Trip Report "It's pronounced 'Barthalona.' My 7 night DCL Mediterranean Cruise

This is what my son told me when I informed him our vacation this year would be a Mediterranean cruise that sailed from Barcelona.

Back Story
In July of last year, we found out we would be moving to London. Once we found a place to live, we put down a deposit on the cruise. I have wanted to do a DCL Med Cruise for a while, but I hate long flights. Our move to London made this cruise doable for me. We moved to London in December and in February, we booked our flights to Barcelona. Then five days after we paid off our cruise, my husband found out they restructured his department and his job no longer existed within this new structure. We could not back out of the cruise without losing 100% of the cost. Meanwhile, my husband scrambled for a new role within his company, but ultimately, we had to leave London. We returned to the US in July. We got very little back from British Airways when we cancelled our original flights to Barcelona, but my husband made sure that his employer paid for our flights to Barcelona from Chicago.

We are a family of three.
There is me, Jennifer, my husband, Ian and my son, Duncan.

This was a seven night cruise on Magic sailing on August 29.
We stopped at:
Naples
Civitavecchia (Rome)
Livorno (Pisa/Florence)
Villefranche (Nice/Monaco/Cannes)

We flew to Barcelona on August 26th and received a lovely surprise upon check in. As the BA agent took our passports and was tapping on her keyboard, she said with a serious look, "I think I need to change your seats." I was thinking,"What? We selected seats together and I'd really like to travel together." I had to step away from the desk, because Duncan has Asperger's and he started pacing somewhere out of my field of vision. When my husband approached us, he told us we'd all been upgraded from Premium Economy to Business for our flight to London!

Up Next--Barcelona or I hope you love ham.

 

[DisSplash]

Sounds like things started off great for you on this trip! (except for the change in job earlier this year ...)

 

[Sans Souci]

Barcelona or I hope you love ham
August 27-29

Even though we were seated in Business class with lie down beds, I could not sleep. I can never sleep on planes. It didn't help that Duncan kept nudging me to tell me how stupid Jupiter Ascending was. When we landed, we were able to use the BA lounges since my husband is Gold and I am Silver. We had a few hours to kill. I found a quiet corner and closed my eyes for a bit until it was time to catch our flight. I slept on the short flight to Barcelona.

Here is our hotel on La Ramblas. It's the Hotel SEHRS Rivoli Rambla--what a mouthful.

Our room

Not pictured: bidet

We had French doors that opened up to La Rambla

The area pictured below is absolutely heaving after dark.

I took a nap and never left the room until the following morning. Not sleeping on the flight to London caught up with me. We were going to walk around and look for a restaurant, but I was just exhausted. My husband said he would go out and bring something back and he did--KFC (I am a Popeye's girl!) That was the last non-ham food I ate. Everything was ham, ham, ham after that, ham croquettes, ham and cheese sandwiches.

After some KFC boneless chicken strips and some cheap Spanish white, I fell into fretful night's sleep.

 

[Sans Souci]

Barcelona: Day Two
August 28, 2015

I struggle with a myriad of sleep issues, so it always seems to take me a bit longer to adapt to local time when traveling. I wasn't a fan of sleeping on two beds pushed together, because I slipped between the two during the night. :O

My husband had bought tickets on one of those "hop on, hop off" buses. Unfortunately, not being acclimated to local time yet, I was in and out of sleep. My husband stayed awake and snapped some photos. For the minimal amount of time we had, this was probably the best way to see Barcelona's gorgeous architecture. I would have liked to have spent more time in Barcelona, and in retrospect, we should have arrived earlier, but I feel like we covered a lot of ground considering we really only had one full day.

This was just a sampling of photos taken on a moving bus. Even though I had sunscreen on, I felt like I had reached my max for sun exposure, so we got of the bus and walked back to our hotel. We took a break and grabbed some lunch. After that, my husband and I went shopping and strolling. He took a few more photos.

