested in taking a train to the next port and sleeping in a train station!

Kara: And, YES! I have no desire to watch the cruise ship sail away without me on it in a country where I don’t speak the language at all.

Monday, May 27, 2019 - Naples

Amalfi by Boat & the Splendor of Sorrento (NP41) - Gayle only

For awhile I was booked on Kara’s (below). However, the more and more I read, I just knew I had no interest in spending 90 minutes of my trip at Pompeii. I tinkered with Capri for a bit, but it just didn’t seem interesting enough, especially since I had only minimal interest in the Blue Grotto. I had wanted to take a tour of the Amalfi Coast during the last study abroad, but it wasn’t offered on one of our free days. Now I’m hoping for relatively calm seas to not overrun my Bonine and because high seas mean most of this gets cancelled and replaced by a tour of Naples. Fingers crossed!

9.5 Hours to 10 Hours - $175 (age 10 and up)

The Amazing Amalfi

Drop anchor and have lunch in the seaside town of Sorrento—then take a guided tour through the cobblestoned streets.

On this adventure you will...

Take an approximately 75-minute drive to Sorrento.

Upon arrival at Sorrento, enjoy an optional guided walking tour of the historical center or have approximately 45 minutes of free time to explore the Corso Italia neighborhood, a flower-lined main thoroughfare. Or choose to visit the Correale Museum, where you can admire antique furniture, porcelain and Neapolitan paintings.

Savor an authentic Italian lunch included in this tour."

Re-board your motorcoach for a 75-minute drive, passing Mt. Vesuvius to Salerno.

Board a private motor launch, and enjoy spectacular views during a 45-minute cruise along the stunning Amalfi Coast. Note: This ride can be bumpy. Guests who suffer from motion sickness are advised to take precautions.

Arrive in the town of Amalfi and embark on a guided walking tour of the historical sites of this charming "white village."

Enjoy 1 hour of free time to sightsee independently or shop for souvenirs.

Reboard the motor launch for the cruise back to Salerno. There, board the motorcoach for the return drive to Naples.

Make a 30 minute stop at a local cameo factory during your transfer back to Naples and the pier.

Timeless Pompeii and the Flavor of Sorrento (NP06) - Kara only

(I’m writing this for Kara since we’re not currently in the same location.) This one is simple: CHEESE!

Kara: Here’s my additional commentary. First, I’m shocked Gayle and I decided to do separate things on one day of this trip - that’s very unnatural for us. As to why I chose this one, I am trying to fit a LOT into this trip so I can get an idea of what I love about Italy and what I might not be all that interested in spending more time with on a future trip. I’m not particularly excited about Pompeii, but I feel like it’s a must do in Italy. We won’t do Pisa or Venice on this trip so in the vein of fitting in as much as possible, Pompeii stayed in the list.

8.5 Hours to 9 Hours - $155 (age 10 and up)

Seaside Charms and Ancient Ruins

Sample Sorrento’s farm fresh fare and walk the ruins of the city buried in the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

On this adventure you will...

Drive about 75 minutes, passing Mt. Vesuvius, to the seaside town of Sorrento.

Arrive at a local farmhouse and learn the process of producing mozzarella cheese and enjoy a sample of their products, such as fresh mozzarella and salami.

Return to Sorrento’s main center and take an optional guided walking tour of the historical center.

Enjoy 60 minutes of free time to explore Corso Italia, the flower-lined main thoroughfare of the town, and the Correale Museum, home to antique furniture, porcelains and Neapolitan paintings.

You’ll have 90 minutes for lunch (not included).

Drive about an hour to the famed ancient city of Pompeii, buried by volcanic ash from Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Upon arrival to Pompeii, walk to the entrance gate, approximately 15-minutes where your tour begins.

Embark on a 90-minute guided walking tour of the ruins of this buried city.

Make a 30 minute stop at a local cameo factory before the transfer back to Naples.

Drive 30 minutes back to Naples.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - Rome

Vatican Behind the Scenes and Panoramic Drive (CV105)

Having been to Rome twice (& kinda being over it at this point, except for the gelato), I told Kara to pick whatever she wanted. We soon figured out we’d have to choose a little of everything or a lot of one thing. So she decided to do a deep-dive at the Vatican, especially with some of the more behind the scenes & access features. (Plus, now it looks like we might be back here next year for another study abroad….)

Kara: I’ve ALWAYS wanted to visit Rome. I am so excited about visiting the Vatican. The papacy intrigues me and the art and history associated with this state is intense. I would love to see more of Rome, but with only one day I thought it would be best to use our dollars to get the absolute best possible tour of the Vatican we could.

10 Hours to 10.5 Hours - $259 (age 10 and up)

Experience Masterpieces That Inspire

Immerse yourself in the works of Michelangelo―from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter’s Basilica.

