MickeyMed 12 Night Cruise

MickeyMed 12 night cruise July 26th Disney Magic.

We are on the Disney Magic this weekend, if any of you, want to follow then bookmark this,

http://mickeymed.blogspot.co.uk/

I will update here on our return.

magnet1 by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Friday Barcelona

Cruise

SaturdayBarcelona, Spain

SundayVillefranche (Nice), France

MondayLa Spezia, Italy

TuesdayCivitavecchia (Rome), Italy

WednesdayAt Sea

ThursdayAt Sea

FridayPiraeus, Greece

SaturdayKusadasi, Turkey

SundayMykonos, Greek Isles

MondayAt Sea

TuesdayValetta, Malta

WednesdayAt Sea

ThursdayBarcelona, Spain

Friday Barcelona Spain

Med magnet blank2 by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Well here we all go yet again, seasoned cruisers, and platinum with Disney Cruise line, we are headed back to the Disney a magic again after being on the Wonder last year in Alaska and the Fantasy back to back in the Caribbean in 2012.

We live in London UK and have sailed with DCL in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Baltic, Panama and as said before Alaska. This " booking / reservation" was booked on board in August 2012 and transferred to this Med cruise on release on 14th February 2013 for the best prices. We always use a DCL TA who have been good to us over the years they give some on board credit but have clout with DCL and sort out any problems very well giving me far more control.

For months of planning I have booked non DCL shore trips in every port of call for flexibility, to do what we want to do, sometimes to save money over cruise line port adventurers, but to avoid the tourist shops the tourist dinners that are poor and rushed like school, and have a local expert look after us personally.

I used shoreside concierge only a little in March this year just before our 120 booking window for Palo meals and dinner rotation, as said we have not booked any DCL shore trips on this cruise, Alaska last year was the same with six shore trips on the cruise all private in the three ports of call, two in each port, we saved a lot of Monet, had trips and flight times we wanted and had a lot of added benefits.

We have had an very active Facebook group everyone able to talk freely without moderation and plan for this twelve night cruise.

We Fly to Barcelona by BA ( British Airways) Club Europe, it's just a two hour flight. I have booked and pre paid a private transfer to hotel in city centre. This is a package this one cost €69 far cheaper than the DCL transfers overall and I have one booked on Saturday to the port and a tour on disembarkation. More later on that.

We have reservations at the hard rock Barcelona first night and then will walk La Rambala to the sea front and back.

So Saturday - we are in the hotel in the city, at the Hotel Jazz it's centrally located just a block from Placa Catalunya the tourist hub of Barcelona where for example the HOHOs start and a big train station. I have a private booked transfer to port embark Disney Magic.

So to the main even the Cruise

MedMagic by Andrew D Porter, on Fli

Transfer 10am, check in, embarkation, see ship, find our room. We are in a midship Cat T the old Cat3s and we have an extended verandah for the use all cruise but we have for long sea days some around the Greek Islands do well worth it.

I understand from recent Med cruisers that the CD is Brent. Captain is Captain Robert, from the Netherlands. Angeline and Twanda appear to be the concierge hosts Angeline maybe ours port side. Entertainment includes for production shows and a ventriloquist, Kyle and Misty Magic we should get the premier of Guardians of the galaxy on our cruise.

Since our last cruise on the Magic, it had a refurbishment in September 2013, it had new features added such as the re-imagined Oceaneer’s Club,a new restaurant, Carioca’s , also the casual buffet; previously known as Topsiders that had breakfast and lunch Buffets, this venue is now known as Cabanas, similar to the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. The Australian setting of the Disney-Pixar animated classic “Finding Nemo” inspires the décor with hints of the film’s fishy and feathered friends throughout the restaurant.

The options of food and beverage stations / Islands that are plentiful Lamb chops, chilled mussels and crab, swordfish, ribeye, salmon, and so much more. It was almost too much to choose from.

Water entertainment, the AquaDunk, a fast drop water slide over the edge of the ship, now on the pool deck, lots of fun was added. The classic Mickey Pool, that was shaped like Mickey Mouse, has been totally replaced by the 1,800-square foot AquaLab (ages 3 and up) and new Nephews’ Splash Zone (up to age 3) that stars Donald Duck’s mischievous nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie.