When it was time for dinner, we went to this restaurant next to our hotel called Moka. I wish I'd done more research before leaving home, but honestly, between my husband losing his job and doing a transatlantic move 3 weeks prior to this trip, I was not really focused. It was very expensive and flavorless. The white sangria, however, was pretty tasty. We grabbed some ice cream on La Ramblas and strolled up and down for a bit. It was a very pleasant evening and I was starting to get excited about boarding the Magic the following day.

Up Next: Feelin' the Magic:Embarkation Day

 

[Sans Souci]

Embarkation Day
August 29, 2015

After our final hamcentric meal of our trip, we got ready to check out of our hotel and board the Magic. This hotel is a ten minute taxi ride to the Port, if that. Up until this cruise, I had only been on the Dream, so I was very eager to check out the Magic

You don't get the tension-building approach of Port Canaveral here. While it is not as cute as the terminal is PC,the building itself is clean and utilitarian. Our group was already boarding after we checked in, so we walked right on. But first, we got a photo, much to Ian's chagrin.

Duncan was acting stupid here, but he made me laugh.

Once we went through the boarding fanfare, which embarrasses both my husband and myself, we went to Carioca's for lunch. This is a much better option than Cabanas for Embarkation lunch. It was a relative oasis of calm.

At 1:30, our staterooms were ready. We were in 6630, which is a Deluxe Oceanview with Verandah. It was a great location. We were close to the stairwell, but not so close that we could hear stairwell/elevator noise. We were never more than a few floors from any restaurant and the pool.


I took these with my iPhone, so I apologize for the quality of the photos. The couch folds out into a bed.

From Pete's Dragon

Here was our invitation to Anna's Chocolate Chase. We did not participate, since none of us can stand Frozen.

Our TV was on and tuned to this when we arrived, complete with Disney music playing in our stateroom.

Out on the verandah.

When it was time sail away, we went on the top deck. We avoid the Sail Away party, since Duncan finds the crowds and noise a little overwhelming. We found a quiet space near the Sports deck and stood up there.

The Magic was flying the both the Spanish and the Catalan flags when we left.

Family selfie!

Hello!

I have reached my file maximum here.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I'm in! Love Cruise reports!

 

[Sans Souci]

I'm in! Love Cruise reports!

Thank you. Most of the photos are from the Port Adventures we took. For some reason, neither my husband nor myself took many photos while on the Magic. I think we just used the time on the ship as straight-up downtime after what happened.

 

[Sans Souci]

Embarkation Day' Con't

Once we sailed away, we unpacked and prepared for dinner. I know this is awful, but we've never seen any of the shows on the ships. I once saw a replay of the Golden Mickeys on the TV and that was enough. I have never felt bereft of entertainment by not viewing the shows. There's always something else to do.

We had the second seating, which was a little later than the US cruises. In case anyone reading this is unfamiliar with dining on Disney, you rotate through restaurants with your servers. The Magic has only three dining rooms:
Lumber's (L)
Animator's Palette (A)
Carioca's (C)

Our rotation was LACLACL.

Our servers on this cruise were the best I've had. Prior to this cruise, I had only done the 4 night cruises out of PC, so maybe the servers are better attuned to guests preferences on the longer cruises? At first, I think our server, Omar wasn't sure about Duncan, but after the second night, I think he picked up that Duncan was a little "different" and was more patient with him.

I started to take photos of my meals and menus, but my husband asked me to stop.
I was taking them on the sly, anyway--at least for this meal.

I wasn't feeling the starter offerings, so I just got a main and dessert. We also ordered the 7 night Classic Wine Package, but I thought the section was "meh".

This is the Wild Mushroom Stuffed Pasta in a Vegetable Broth. I have had this is on the Dream, so it's a stand by for me.

I got the non-English Dessert menu, for whatever reason. LOL

...and I ordered the Mango cheesecake, which was delicious.

When we returned to our stateroom after dinner, this guy was on our bed.
(Wow, my photos suck.)