On this adventure you will…

Take a 90-minute drive from Civitavecchia to Rome, where you’ll join an exclusive walking tour inside Vatican City.

Discover the smallest state in the world with a 3-hour guided tour of the Vatican Gardens, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica.

Enjoy a unique walk behind the scenes of the Vatican. See the exterior of Pope Emerito House, the Vatican Radio Station, the Academy of Science, the Pope’s former Summer Residence, the Vatican government Palace, a piece of the original Berlin Wall and the Fontana dell’Aquilone, a lovely fountain with water games.

Look at St. Peter’s Basilica from behind and admire the Cupola from a very singular prospective. Take photos in the Vatican Gardens and discover one of the most prestigious museums in the world.

Visit the Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries, Candelabras and the Chapel of Pio V before entering the Sistine Chapel to admire one of the greatest masterpieces in the world.

Experience Michelangelo’s frescos, magnificent works that changed the course of arts forever.

Be escorted through a special access to St. Peter’s Basilica, which will allow you to avoid long lines. Discover the largest church in the world and stroll through its aisles while admiring Michelangelo’s “Pieta” and the beautifully carved Bernini Pulpit.

Enjoy 90 minutes of free time at St. Peter’s Square to have lunch, explore on your own or shop for souvenirs.

Re-board the motorcoach and Take a panoramic drive past some of Rome’s highlights such as Circus Maximus, Palatine Hill and Colosseum.

Wednesday, May 29, 2019 - Florence

Cooking lesson at Castello del Trebbio (LV95)

THIS is the one we are most excited about! I’m eager to experience the Italian countryside, as I’m not really a city mouse. Also, after we did a glassblowing PA on the West Coast Repo, we know that hands-on “experiences” are more valuable and satisfying to us. Additionally, anything that involves food is right up our alley. Kara can really cook; I cannot. So this should be highly entertaining for all involved!

Kara: I get to cook fresh pasta in a castle!

7 Hours to 7.5 Hours - $315 (age 21 and up)

An Authentic Italian Experience

Take a cooking lesson at a wonderful medieval castle located in the Tuscan countryside.

On this adventure you will…

Embark on a scenic 1-hour and 45-minute drive to Castello del Trebbio located in close proximity to Florence.

Arrive at a true Tuscan medieval castle with a fully equipped, modern kitchen perched atop a hill with a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside.

The castle was built by the Pazzi family, an old Florentine nobility that rivaled the prominent Medici clan. Today, Castello del Trebbio is an artisanal producer of olive oil and wine, as well as a destination for special events. It is owned and run by the Bai Mario family of winemakers.

Explore parts of this beautiful old castle and the cellars with your guide.

Learn how to prepare pasta dough and tomato sauce using fresh and local ingredients from the resident chef.

Enjoy hors d’oeuvre and the meal you helped to prepare accompanied by wine.

Return after lunch to the motorcoach for the drive back to your ship in Livorno.

Part of the Culinary Adventures series - Celebrate the stories, cultures and flavors of the places you'll visit with cooking classes, wine and dessert programs, and epicurean adventures that include a dash of something extra.

Thursday, May 30, 2019 - Monte Carlo

Monaco, The Marina and The Little Train (V01)

We really struggled to choose a PA in this port. There were components of all of them we weren’t interested in. The main reasons we chose this one are 1) that’s it’s a half-day (vs our three previous full days) and 2) we enjoyed a similar “little train tour” on a PA in Key West. If the seas are such that we have to dock elsewhere, which I’ve read has happened previously, we won’t be sad to miss this. (Actually, I would only be sad to miss the Grand Prix circuit, only because of that epic scene in “Iron Man 2”. But I can’t talk about it, because I’m still traumatized by “Avengers: Endgame”....)

4.5 Hours to 5 Hours - $108 (age 10 and up)

Tour the Town

Afterward, enjoy some free time to explore Hercule Harbor on your own.

On this adventure you will...

Take an approximately 45-minute drive along the scenic Corniche to Monaco.

Ride an escalator and elevator up the cliff and enjoy an approximately 45-minute guided walking tour that includes external visits of the Oceanographic Museum, the Prince's Palace (which has been the home of the royal family since the 13th century), and an internal visit of the Monaco Cathedral. Note: This tour includes approximately one mile of walking at a leisurely pace, part of which will be on cobblestones and/or uphill. Wear comfortable shoes. Note: Guests—including children—wishing to enter the cathedral must ensure that shoulders and knees remain covered. You can wear shorts that reach below the knee and tank tops as long as you bring a sweater or scarf to wrap around your shoulders. An inside visit may not be possible due to official ceremonies, weddings or funerals.