The Mickey slide was replaced with the Twist n’ Spout water slide featuring 250 feet of sliding fun, loops and turns. Located adjacent to the Aqualab, it is a kid-friendly waterslide, a little less daunting than the monstrously exhilarating AquaDunk. I am not sure if I will go on Aquadunk, I did love and miss Aquaduck on the Fantasy.

Also the food places on deck have changed, – Eye Scream and Frozone Treats, 2 new quick-service venues. Originally debuting on the Disney Dream, Eye Scream offers up soft-serve ice cream (complimentary) and Frozone Treats mixes up refreshing, frozen fruit smoothies (nominal charge).

We requested MDR Rotation #3 which is as follows: CLACLACLAACL.

Animator’s Palate; has two dinner shows that displays during dinner, these will happen on the first two nights at Animator’s Palate on this rotation. Pirate Night is on Monday August 4th. (Sea day post Mykonos) Formal Night is on Wednesday July 30th (1st sea day post Rome) and Semi-Formal Night is on Tuesday August 5th. (Malta) The other two dinner rotations here.

Rotation #1: LACLACLACCLA

Rotation #2: ACLACLACLLAC

Rest is a mixture if what we know and based on former trip reports for 12 nights in the Med

Barcelona.

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual

Menu: "Let the Magic Begin"

Villefranche:

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual

Menu: Rotational Dinner (Lumiere's) (Animator's)(Carioca's.)

Villians Tonight!

La Spetzia.

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual

Menu:rotational Show Dinner (Animator's)(Lumiere's)(Carioca's.)

Civitavecchia

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual

Menu: rotational Island Dinner (Carioca's.)(Animator's)(Lumiere's)

Sea day 1

Suggested dinner attire: Formal Night

Menu: Prince/princess Menu

Show: Twice Charmed

Sea day 2

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual

Menu: Bella Italia

Athens

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual

Menu: Greek Menu

Show: The Dream Goes On

Kusadasi:

Menu: Mediterranean

Show: Mysteries of Anatolia

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual

Mykonos

Menu:

Show: Scott Pepper (magician)

Sea day 3

Suggested dinner attire: Pirate

Menu: Pirate Menu.

Show: Once Upon a Song

Malta

Suggested dinner attire: Semi-Formal

Menu: Captain's Gala

Show: Alfred and Seymour!!!

Sea day 4

Suggested dinner attire: Cruise Casual

Menu:Till we Meet Again

Show: Dreams

Med magnet blank by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

We will go to our room at 1.30 when they open, check it out, and put our door magnets up and look out for our luggage to arrive.

Day 1 Barcelona, Spain -- depart 4:30 p.m.

Day 2 Villefranche (Monte Carlo, Cannes, Nice), France* 8:45 a.m. 6:30 p.m.

Private tour:-

Cannes Antibes and Mountain towns

http://www.kultours.fr/tourenuk.html

We are not sharing this tour with anyone and going to Cannes as we haven't been there before, we gave been to Nice, Grasse, Eze, and Monaco before.

Day 3 La Spezia (Florence, Pisa), Italy** 7:45 a.m. 7:30 p.m.

Private tour:-Cinque Terre

https://www.papillonservice.com/tours-from-la-spezia-port.php

Two people from our Facebook group asked to join us and we have a private guide in the Cinque Terre. We have been to Pisa, Floraence, and Lucca before do this us something new for us.

Day 4 Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 7:15 a.m. 6:45 p.m.

Private tour:-

Rome

http://www.bestourofitaly.com/

Two other couples asked to join us so there will be right on this tour, we gave a private guide here for the Vatican

Day 5 At Sea -- --we have a Palo Brunch booked for three my daughter is now eighteen so her first time, I will arrange for my son to have room service or take him to cabanas.

Day 6 At Sea -- --nothing planned relaxing day on the verandah.

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Dsy 7 Piraeus (Athens), Greece 8:00 a.m. 6:45 p.m.

Private tour:-

Athens

https://www.athensbytaxi.com/

We have a couple joining us here so it will be six people.

I was last here twenty years ago but gave travelled all the main Greek Islands.

Day 8 Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey 7:30 a.m. 6:45 p.m.

Private tour:-Ephesus, Terrace houses, Virgin Mary house, Turkish real not tourist meal.

Link not allowed.

We have a private tour on our own and this has been pre paid in USA $.I last visited here twenty give years ago.