Duncan just wanted to chill and watch movies, my husband and I went to shops and ended up grabbing a drink or two in Keys, the piano bar.

Up Next: Day at Sea

 

[Kosmo1986]

looks like fun!

 

[Sans Souci]

Day at Sea
(A short day of doing nothing)

We didn't really do much on our first sea day. We slept in and had breakfast at Cabanas before it closed for breakfast. Most of our time that day was spent relaxing and getting to know our way around the ship. We caught a showing of Inside Out and got ready for...

Formal Night
This was our first cruise that had a formal night, so we were a little unsure of how formal we needed to be, so we went full tilt. My husband had a dinner jacket, but my son didn't and at 13, he is still growing. We just rented one through a company that DCL uses and had no issues at all. It shows up in your stateroom shortly after they open it and the host removes it for you when you are done.

Anyway, dinner tonight was at Animator's Palette and as we walking downstairs to pose for a portrait, I noticed very few people dressed formally and we were feeling a little self-conscious. Duncan was in a stew about wearing his dinner jacket all through out the evening.

We got our portrait taken. We look so happy.

So, we went into the dining room and I think you could count on one hand how many men were wearing dinner jackets. I think some people were too casual for even a non-formal night, i.e running shorts and trainers, but what can you do, really?

After dinner, Duncan raced to the stateroom and removed his dinner jacket rather quickly. Ian and I also put something on a little less formal and made our way to Keys. We only had a quick drink and left, we had to be at the Walt Disney Theater at 7:30 AM for our Port Adventure. When I got ready for bed, I started to smell this sulphur smell, like someone had struck a match and blew it out. I ignored it for a bit, thinking I was imagining things, until it grew stronger and I asked my husband if he could smell it, too. He said he couldn't. I was worried (because it's what I do best), so I went to Guest Services to tell them I could smell sulphur. I could tell the young woman assisting me thought I was crazy/drunk/high by the look on her face. She told me someone would be up straight away, well, we fell asleep waiting and nobody showed. It was after midnight and we had a long day ahead of us in Capri.

Up Next: The Island of Capri

 

[Sans Souci]

The Island of Capri

Today was Naples, and as we were approaching, we were treated to views like this from our verandah:

The Island of Capri

As I previously mentioned, we had to be up early to go on this Port Adventure. According to the DCL website this excursion includes :

"Hop a Jet Boat to Anacapri for Lunch

This beautiful island village is a perfect escape for Europeans and tourist alike.

On this adventure you will...

• Embark on an approximate 50-minute jet-boat ride to the picturesque old port of Marina Grande on the island of Capri.
• Drive 20 minutes to Anacapri and stop at Villa San Michele—explore its historic museum and groomed gardens for an approximate 45-minute visit.
• Enjoy a half hour of leisure time to stroll around Anacapri and take in the breathtaking views of the city and its marina.
• Eat an authentic Italian lunch at a local restaurant in Capri Town (included in the price of this tour).
• Explore the picturesque square of Piazza Umberto including San Stefano Church, shops and cafés.
• Take an optional guided tour of Augustus Gardens, overlooking the Faraglioni rocks and Marina Piccola, followed by 45 minutes of free time.

Transfer down to the Marina Grande by funicular (cable car) to catch the jetfoil back to Naples. There will be a short (10 minute) walk back to your ship."

After we assembled in the Walt Disney Theater, we left the ship together to meet our tour guide, Rosario. Once we met him, we walked over to the jet boat terminal to catch a ride to Capri. It was a 50 minute ride and we got off the boat to board a bus to Anacapri.

The Port of Capri

When we got to Anacapri, we had the option to do our own thing or go with Rosario to the Villa San Michele. We went with Rosario. This is a view from the Villa San Michele.

The Villa San Michele, was once owned by Axel Munthe, a Swedish physician. He settled in Capri and according to Rosario, the Queen of Sweden came to him for "treatment" routinely.

