(Updated with Day 9/Cruise Day 4) Surf 'n Turf 5/28/11 Med & Disneyland Paris

[Red Socks]

Well this is my first post, so I thought I would make it a good one and document my upcoming trip with a detailed trip report. I will start with a “Pre Trip Report” for now.

The Details

My wife and I live in the Boston, MA area, are in our early 30's, without kids, and are big fans of the Disney. I grew up going to WDW every year as a kid, and have gone down there too many times to count. My wife and I have been down to WDW a few times together as well as 3 trips out to Disneyland in California, including our Honeymoon.

Now, despite the fact that I have been going to WDW every year since the early 80’s, I (we) had never been on a DCL cruise (or any cruise, for that matter) until our first 4 night Bahamas Cruise in the summer of 2009 on the Wonder. We feel in love with the DCL right away. When our plans for a 7 night Western Caribbean in the spring of 2010 fell through (price never got to what we could swing) we opted for a 3 night instead.

My wife is about to finish Pharmacy School, and after 3, long, grueling years, we decided to take our first trip ever to Europe. Having never been to Europe and loving DCL, the Mediterianen cruises sounded like the perfect way to go. Now we waited and waited for a good price, opting not to book early. Finally, this past February, the GTY pricing hit, and we jumped on it.

OK, I guess even more background is in order. I work for an airline. So we can fly to Europe for just the price of the international tax. This, plus the GTY rate, is the only way we could afford such a trip.

The flight across the pond

For those who are familiar, airline employees fly “space available, stand-by travel”. If there is an open seat, it’s yours. That’s the catch. Not that I am complaining, but I have to mention that, as this is the reason we are flying to Europe on the Tuesday before a Saturday trip. So if we make it, the plan is to fly from Boston to Paris on Air France on Tuesday the 24th, arriving early AM on Wednesday. In case we don’t make, we have still have 3 more days to attempt to get there.

Paris

Let’s hope for the best, and assume we make it out on Tuesday and arrive early Wed AM. Then we take the train from CDG airport to Disneyland Paris. The plan is to hit the two parks during the day on Wednesday (on no sleep) and Thursday, staying at the Newport Bay Resort at DLP for the two nights, and taking the train in each evening to “see” Paris. Kind of a whirlwind way to see Paris and the DLP resort but worth it.

The Flight to BCN

To get from Paris to Barcelona, we wanted to take the train but it was sold out prior to us booking. So, not wanting to deal with “Stand-by” travel so close to a cruise sail date, we booked tickets on a discount Spanish airline. We fly out on Friday around noon, will spend the night in Barcelona, see what we can that night/AM and board the ship on Saturday AM.


The cruise

In an effort to save money, we plan on doing all the ports on our own. Hours of research on each one, including using these forums and other websites, books, DVD’s ect, have given us the confidence to try it on our own. In fact, we find it more exciting that way. And cheaper.

So anyway, that’s the background story. I’ll add more over the next two weeks if I anything changes.

Expect the trip report to be added after I return, day by day, over the course of about 2 weeks in mid June. I am taking a laptop to document it day by day so I don't forget anything, and will be able to take an unlimited amount of photos, as we can upload them to the harddrive each night, giving us lots of room for many, many photo's.

Enjoy!

 

[CastawayJP]

Awesome! Will be looking forward to reading it!

 

[Red Socks]

Edit

 

[janey2000]

I'm on the trip after yours 8th June....

Can you tell us more on what your plans are in each port on your own. we are doing the same to save money. There is so much research you have to do!

 

[jns]

we are on the 18th of June Med cruise so looking forward to hearing all about your trip
Enjoy and welcome to the boards , Great 1st post

 

[Red Socks]

I'm on the trip after yours 8th June....

Can you tell us more on what your plans are in each port on your own. we are doing the same to save money. There is so much research you have to do!

Thats a hard question. We have lists of stuff we want to do in most ports, and a general idea of how to get around. But we are going to play alot by ear. Crowds and time may effect our plans so we are trying to just take it easy and enjoy our vacation instead of trying to do to much. I tend to overplan most things, so with this trip, I am trying to let things play out.

This may not sound like the best plan, and I am sure it will not be the most effecient, but the for us, it will be the most enjoyable. This a part siteseeing trip and part "relaxing" vacation.

For example, in Malta and Corsica, we have no plans to do anything. Don't get me wrong, we will get off the ship as early as posible, and head out into the cities. We will use a tourist map and just walk around and enjoy the sites, food, shopping, culture and so on. After we are done, even if its early or mid day, we will head back to the ship (that will be nice and empty)

In contrast, in Rome, we have very specific things that are must see's. (Vatican and the Roman Coloseum) Any other time we may have we will move on other things.

In Naples, we are going to focus on hicking Mt Vesuvius and then seeing Pompeii. Any other time, we will hit Naples.

In La Spezia, its all Florance for us. David is a must see, among a few others I can't recal.

Villefranche is the wild card. I haven't spent enough time doing research yet on that one, so I guess I need to get cracking on that one!

 

[Red Socks]

One, Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Paris is open from its rehab a week early. Just in time for us.

Two, I was worried about flying stand-by (see orginal post) but in talking with the nice folks over at Air France in Boston, the flight is wide open and I should have no problems making the 5:25 pm flight on this Tuesday night.

