Shelli Spencer - KVI Agent in Seattle - has recently returned from a trip aboard the Disney Magic in the Mediterranean. Here's her review...
My 20 year old daughter and I had planned a trip to Northern Europe, but when Disney offered an incredible last minute deal to the Mediterranean we jumped at the chance to revisit some ports of call we'd been to in 2008, as well as explore some new destinations.
We arrived Barcelona three days prior to our cruise, took the airport bus to Placa de Catalunya, and checked into the Hotel Continental which is conveniently located on the famous pedestrian street of La Rambla. The hotel was reasonably priced at 89 Euros a night and offered a free buffet breakfast, all day snacks, juices, and beer on tap. I emailed ahead of time to request gluten free cereal for my daughter and they graciously obliged. It was fun to sit in the bistro chairs on the Hotel Lobby's balcony and watch the throngs of people pass by on La Rambla. We were unable to get the wireless internet to work on our laptop, but they did offer free internet in the lobby that worked out just fine for us. The staff was helpful and courteous in planning day trips and helping with public transportation and also offered a money exchange. Our room was small but quiet, and being consistent with the hotel, was very pink. We thought it was a good value in a great location, just steps from the bus, subway system, and train. We'd definitely recommend the hotel and stay here again if our travels take us back to Barcelona.
Day two we bought train tickets to Montserrat at kiosks in the subway in Placa de Catalunya. We chose to take the bright yellow cable car to the Montessori which is perched on the side of the beautiful stone mountain. The view was spectacular, and got even better as we took the funicular to the highest point of the mountains and peered down at the valley below. We quietly entered the church to hear the famous basilica boys choir before heading back to Barcelona. There are restaurants, shops, and even a hotel at Montserrat. You can plan to spend a few hours, or if you want to hike the trails, you could spend a few days. It's a side trip that shouldn't be missed.
Day three we hopped on the city bus tour at Catalunya Square, got the front row seat up top of the double-decker and plugged in our earphones. We hopped off at Montjuic to check out the hilltop views of the city at the National Art Museum and then continued past the Olympic sites, port area, and beach. We hopped off at the Park De La Ciutadella which houses the zoo and had lunch at the duck and turtle pond. The beautiful cascada triumphal arch and waterfall was like an oasis in the desert. We took a two hour break during the heat of the day and then reboarded the bus which took us past several of Antonio Gaudi's famous buildings including La Sagrada Familia before hopping off at Parc Guell. The one day tourist bus pass was $28pp, and not much more for a two day pass. If you have the time, I'd recommend the two day pass. There is so much to see and the day passes quickly.
The Disney Magic
August 28th we took a quick cab ride to the cruise terminal and boarded the Disney magic. As we expected, there were a lot of young families. Check in was quick and efficient and our cabins were ready upon our arrival. We found our inside cabin to be nicely furnished, but the bathroom to be a bit worn. We unpacked and headed to the adult pool, passing by the water slide and an outdoor big screen that played Disney movies and cartoons to keep the little ones entertained. My daughter Meghin was happy to find other 20 year olds at our dining table. Two college girls from Ireland, and a U.S. Military couple from New York, based in Germany. Our waiter Edward, from England was happy to assist Meghin in selecting gluten free meals. She got to preview the menu each night and order ahead. Edgar, the chef from the Lido restaurant always prepared Meghin's breakfast and had pizza and salad available for lunch. She gave him the names of some of her favorite gluten free cereals and he said he would order them for future cruises. It's nice to go on vacation where every meal is not a big issue, and we've found that cruising is the best way to travel and be assured that her meals are safe to eat. If you have a food allergy please notify your travel agent. Cruise Lines will do their best to accommodate you, and most have a form you can fill out after you book, where you can place a food allergy request.
At about 2am on our first night at sea I heard Disney music playing in the hallway. I called the front desk and asked them to turn the volume down and they said they were trying to figure out how to turn it off. A couple of hours later we had a power outage and the ship was rocking and rolling so hard that our closet doors were swinging from one side to the other. There were back up lights on in the hallway, so we grabbed our tiny flashlight and went out on deck. The Captain explained that they had gotten some new electronic equipment an his engineers were working on it and it should be fixed within the hour... and it was. Note: It's good to carry a small flashlight and pack a medicine kit that includes Dramamine.
Ports of Call:
I looked at all of the shore excursions Disney offered and decided on two. They were priced at $50pp which I thought was reasonable and it would have cost just about as much if we would have tried to take public transportation. The first one was in Malta.
Malta
Malta is a tiny island with old world charm mixed with high rise buildings and pricey condominiums. Make sure that you are up early enough to watch the ship pull into this intriguing port. We took a shore excursion to the village of Marsaxlokk and photographed the colorful Maltese fishing boats. From there we climbed aboard our own small boat for a tour of the Blue Grotto. We did a little shopping, returned to the ship for a bite to eat, and then did our own walking tour of the old town and the upper Barracca Gardens in the afternoon.