There was a lovely garden to explore in the back

After this, we boarded another tiny bus to go to Capri Town for lunch, But before lunch, we stopped at Augustus Gardens--to be continued.

 

[joshsprincess921]

Reading along!

 

[The Empress Lilly]

The Island of Capri

Today was Naples, and as we were approaching, we were treated to views like this from our verandah:

View attachment 116436


The Island of Capri

As I previously mentioned, we had to be up early to go on this Port Adventure. According to the DCL website this excursion includes :

"Hop a Jet Boat to Anacapri for Lunch

This beautiful island village is a perfect escape for Europeans and tourist alike.

On this adventure you will...

• Embark on an approximate 50-minute jet-boat ride to the picturesque old port of Marina Grande on the island of Capri.
• Drive 20 minutes to Anacapri and stop at Villa San Michele—explore its historic museum and groomed gardens for an approximate 45-minute visit.
• Enjoy a half hour of leisure time to stroll around Anacapri and take in the breathtaking views of the city and its marina.
• Eat an authentic Italian lunch at a local restaurant in Capri Town (included in the price of this tour).
• Explore the picturesque square of Piazza Umberto including San Stefano Church, shops and cafés.
• Take an optional guided tour of Augustus Gardens, overlooking the Faraglioni rocks and Marina Piccola, followed by 45 minutes of free time.

Transfer down to the Marina Grande by funicular (cable car) to catch the jetfoil back to Naples. There will be a short (10 minute) walk back to your ship."

After we assembled in the Walt Disney Theater, we left the ship together to meet our tour guide, Rosario. Once we met him, we walked over to the jet boat terminal to catch a ride to Capri. It was a 50 minute ride and we got off the boat to board a bus to Anacapri.

The Port of Capri
View attachment 116437
View attachment 116438





View attachment 116439 When we got to Anacapri, we had the option to do our own thing or go with Rosario to the Villa San Michele. We went with Rosario. This is a view from the Villa San Michele.
View attachment 116447

View attachment 116449


The Villa San Michele, was once owned by Axel Munthe, a Swedish physician. He settled in Capri and according to Rosario, the Queen of Sweden came to him for "treatment" routinely. View attachment 116446

There was a lovely garden to explore in the back
View attachment 116448


After this, we boarded another tiny bus to go to Capri Town for lunch, But before lunch, we stopped at Augustus Gardens--to be continued.

Great pix!

 

[Sans Souci]

The Island of Capri (con't)

We were scheduled to have lunch at one of the hotels in Capri Town, but first, Rosario took us to the Augustus Gardens. It had great views of the harbor.

OK- I am going to mention here that there was this really annoying person on this tour. She had to be near Rosario all. the. time and it wasn't a matter of hearing, as we all had personal transistor things. When Rosario would lead us somewhere, she would have to be right behind him, but she couldn't walk as quickly as he could and it was creating a bottleneck behind her, which was making me a little anxious. She also had to interject her thoughts and feelings loudly while Rosario was talking--remember this woman, she appears later.

So, we had lunch as a hotel and it was a set meal. It was ok, nothing to right home about. I think it was prepared to suit North American tastes. Then after lunch, we were set free to explore the town for about three hours. It doesn't take that long to explore Capri Town, as it is mostly higher-end designer boutiques and I definitely felt I was in a tourist trap (though I must cop to buying a bottle of Limoncello). After milling around, we met up with Rosario and we all took the funicular back down to the ferry terminal and then made our way back to the Magic. Apparently, it was a holiday weekend in Italy and many people were trying to make their way back home. OMG, the ferry was so crowded and the A/C non-existent. I think I lost 5 pounds during the 50 minute ride.

Upon returning to our room, there was a note on the door from Guest Services requesting that I call them when I returned. When I returned the call, the CM informed me that someone had been in our room while we were out and could detect nothing. I thanked her and hung up. The phone rang about 30 seconds later, it was Guest Services again, telling me that welding was going on the previous night and that is most likely what the odor was. This made sense, since this cruise was the last sailing before the Magic went into dry dock and there were preparations for that happening all over the ship.