Three, today is my last day at work, for three weeks.

Don't think I will get to post again until I return. I will get the trip report up ASAP!

 

[verygfy]

Sounds amazing, can't wait to hear all about it

 

[Joan1]

Welcome back - hope you had a magical cruise
Cannot wait to hear the details

 

[johnwdw]

Welcome back.

We are from Pembroke, MA. I grew up in Boston, moved about 7 yrs ago. We also going to visit Paris, DLP & then cruise on the 10 day on June 29th.

Can't wait to hear how it all went...

 

[Red Socks]

Well, I am back from an amazing trip. I am typing up the trip report now, and hope to have day one up soon. DISBoards will not let me post pictures until I have 10 posts. I need 5 more after this. So I will cheat on the next few, then post the trip report for day one with the pictures.

 

[KristiMc]

Looking forward to reading your report.

 

[Tink rules]

Well, I am back from an amazing trip. I am typing up the trip report now, and hope to have day one up soon. DISBoards will not let me post pictures until I have 10 posts. I need 5 more after this. So I will cheat on the next few, then post the trip report for day one with the pictures.

Ohhh just keep posting here... we'll let you!!! (but it's more fun to go post on other people's threads!)

 

[Red Socks]

Post #6 of 10

 

[Red Socks]

Post #7 of 10

Uploading photos to photobacket right now...taking a long time. Slow connection

 

[Red Socks]

Post 8 of 10

 

[Red Socks]

post 9 of 10

 

[Red Socks]

ok should be good on post count now for photo's...going take a me bit to type it up...thanks for waiting...day one forthcoming

 

[Tink rules]

Hey!!! I see you are up to 10!!!!

Now get writing!!!!

 

[Red Socks]

Well, like I said earlier, we are back, and the trip was amazing. Everything went smooth and as planned for the most part, so I will get to each day, one post at a time.....

I am typing fast to get this up here, so I may spell a few things wrong. I am sorry in advance

Monday May 23rd

So if you read my trip report, you would know that the plan was to leave on Tuesday the 24th. But that was before the Iceland Volcano started to act up again. Flying stand-by, a cancled flight can take days to recover from, so we decieded to leave a day early, and not chance it.

We hoped to get out before the ash started to effect the airspace over the Atlantic, and as there is no fee to change a stand-by reservation, the only added cost would be an additional hotel night and food for one day. About $200 total, but worth it for the piece of mind of being there. The Newport Bay at DLP was sold out, so we booked in the next town over, of Val d' Europe.

In the end the Volcano only cancled a few flights in and around Iceland so in hindsight it was not needed, but it did give as more time in Disneyland and Paris, and that made a huge difference.

We attempted to adjust to Paris time before we left. I wake up for work at 0300 EST each day, so for me, that is the same as 0900 Paris time. My wife also got on that same schedule for about 3 days prior to us leaving. On the Sunday prior, we got up early, made the call to leave on Monday, so we rushed to get everything done that day. We again got up at 0300 EST on that Monday, and finished a few last min things, but for the most part, used the time to do some last min research.

Our flight was on Airfrance at 1725 EST, so having nothing else to do, we left for the airport early, around 1330. (about a 45 min drive)

Checked in around 1415, and the friendly folks at Airfrance told me that there were seats available, but they wouldn't assign me one until 1 hour prior. This btw, is normal procedure, some airlines wait until 10 min prior.

So getting through TSA right away using my Airport ID, we were in the holding area of about 2.5 hours early. Now, as I work at Logan airport, but not in the international terminal, I don't ever get to eat at the best airport fast food place of all time....that being the Earl of Sandwich. (Can on tell I love WDW?)

So after an Earl Club for her and a Jerk Chicken for me, and spliting the tomato soup, we were all set for dinner in case the food on the plane was not so good.

Ok, so right on time, we recieved our confimed seats. We made it! The biggest stresser of our trip was over!

So this was my first time in a Boeing 747. Very Cool for an airline geek like me.

The flight was pretty full, but they did manage to give as the best seats remaining. A B747 sits in a 3-4-3 configuration, so getting a seat not in the middle "4" is nice. We got 2 of the 3 seats on the right side, a window for her and a seat on the end for me. Best part was the seat in the middle was open. We also had an emergancy exit infront of us, so the window seat did not have a seat in front of it. Like I said, they were the best seats left.

Food was good, not great, but it was nice to get a real hot meal on a flight. Two glasses of wine later, we were ready for bed.

This were were my plan backfired. We had been up since 0300 that am, and it now being around 1900 or 2000 ish, we should have been tired, and able to sleep for the last 4 hours of the 6 hour flight. As we landed at 0600 the next day Paris time, those 4 hours would be the only sleep we got that night. We wanted to stay up all day, so that we would adjust to the new time zone on the first day.

But we couldn't sleep. Don't know why, might have been too excited.

So ends day one, somewhere over the Atlantic, ready to start day two, on no sleep.

I will try to get to day two soon, my be Saturday, as this day has Disneyland in it, so it will be more exiceting then todays post was. Travel days are kinda boring to read about, but hey, its all part of the trip.

Preview....

Day 2 - Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios
Day 3 - Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios
Day 4 - Paris