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10 Day Mediterranean, June 2019


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Just booked! Yay! We've been on several Disney cruises, but we haven't been on the Magic in years, and we've never done the Med. I have two questions (for now):

Are there any specific theme nights for this itinerary?

Any advice on shore excursions? There are so many to choose from!

Thank you! :D:D

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Just booked! Yay! We've been on several Disney cruises, but we haven't been on the Magic in years, and we've never done the Med. I have two questions (for now):

Are there any specific theme nights for this itinerary?

Any advice on shore excursions? There are so many to choose from!

Thank you! :D:D

When we did our 10 night Med cruise (several years ago) there was only Pirate night. But, the Magic now does a Tangled night, also.

 

Other than that, just your basic formal/semi-formal nights.

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When we did our 10 night Med cruise (several years ago) there was only Pirate night. But, the Magic now does a Tangled night, also.

 

 

 

Other than that, just your basic formal/semi-formal nights.

 

 

 

Thank you! I was wondering if they still did pirate night - i thought that was just on the Caribbean itineraries. Tangled night sounds fun too!

 

 

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Thank you! I was wondering if they still did pirate night - i thought that was just on the Caribbean itineraries. Tangled night sounds fun too!

 

 

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Disney does Pirate night on all cruises, EXCEPT Alaska (and maybe northern Europe, not sure on that).

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When we did our 10 night Med cruise (several years ago) there was only Pirate night. But, the Magic now does a Tangled night, also.

 

 

 

Other than that, just your basic formal/semi-formal nights.

 

 

 

Magic does a tangled night?? How fun! Hopefully they do it on the 5 night cruises too.

 

 

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Disney does Pirate night on all cruises, EXCEPT Alaska (and maybe northern Europe, not sure on that).

 

 

 

Good to know! We’ve only done Mexico and the Caribbean with Disney, so this itinerary is brand new to me!

 

 

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Magic does a tangled night?? How fun! Hopefully they do it on the 5 night cruises too.

 

 

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Tangled night, in which the sports bar becomes The Snuggle Duckling, is the night that Tangled is the main theater show, so it should occur on all cruises of 3 or more nights (which is all currently scheduled Magic cruises).

 

Pirate Night occurred on the 7-night Med cruise in 2013 and the Dover-Barcelona cruise in 2017, so it is indeed a safe bet it will be on the 2019 Med cruises. I cannot remember if we had it on the 2015 Baltic Cruise — I think it was replaced with Frozen night (perhaps because it stayed light too late for fireworks).

 

 

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Tangled night, in which the sports bar becomes The Snuggle Duckling, is the night that Tangled is the main theater show, so it should occur on all cruises of 3 or more nights (which is all currently scheduled Magic cruises).

 

Pirate Night occurred on the 7-night Med cruise in 2013 and the Dover-Barcelona cruise in 2017, so it is indeed a safe bet it will be on the 2019 Med cruises. I cannot remember if we had it on the 2015 Baltic Cruise — I think it was replaced with Frozen night (perhaps because it stayed light too late for fireworks).

 

 

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Thank you! This is helpful :)

 

 

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Actually when we were in the Med, each menu had a different theme. It was not carried thru the night, although some of the special entertainment in the theatre mirrored some of the themes.

 

With the Tangled show in the theatre and the Tangled themed restaurant, every cruise on the Magic should feature a "Tangled night."

 

Excursions--do what interests you or go on your own. If you stop in Greece, avoid a tour guide named "George." Most boring guide ever.

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Actually when we were in the Med' date=' each menu had a different theme. It was not carried thru the night, although some of the special entertainment in the theatre mirrored some of the themes.

 

 

 

With the Tangled show in the theatre and the Tangled themed restaurant, every cruise on the Magic should feature a "Tangled night."

 

 

 

Excursions--do what interests you or go on your own. If you stop in Greece, avoid a tour guide named "George." Most boring guide ever.[/quote']

 

 

 

We won’t be in Greece - mostly Italy and France. We’ll be touring Barcelona on our own prior to the cruise.

 

I have a few must-sees (the Vatican, the Colosseum). We like history and beautiful scenery, the usual. We’d also like to taste some wines while we’re there. All excursions would need to include our son (he’ll be 11) - i noticed a few were adult only. We’ll also be visiting family when we’re in Genoa, so no need for an excursion there. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

 

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Are you open to non-DCL tours? Our first European cruise (Baltic) I was hesitant, so did half DCL and half those I arranged on my own. Our multigenerational family of 8 decided the non-DCL ones were far superior - better use of time, far fewer people, and generally cheaper or the same cost but for "more" tour.

 

We did the Med this summer on MSC, so can't comment on DCL tours there. Our cruise had slightly different ports than yours, but I've done a few Italian land trips. I'd say unless you really need to see Florence, to do Pisa and Lucca instead. Less travel, and Lucca has a nice walled old city with a park atop the wall. You can rent bikes from the train station and ride along the top of the wall. Our bikes came with locks, so you can stop at any of the gates, lock the bike, and go into the old town to explore. I'd recommend Pompeii out of Naples, with a private guide. Our whole family found it really interesting, and I was shocked at how big it was.

 

If you are open to non-DCL tours, check out trip advisor, or the port excursions board here. Lots of good info. I generally email several and choose the one that seems the most willing to tailor to our group's needs and that communicates promptly and professionally. We've not had any problems so far and have had some stellar family experiences. They all seemed to want to use WhatsApp to communicate while we were in the Med, which was nice.

 

Our family really enjoys food tours, the kids especially.

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Are you open to non-DCL tours? Our first European cruise (Baltic) I was hesitant, so did half DCL and half those I arranged on my own. Our multigenerational family of 8 decided the non-DCL ones were far superior - better use of time, far fewer people, and generally cheaper or the same cost but for "more" tour.