So, with that out of the way, I poured a glass of white wine and sat out on the verandah with Duncan in what would become our nightly ritual of watching the harbor pilot jump of the cruise ship back on to his little boat. Then I got ready for a lovely dinner at Palo, the adults only restaurant--where I took no photos.

UP NEXT: The Pantheon, Squares and Fountains: A Walk Through Renaissance Rome

 

[Sans Souci]

Pantheon, Squares and Fountains--A Walk in Renaissance Rome

Another early morning for us. The meeting time for this tour is 7:15 AM. My husband chose this tour, because he wanted to see the Trevi Fountain. Personally, when I hear the word "renaissance", I think of Florence. But I can go with the flow.

So, we were all herded onto a bus that whisked us away to Rome. From the DCL website.
Roman Holiday

Revel in such wonders as St. Peter's Basilica, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

On this adventure you will...

• Take an approximately 90-minute drive from Civitavecchia to Rome.
• Begin your tour by walking to the impressive Piazza Navona. This immense and beautiful square is baroque in design, and is best known for its Fontana dei Fiumi, or Fountain of the Rivers. Created in 1601 by the famous architect, Bernini, this impressive fountain has a central obelisk anchored in an allegory of 4 rivers of the world.
• Pause at the Pantheon. As one of the best preserved buildings remaining from ancient Rome, the Pantheon's historical significance is undeniable. Built in 27 B.C. as a temple to planetary gods, it was rebuilt in 120 A.D. by Hadrian and subsequently damaged and plundered throughout the following centuries. The Pantheon, located in the Piazza della Rotonda, is a cylindrical building with 16 mighty columns supporting the portico and an enormous dome with a central opening for light. Italian kings are buried here, along with Raphael, the painter.
• Continue your tour with a visit of the Trevi Fountain where you can toss a coin into this famous landmark and, according to legend, ensure a return visit to Rome.
• Walk to the Spanish Steps and enjoy approximately 75 minutes of free time to explore, shop and have lunch on your own at one of the many local restaurants or cafes.
• Drive to St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, where, pending available time, you will enjoy a stop for a photo opportunity of the impressive Piazza or shop for religious articles at your own pace. Note: Guests, including children, wishing to enter St. Peter's Basilica 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. Note: This tour includes approximately 3 miles of walking at a steady pace, part of which will be on cobblestones and uphill, including stairs. Wear comfortable walking shoes.
• Take an approximate 90-minute drive back to the port.

Once we were on the bus, we were met with one of the tour guides who gave us a run down about Rome. She basically told us to keep an eye on our purses, not to take photos with the men dressed as gladiators and to ignore the people selling "front of the line" passes to enter St. Peter's Basilica. It was also at this time she told us that Trevi Fountain was undergoing renovations and was not functional. I think my husband was a little disappointed.

Because the Pope was giving mass in St. Peter's Square that day, so we did the reverse of the above "itinerary." There is a dress code to enter St. Peter's Basilica and while packing, I reminded my husband and son of this many, many times. I wore a dress and brought a wrap with me. However, my traveling companions forgot about this dress code. I know I could have gone in alone, but I hated the thought of leaving my guys behind, so we just walked around St. Peter's Square, had some coffee at a cafe and bought and sent a post card to be postmarked from Vatican City.

Swiss Guard

Duncan sending a post card.

There was a really long line to get in and there was no guarantee you'd get in before the tour group needed to move on, so I just enjoyed scenery.


To be continued

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Can I ask why they told you not to take pictures of the gladiator people? This gave me a chuckle.

 

[Sans Souci]

Can I ask why they told you not to take pictures of the gladiator people? This gave me a chuckle.

Yes! Sorry about that. She said you could, but that you should negotiate the price of the photos upfront. Because they will offer to be in a photo with you and then turn around and ask for an outrageous amount of money. It's like the desnudas or those people with sketchy Disney costumes in Times Square.