Day 9 Mykonos, Greece 7:30 a.m. 6:45 p.m.

Hired a jeep to tour island and go to Elia beach

Palo Dinner, platinum so free!

Day 10 At Sea -- --on the verandah Greek island cruising.

Day 11 Valletta, Malta 7:45 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

Semi Private tour:- Malta

http://www.maltaonlineguide.com/about.html

Another family looking into the best guides for this island found I had already booked her do they join us today.

Day 12 At Sea -- --Palo brunch 2

Day 13 Barcelona, Spain disembark 8:30 a.m. --

Private tour:- Tossa Da Mar and Ginoa

http://www.barcelonadaytours.com/

Back to hotel Jazz for two nights.

Barcelona free days. But have booked Park Guell and Sagrada Famila.

Saturday 9th Flight home. BA Club Europe

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Oh I can't wait to read your trip report! My daughter was heartbroken to learn Brent was on the Magic. He is her absolute favorite CD and she was hoping he would be with us on the Fantasy in a month.

Have a great cruise :)

Oh I can't wait to read your trip report! My daughter was heartbroken to learn Brent was on the Magic. He is her absolute favorite CD and she was hoping he would be with us on the Fantasy in a month.

 

Have a great cruise :)

Thank you I will try to get a new photo of a rent for her, I understand he is doing the full Med season.

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

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Looking forward to following along. FYI, the stateroom photo on your blog is not the Cat. T, it's a photo of the Cat. S. ;)

Looking forward to following along. FYI, the stateroom photo on your blog is not the Cat. T, it's a photo of the Cat. S. ;)

Thank you!

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image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

The " Ones " I like to see.

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Exciting, I just realized you may have not been on the reimagined Magic yet.... For what it is worth we LOVED her! Different enough from the Dream/Fantasy to be a "new" experience - but included enough of the dream class touches to make her updated and wonderful.

Exciting, I just realized you may have not been on the reimagined Magic yet.... For what it is worth we LOVED her! Different enough from the Dream/Fantasy to be a "new" experience - but included enough of the dream class touches to make her updated and wonderful.

Yes that's true, I have had many Disney Magic cruises in fact our first 8 or so were all on the DM, after going on the Fantasy and Wonder it will be like coming home, some things we know, Cabanas for example, but there will be new things to see, like the Midship Cat 3/T's.

We fly on Friday in Barcelona Friday as its a short flight and on the ship Saturday, updates will start as soon as they can subject to the internet.

Here now updated blog

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So we are in Barcelona, it's hot and a bit humid, tonight we went for a walk, went for a meal at the very busy Hard a Rock cafe. Then walked La Rambala, the famous market, so great to look at the fruit, the sweets/candy, fish and meat on sale. We walked to the old harbour Barcelonette, the gothic area and back.

It's very very busy tonight crowds everywhere.

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Cruise port in the distance past the new bridge.

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image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

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image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

From when we leave the hotel Internet to when we are on ship any updates will be on the blog only.

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Lots of updates, in the room now, and had concierge meet and lunch in Cabanas, was in room at 12.30 love the cut little port maps, and Internet fast but I. Am charged per byte so on blog only

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A lot of noticeable upgrades not read on forums before! Little things to please you

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Great day today due to the high bytes of my photos can only post them on the cruise via cell phone to blog will update the better photos after.

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Monday La Spezia, first tip of the day if you are going private tours or on taxi then you meet outside the port and access by a shuttle. If you are on a DCL a Tour or on DCL Tour the coaches pick you up next to the dock.

We went to the Cinque Terre today and it was an excellent choice. A fine Sunday day but sea breezes to cool you down. The first embarkation port was POrto Venere and from there we went to Riomsggiore then Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso the boats were quite full bar the Vernazza that was very packed, ensure you get the right one many come up at the same time and some miss some towns. The little seaside towns are so beautiful, and traditional Italian, we had lunch in Monterosso in a small typical Italian restaurant a great pasta for us but there was a lot of seafood there.

Today there must have been twenty plus coaches off to Florence leaving by 7.30 am it's a Monday so the museums are closed and with ships in Liverno it will be packed.

Tonight we have Animators palate show and then Villains tonight in the WDW.

Tomorrow we are in Rome a long day from 7-15 to 5 pm so Internet and posts will be restricted, we have a tour with guide and will go in the Vatican, and the coliseum. I might swap to normal camera and upload photos post cruise but let's see.