 

 

 

We did the Med this summer on MSC, so can't comment on DCL tours there. Our cruise had slightly different ports than yours, but I've done a few Italian land trips. I'd say unless you really need to see Florence, to do Pisa and Lucca instead. Less travel, and Lucca has a nice walled old city with a park atop the wall. You can rent bikes from the train station and ride along the top of the wall. Our bikes came with locks, so you can stop at any of the gates, lock the bike, and go into the old town to explore. I'd recommend Pompeii out of Naples, with a private guide. Our whole family found it really interesting, and I was shocked at how big it was.

 

 

 

If you are open to non-DCL tours, check out trip advisor, or the port excursions board here. Lots of good info. I generally email several and choose the one that seems the most willing to tailor to our group's needs and that communicates promptly and professionally. We've not had any problems so far and have had some stellar family experiences. They all seemed to want to use WhatsApp to communicate while we were in the Med, which was nice.

 

 

 

Our family really enjoys food tours, the kids especially.

 

 

 

While i do typically feel more comfortable with DCL tours, i will take all that you’ve said into consideration. This is all wonderful advice!! Thank you so much. I was actually leaning toward Lucca and Pisa, as well as Pompeii, so you confirmed my initial instincts. I’m set on the Vatican and the Colosseum in Rome, but open with other locations. Did you visit any ports in France?

 

 

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We used Joe Bananas for our land tour in Rome. I'd highly recommend them.

 

We were in Marseille briefly. Our cruise started/ended there, but we drove in from Provence embarkation day and left very early the morning after disembarking. I have to say I did not love the town. The old port area is pretty touristy, though the kids enjoyed the giant ferris wheel.

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If you are comfortable going on your own, private excursions are generally cheaper, and have other advantages. For instance, in St. Thomas we arrived at the butterfly farm a few minutes before the DCL group was assembled to leave. There was nothing to see. The environment was noisy. As soon as the DCL group left, it was quiet and butterflies started to appear all over the area.

 

The problem with the med ports is that they are not where the cities you want to visit are located. You'll need a bus/train/car to get from the port to the various locations, and you'll have very little time to really see a place. In fairness, I'm comparing this to my 2 months of backpacking when I spent a week in Rome, a week in Florence, etc. You do need to decide what you want to see and purchase the on line "cut the line" tickets in advance. Otherwise you'll spend much of your day standing in lines.

 

Also remember the rules for many churches--knees and shoulders must be covered. Get an inexpensive pull on skirt or wear capris on those days.

 

Most of the "adult only" DCL excursions are actually "adult only" departures. The same tours are available for families, but book under a different excursion number.

 

One of our family mantras has become "We climbed a volcano." We barely made it--my daughter has a progressive disability and would in no way be able to do it now, and I'm not getting any younger....but when life gets tough, one of us can always get a smile by saying, "Yeah, but we climbed a volcano." DO IT. Do all the things that interest you and take pictures. Climb Vesuvius. You can do that and see Pompeii in one day. Eat gelato. Venice was great--ride the vaporetto, see the glass factories, visit a mask maker (we did an excursion that included a demonstration).

 

It would be easier if we knew which ports you'll visit--we've done a couple different Meds on DCL.

 

Best ever excursions--a private one from Kusadasi to Ephesus and a villa and another private one to the Alahambra. I don't think DCL is going to Turkey this year due to unrest in the area.

 

Barcelona is easy--HOHO bus has 3 different loops which will get you to everything you want to see.

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We used Joe Bananas for our land tour in Rome. I'd highly recommend them.

 

 

 

We were in Marseille briefly. Our cruise started/ended there, but we drove in from Provence embarkation day and left very early the morning after disembarking. I have to say I did not love the town. The old port area is pretty touristy, though the kids enjoyed the giant ferris wheel.

 

 

 

Thank you for the insight! :)

 

 

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If you are comfortable going on your own' date=' private excursions are generally cheaper, and have other advantages. For instance, in St. Thomas we arrived at the butterfly farm a few minutes before the DCL group was assembled to leave. There was nothing to see. The environment was noisy. As soon as the DCL group left, it was quiet and butterflies started to appear all over the area.

 

The problem with the med ports is that they are not where the cities you want to visit are located. You'll need a bus/train/car to get from the port to the various locations, and you'll have very little time to really see a place. In fairness, I'm comparing this to my 2 months of backpacking when I spent a week in Rome, a week in Florence, etc. You do need to decide what you want to see and purchase the on line "cut the line" tickets in advance. Otherwise you'll spend much of your day standing in lines.

 

Also remember the rules for many churches--knees and shoulders must be covered. Get an inexpensive pull on skirt or wear capris on those days.

 

Most of the "adult only" DCL excursions are actually "adult only" departures. The same tours are available for families, but book under a different excursion number.

 

One of our family mantras has become "We climbed a volcano." We barely made it--my daughter has a progressive disability and would in no way be able to do it now, and I'm not getting any younger....but when life gets tough, one of us can always get a smile by saying, "Yeah, but we climbed a volcano." DO IT. Do all the things that interest you and take pictures. Climb Vesuvius. You can do that and see Pompeii in one day. Eat gelato. Venice was great--ride the vaporetto, see the glass factories, visit a mask maker (we did an excursion that included a demonstration).

 

It would be easier if we knew which ports you'll visit--we've done a couple different Meds on DCL.

 

Best ever excursions--a private one from Kusadasi to Ephesus and a villa and another private one to the Alahambra. I don't think DCL is going to Turkey this year due to unrest in the area.

 

Barcelona is easy--HOHO bus has 3 different loops which will get you to everything you want to see.[/quote']

 

 

 

Thank you so much! This is definitely helpful. :)

 

 

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