Next, board a little open-air tourist “train” for a 30-minute tour through Monte Carlo, and ride along the harbor and Grand Casino as well as on part of the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit.

Reboard your coach for a 15-minute drive to the harbor to enjoy a refreshing beverage and approximately one hour of free time to explore on your own.

Drive back to Villefranche along the Middle Corniche.

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Departure! (Day -1)

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Logistics

Cruise booking, insurance, & air - oh my!

On March 31, 2018 we were booked the the May 25 - June1, 2019 Disney Cruise Line Mediterranean (RT Barcelona) in a Cat 7A (Deluxe Oceanview with Navigator Verandah) with Second dinner seating.

By April 2, 2018 I’d upgraded us to a 6A stateroom (Deluxe Oceanview with Verandah), as it was “only” $126 more. After Kara experienced her first Navigator Verandah just a few months later, we wanted to switch back. However, by this point it was roughly $500 to DOWNGRADE the stateroom! Thus we kept what we now had.

Soon I also switched us to Main dinner seating. This would be a first for us, and a sacrifice Kara was involuntarily making for me. My stance was with so many early and intense port days, if I’m not interested in the evening entertainment, I need to be in bed! (FYI I’m NOT a morning person - but Kara is. I’m already sad about having to go to bed early for the Port Adventures….)

We also almost immediately added the trip insurance. This was to ensure we’d be covered for the pre-existing conditions - but not for us. Both my mother and Kara’s parents are elderly with medical issues, so this was a definite component.

This is Kara reading through this just a few days before we leave and happy to realize we do have trip insurance. You see, this is how much I leave the details to Gayle. (*Gayle shakes head* Especially since I just printed both of our trip insurance documents....)

The cost of the cruise wasn’t really different than the Caribbean. However, having co-led a study abroad just the summer prior, I knew it would be the airfare that killed us.

Sidenote: When Kara & I flew to Europe we committed to NOT being in Economy if we did it again! On the year’s prior study abroad I upgrades to business for the outbound as 1) remember I’m not a good international traveler, specifically long-haul eastbound flights and 2) I had re-injured by back to the point I had to pay a student to be my personal luggage porter!

Kara’s Sidenote: I travel a decent amount for work - averaging a couple of domestic flights a month. That said, I’m an anxious traveler up until the point I get on the airplane and then once again once I step off the airplane until I’m at my hotel.  Plus with not wanting to fly economy I’m interested to see if this is even remotely worth the price.

So being the researcher, I spent Summer 2018 researching business outbound/economy return flight options. We both have most of our “Big 3” miles on United, and thought we could use them for upgrades. We soon learned that we didn’t know enough about using said miles and the United option was coming in nearly $1000 higher than another option. So not wanting to lose virtually the only option in my budget, on July 20, 2018 we booked the air - on American. (Keep in mind neither of us have any miles on American, so this was another sacrifice!)

This is Kara. Gayle did INTENSE research on these flights. She probably knows the serial number of the wings of the plane we’re actually going to be on. I was sitting on the pontoon boat my family rented for vacation in July 2018 while everyone was up at the vacation house when Gayle called to tell me we were buying air that night. Technically, I didn’t need to be involved because I know she’s made the best choice but she still shared the experience with me.

We knew we probably wanted to upgrade the return to American’s “Main Cabin Extra” (MCE) for more legroom. Yes, we’ve become a bit of flying snobs - mostly Kara who travels a lot for her work. I was finally ready to turn over even more $ for MCE by December 2018. When I looked on the app MCE was $98 for both legs of our return. Being a “Questioner”, I called American “just to inquire” what Premium Economy (PE) would be. $200 - and it came with additional benefits like only a 2 seat row and better meal. Who needs $ anyway, right? Plus PE only has 6 rows with the 2 seat configuration. (Did I mention I’m a strong Introvert and so is Kara - to a far lesser extent.) So another hit to the credit card & budget….

We were scheduled for an 11am flight out of IND (Indy) with a 6 hour layover in PHL (Philadelphia). Two things from this:

Having flown business previously, I really wanted to take advantage of a great airport lounge. (The United Polaris lounges are pretty amazing.) For where we were going, American’s best option was the Flagship Lounge in Miami. However, that flight was even more expensive, so that was a sacrifice on my part.

We’d begun planning how we’d spend those 6 hrs, but by Feb. 2019 American had changed our flight. We were now leaving IND at 3:30pm for only a 90 minute layover in PHL, with our same flight/arrival time into Barcelona (BCN)! Hooray!

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Planning Port Adventures!

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The Launch of this Adventure

aka How this trip came about!