Finally yes Karl Holz CEO of DCL Is in the room next to us.

MY Facebook app isn't working to well.

Internet on the ship is very very very fast do NOT let anyone say differently but my photos are large so the big ones eat up my allowance so the high quality ones will be posted post cruise.

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OK the large photo files are eating into the Internet package it is fast but costly but for those who are following and can't wait a few random Images so far.

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Beef last night Lumieres.

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Platinum gift.

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Platinum wine gift.

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Villefrance

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

St Paul De Vance

image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

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Karl Holz is such a nice man,

Long story, but tonight he knocked on my stateroom door we had a conversation for maybe up to an hour, he is such a gentleman. It was a real honour to speak to him and for him to take interest in things that are important. He said it's all about relationship building, we had a quite deep conversation covering a lot of things. Privilege to speak to him.

Lots of updates today I can't post here as through one Internet package already so to upload to flicker then the posts takes a lot, but I will update the quality photos post cruise but we have a heck of a lot online.

He is coming to our concierge meeting tomorrow evening, if I remember and get a chance I am going to ask him a few more questions, my brain is on vacation mode, so can forget.

He really is such a very very nice man.

It's funny how it was all set up.

I posted on my Facebook and blog that he was next door, my TA saw it and messages me and said " say hello" he is a very nice guy, well I messages my TA and said I can't do that he is the CEO and he is working, ( bar Mykonos day).

I put in a joke to my TA in correspondence to/ fro, tell him we are sorry if we are making too much noise.

Well my TA who has clout with DCL and is close friends with him, clearly contacted him and said my family was next door.

We came back from Rome at 4.40 I went to get a drink at the self service station and came back to Karl knocking on my stateroom door, he knew all about us and said jokingly you haven't made any noise.

We then spoke with concierge joining us till just before 6 pm,

He is a warm witty, nice and approachable guy, a highlight in my cruise so far, we had such a wide ranging discussion from European travellers, the ships itineraries, Alaska, Internet forums and people not posting correct information on them, and service and other cruise lines, " if" there is a change to castaway club rules on shore trips it could be down to me!

Sea day today we are relaxing and off to palo brunch within the hour, we had storms last night but didn't feel movement, it's cloudy with some sun and quite hot today.

Thanks for all your posts and the blog! I'm following along and really enjoying the ride.

I sail on DISNEY MAGIC in September out of San Juan, so your report is of special interest to me.

Looks like you're having an amazing time so far!

Thanks for all your posts and the blog! I'm following along and really enjoying the ride.

 

 

 

I sail on DISNEY MAGIC in September out of San Juan, so your report is of special interest to me.

 

 

 

Looks like you're having an amazing time so far!

Thank you a few more here and a lot online.Messina straights 30th July.

Sea day one

We had a lay in and then went to brunch, it was great as usual. Then post brunch we saw a volcanic island to our starboard side, it was too early for Sicily so it was part of the chain of volcanically Islands before Sicily. We are going through the straights of Sicily about 2pm it only has four miles clearance overall, we have been going slow up to it, but they say transit and views will start from 2pm > 2.15pm.

Messina should be on our starboard and the mainland of Italy on our side, port.

The weather has been getting better and better bar a slight sower in the sun this morning when we were in Palo it's then got sunnier and the clouds cutting back and getting very hot. The pool decks are very full of people. The Internet has still been good even though we have been at sea and off the coast so far and everyone on so the Internet should have it's maximum use today following three port days. Everyone will be updating friends and family but the Internet is still very fast.

After the transit of Messina straights we will start to tuen East across the wide sea to the bottom of mainland Greece and up to Athens on Friday, it will get hotter and hotter.

Speaking with friends we all agree the service has got better, they have stepped it all up, now we have two VVIPs on we know one is the CEO Karl Holz so may explain the steps up service, but there is another in a concierge room, someone high up in Disney, we haven't worked it all out as of yet.

Concierge friends all agree the service has gone up as well, they are picking up on things we are saying and then delivering " magical moments" I am not going to post what as then they are no longer magical and expected, if I say. I got this everyone will then demand it as " included" just keep talking to concierge about your likes dislikes and what's important to you! any problems you may have any desires and you may be surprised what happens next.

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Untitled by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

Have you tried Aqua Dunk or Twist and Spout ? I am such a big kid - loved them both!!