Personally, I didn't fancy a photo with a sweaty guy draped all over me.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Yes! Sorry about that. She said you could, but that you should negotiate the price of the photos upfront. Because they will offer to be in a photo with you and then turn around and ask for an outrageous amount of money. It's like the desnudas or those people with sketchy Disney costumes in Times Square.

Personally, I didn't fancy a photo with a sweaty guy draped all over me.

hahaha oh my! Interesting!

 

[Sans Souci]

Rome--Continued

After our visit, we re-boarded the coach to go to the Spanish Steps. We parked a fair bit away. I don't mind walking around, it's just walking around en masse that bothers me. I always felt like I was in someone's way. I heard someone swear under their breath at us and I felt kind of badly about being a nuisance. Anyway, we got to the Spanish Steps.

Obligatory photos of the Spanish Steps.

My Husband, being from England, took this photo.

So after we saw the Steps, we all broke away for lunch on our own. We went to a little cafe that was kind of skeevy, to be honest. We lost our first family when it was time to reconvene to move on, this set us back. So we walked off to the (non-functioning) Trevi Fountain.

We had free time here, too. We got some gelato and browsed the shops. After this, we walked over to the Pantheon. This is where we lost our second family. So one of the tour guides brought us into a shopping area to wait while the other tour guide retrieved the lost family. So finally, we made it to the Pantheon.

To be continued.

 

[Sans Souci]

Rome Continued

We finally made it to the Pantheon and at this point, I decided I would likely never do a tour on a cruise again. It's a lot of shuffling and a lot of waiting around for others. Anyway, we made it.

I took some photos inside the Pantheon, but they were panoramic, so they don't fit here.

After the Pantheon, we walked to the Piazza Navona, or we tried to. There was a family touring with us who decided they wanted to do some shopping. So what did the rest of do? We waited for them. At this point, I just wanted to get this over. I took a few craptastic photos by the time we got to the Piazza Navona and had a glass of wine in the cafe until it was time to walk to the coach.

I don't think we are tour people. I think if I had to do it over, we would have done the "Rome On Your Own" tour, which is just transportation to and from Rome--or even a train. I also would have picked two things I really would have liked to have seen, bought tickets for them before hand and made them the focus of our day. But live and learn. Tomorrow was going to a half-day boat tour of Cinque Terre (and I was looking forward to that the most)--or was it?

When we got back to our stateroom, there was another note on our door. Because of inclement weather, our tour had been cancelled. Part of me was disappointed and part of me was relieved. A month before our cruise, we received an email from Disney informing us that our port was changed from La Spezia to Livorno. This meant that our 60 minute round trip coach ride to our excursion was now five hours, round trip, but I have wanted to see Cinque Terre since forever, so I was willing to deal. But after two days of being part of a tour group, I was ready to do stuff on our own.

So, Duncan and I settled out on our verandah to watch other ships leave and watch the pilot jump from the cruise ship onto a little boat. We also watched this German cruise ship leave. Quite a few people were out on their verandahs, too and were waving at the ship, but nobody waved back, lots of camera flashes were going off, though.

Ok, so, remember that woman on the Capri tour, the one who was obnoxious? Duncan and I were waiting for the Magic to leave port when this woman storms out on her verandah immediately to the right of us. She was on her mobile and engaging in workplace bullying. She was shouting into her phone to a coworker who apparently did not carry out some task he or she was supposed to perform. She was dropping F-bombs left, right and center. And the volume at which she spoke...other people started going back into their rooms, but I stayed out and gave her nasty looks. It did not deter her. I finally said, "What a class act."

We got ready for our dinner at Lumiere's. They had themed dinners most nights, it was like "Frozen" themed and "Princes and Princesses" type of themes, but the menus changed. So, even though we ate at some places two or even three times, the menus were different each time.

Tomorrow is Livorno, without a plan.