Tunis Tunisia, Africa
I had read some scary stories about Tunisia on Cruise Critic so we opted to do a Disney Tour rather than head out on our own. Meghin had leaned about Carthage in her college ancient roman history class, so that was a must see for us. We stopped at three different sites of ruins, the one near the ocean being the most impressive. Next stop was Sidi-Bou-Said. A town consisting of white homes and buildings with intricately carved blue doors. The museum/home we toured was beautiful and interesting, but very crowded...as were the shops lining the streets up the hill to the museum. The vendors were friendly but persistent and spoke good English. We didn't feel threatened as others had reported on blogs. We've had similar "shopping" experiences in resort towns in Mexico and the Caribbean. Note: Two people from our tour were left behind in Sidi Bou because they didn't make it back to the tour bus at the designated time. It was probably a costly taxi ride back to the ship for them.
Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento
The Cruise we took in 2008 stopped in Naples and we took the hydrofoil to the Isle of Capri which was stunningly beautiful and a must see. This time we opted to take the train to Pompeii where we did a self guided two or three hour tour and then continued by train to the lovely town of Sorrento. We strolled the streets lined with giant pots of flowers, gazed down at the rocky beaches where hotel guests relaxed on lounge chairs perched on piers jetting out over the turquoise waters, and bought scarves to take back as souvenirs. It was fun to have Micky Mouse greet us back at the ship after a long day of exploration.
Rome
The first time we went to Rome we forked out the big bucks for the 12 hour tour. It was worth every penny to us to see as much as we could in this famous historical city and we didn't want to waste any time by getting lost. This time however, we saved our money by taking the train in Civitavecchia and hopped off at the Coliseum. We were going to walk through the Forum, but it was much too hot, so we continued past the Capital building and on to Piazza Navona which hosts the Fountain of Four Rivers and the Fountain of Neptune. Meg guided us, map in hand, to the Pantheon where we had a bite to eat and people watched, and then to the famous Trevi Fountain where once again we tossed in coins to insure a return trip to Rome. We bought glass necklaces as gifts near the Spanish steps before making our way to the train, and then found them even cheaper back in Civitavecchia and bought more there as well. Note: The train is a convenient and inexpensive way to see Rome, but plan to do a lot of walking. The train station is huge, but well marked. We had no trouble getting to where we wanted to go. Do your research before you leave home and you'll save yourself a lot of time and frustration.
La Spezia/Cinque Terre
La Spezia is a picturesque city with flowering shrubs, trees, and roses lining the waterfront street near the ships terminal and we probably would have been content spending the day there, but our hearts were set on seeing the Cinque Terre, so we walked 30 minutes to the crowded train station and bought our train tickets and Cinque Terre Card which would allow us to hike between the five villages known for their pastel painted buildings that dot the rugged coastline of Italy. The villages are interconnected by train, boat, and hiking trails, are a National Park, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Remember to stamp your train ticket at one of the machines at the terminal and write your name on it before boarding. Our first stop was Riomaggiore. We wandered the hilly tourist town before walking the Via Dell Amore, a wide boardwalk hugging the coastline between Riomaggiore and Manarola. You can get some great photos on this short easy hike and it was one of the highlights of our trip. We joined other travelers, many who appeared to be college students for a picnic along the boardwalk overlooking the beach, boats, restaurants, and shops in Vernazza. We bypassed Corniglia which sits high on a hill, and finished the day in Monterosso, a resort town with the only real beach of the 5 villages. Note: Trains run frequently but are often delayed, so make sure you allow plenty of time to return to the ship.
Ajaccio Corsica, France
We were looking forward to spending a quiet day in Ajaccio. It was a Sunday and many places were closed, so we strolled through town, stopping off at Napoleon Bonaparte's monument and found a few souvenirs before making our way to the beach. We cooled off in the clear blue water and Meghin collected sea glass for her Auntie back in Washington state.
Villefranche/Monaco
Villefranche is a jumping off point for Nice, Cannes, and Monaco. We opted for Monaco. The bus was much cheaper than the train, so we walked up the hill and rode 45 minutes to the tiny country of Monaco. I could hear Robin Leach from my childhood chanting, "champagne wishes and caviar dreams," and when we rounded the corner into Monaco I said to myself. "THIS is lifestyles of the rich and famous." We walked the harbor lined with million dollar yachts, wandered the grounds of the Monte Carlo Casino, and meandered through the Janapense garden. Meghin took some video of expensive sports cars that came and went from the Fairmont Hotel knowing it would impress her boyfriend back home. Back in Villefranche we collected our French souvenirs and boarded the Magic for the final part of our trip.
Overall Experience
We had a wonderful time on our Mediterranean Cruise vacation. The food was very good and it was fun to alternate between three different dining rooms every night. Gluten free options were good with the only complaint being that the salad bar was very limited
Our inside cabin was fine but when the seas were rough there were a lot of creaky noises. The cabin was in the aft which probably intensified the motion.
As expected, this being a Disney cruise, there were a lot of very young children on board. We saw a lot of adorable kids who were having the time of their lives and a few tears and temper tantrums. We found plenty of adult areas to escape the younger crowd and sometimes we couldn't resist joining them in line to have our picture taken with the characters. Times were posted on a monitor advising when you could pose with Mickiey, Minnie, and all the rest. There is even a character breakfast where many of the characters greet your family at their table for photo ops. The shows in the evening were some of the best I've seen on board a ship. Pirate night and fireworks is something that only Disney provides. Both embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly. We had no problem grabbing a cab to the airport to make an 11am flight back to the States. We'll keep our eyes peeled for another last minute deal on a Disney Cruise Vacation.
Shelli Spencer
KVI Travel
253-265-6208
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