First, Our previous Europe travels:

Gayle to England in 2000(?) for work

Gayle & Kara on independent trip to Paris & London (2009)

Gayle to Rome/London/Paris to lead study abroad (2011)

Gayle to Rome/London to lead study abroad (2017)

It was the first week of March 2018, when the Summer 2019 Disney Cruise Line cruises were announced. I was at an out-of-state conference and didn’t have time to truly look through the options. So I sent the announcement to Kara, telling her to pick something if she saw something interesting. (If she did, we obviously wanted to take advantage of assigning our placeholder during the Platinum booking window!)

Sidenote: We plan our trips years out, both for savings, but also for Kara’s more demanding work schedule. Some years are “big trips”, some years are “smaller trips.” 2019 hadn’t really been classified big or small, but I was definitely thinking small, knowing what other big trips were coming in the future.

Kara’s version of this side note: We do plan years in advance and those plans change a hundred times - as good plans do. But, yes, this probably should have been a small trip year - but oh, it so isn’t a small trip.

So I nearly fell over when Kara responded with, “The British Isles looks interesting.” Excuse me, what?! Not having time to dig into this at my conference, I made the call to book, but felt very unsettled about.

Fast-forward to the end of March 2018 (aka my birthday), when I inquired why she chose this one. Her response was, “I want to see more of the world.” Ok!

Due primarily to leading study abroad programs, I’ve had more opportunity to travel abroad than Kara. Her response led me to understand she wasn’t specific to the British Isle option.

Kara: I do still think the British Isles sounds interesting - but the cruise ports really didn’t excite me as the way to see the British Isles. (Gayle concurs!) 

So we spent the weekend surrounded by 2 laptops and roughly a dozen brochures including European land tours, river cruises, Adventures by Disney®, Disney Cruise Line, and more.

Long story short(er), we obviously settled on the Disney Cruise Line Med option, based on:

Kara seeing many places in Europe, primarily Italy, which is on her Bucket List

Having the ship transport us and our things (to avoid frequent packing and transferring via bus or train around the country)

Having a familiar and comfortable base each day (especially regarding dinner & bed) while touring new and unfamiliar places

Keeping some “American” comforts (I’ve learned over time I’m not a good international traveler!)

So other than my experiences in Rome (& our times on the Magic), this would all be a new adventure for us!

Among the Med option we chose the 7 night RT to/from Barcelona. Why?

We knew we needed at least 7 nights (so the 6 night option was out).

We knew having the start/end at the same port should result in more cost effective airfare.

The longer options, while we’d love to travel/be on Disney Cruise Line more days, I hadn’t prepared for 2019 to be a “big trip” year!

Kara’s one additional note here: If Gayle didn’t have this belief that river cruises are for people much older than us, I would have tried to hold out for the river cruise. I’m stating publicly it’s still on my bucket list.

We also realized it will have been:

10 years since we were in Europe together

Nearly 5 years since we did a 7 night cruise (How is that possible?!)

And… the last time we were on the Disney Magic was the historic “Shipwrecked” adventure! So we are definitely preparing for another “adventure”!

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Logistics!

[2019dclmed]

Your Hosts!

Ahoy matey! We are your Trip Blog hosts, Gayle & Kara!

We are both Platinum Castaway Club, reside in Indiana (USA), and work in higher education (at different colleges/universities).  This is Kara chiming in, which I’ll do throughout the blog, I’m truly excited to FINALLY become Platinum on this cruise.

Our Disney Cruise Line experiences include the Bahamas, Caribbean (Western & Eastern), California Coast, Mexico, West Coast Repo, and Alaska (only Kara). Our favorite cruises have been when we got “stuck” at Disney Castaway Cay for an extra 24 hrs(!) and the inaugural Pixar cruise with John Lasseter. Kara also loved Alaska which she did with her parents.

If you happen to want to see some our previous Trip Blogs:

2006 Land & Sea (our first DCL - 4 night Bahamas)

2010 “Shipwrecked” 7-turned-8 night cruise!

2012 California Coast Inaugural Pixar

2013 Gayle’s B-Day Cruise (Eastern Caribbean)

2018 West Coast Repositioning (Vancouver to San Diego)

There are more - we just haven’t gotten them posted with photos!

Things to know about us before diving into this Trip Blog are that I (Gayle) am the Type A “planner”, while Kara is much more appreciative of the broader experience, more able to appreciate new discovery and finding “joy”! Once the trip gets started, hopefully we will be tag-teaming our narrative of the cruise!

Kara: Gayle’s being really kind. I am a total Type A planner in my work life. I love my Outlook calendar, my to do list, and my notebook where I do my own version of bullet journaling. That said, when I’m traveling, I prefer to try to relax. And, because I’m lucky to have a best friend who also happens to be an exceptional travel agent I am more than happy to leave the details to her when we travel. I am incredibly appreciative of all the work she’s put into this trip.

On that note... Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: The Launch of this Adventure!