Cruising Disney’s Magic in the Mediterranean (Part 3)

Posted on February 4, 2014 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

This is Part 3 of our Mediterranean Cruise on the Disney Magic Trip Report. Part 1 can be found here and Part 2 here. (Links to all parts of the trip report are at the bottom of this post)

Barcelona, Spain: Cruise Departure Day. Raymond and I are early risers. On Saturday, August 10^th we were up, showered, dressed and packed in record time (too excited to sleep!). We’d left the rest of our party the night before with strict instructions on what time we needed to meet in the hotel lobby, knowing they would sleep until the very last possible minute. This gave Raymond and I an unexpected bonus adventure – we had plenty of time to walk leisurely from the hotel to (do not get mad at us!) one of the many Starbucks of Barcelona for breakfast. After coffee and muffins, we strolled back to the hotel soaking up the early morning sights and sounds and saying goodbye to a great city…we vowed to come back someday and visit again.

Surprise! Megan, Grant, Joseph and Jason were all up and ready to go by the time we got back from breakfast. We gave them directions to a couple of different bakeries (including Starbucks) and sent them off (yes, I was a little nervous knowing they were out there alone in a foreign city) – threatening them with dire consequences if they didn’t return on time for our appointed port shuttle departure. As usual, I worried needlessly and we were all situated with plenty of time to spare.

The lobby of the Renaissance is tiny (as are the rooms and most especially the elevator) compared to American hotels. There were a ton of cruise passengers (many different nationalities) everywhere waiting to leave and in that cramped space, it was pandemonium! We were clumped together with our properly tagged luggage with several minutes to kill when one of the Disney reps approached us (seemed grateful we were both ready to go and in good humor) and offered to let us board the bus that was just about to leave – YES! Even in Spain, Disney pixie dust is present.

Now WAY ahead of schedule, we were already on our way to the Magic. Barcelona has such incredible architecture and scenery – I concentrated on seeing as much of it out the motor coach’s window as I could on our way to the cruise port. Soon, the Magic came into view and we found ourselves standing in line outside the cruise terminal. The air was crackling with excitement! The line moved quickly, we got our paperwork processed, received our Castaway Club lanyards and were boarding the ship in what seemed like no time at all.

The weather was gorgeous and we would soon be sailing for France – life was feeling pretty darned sweet as our group enjoyed the buffet in Parrot Cay (now Carioca’s) before spending the afternoon exploring, completing our life-boat drill, and getting unpacked while soaking up the the overall feeling of excitement among everyone on the ship. Raymond’s and my assembly station for the drill was actually in Animator’s Palate – so, of course I then referred to our assigned location as our “mustard” station for the rest of the cruise. We invited the rest of our traveling party to our cabin for happy hour (opened the wine we’d purchased in Barcelona) before our early dinner seating (which became a daily ritual). Dinner that night was in Animator’s Palate and the show for the evening was All Aboard Let the Magic Begin.

The next day (Sunday, August 11th) was spent at sea. I believe at-sea-days intimidate some people – they worry there won’t be enough to do on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. This was the first of two at-sea days for our cruise and we absolutely packed them full of action. For me this day started out (after breakfast) with a visit to the spa for a pedi. Every member of our party had a spa appointment scheduled during the cruise – Joseph, Jason, and Raymond were each getting a massage and Megan and Grant a couples’ massage. I just wanted cute toenails, but as it turned out, the pedi included a fantastic leg massage that did wonders for my poor still-swollen-from-jetlag feet! Raymond and I had scheduled a Martini Tasting seminar in Sessions bar – Anne Marie from Jamaica was our hostess and we had a LOT of fun learning about martinis (which we drink….never). As we were getting in the elevator after our seminar, I mentioned to Raymond that, while I’d enjoyed the Martini Tasting, I probably shouldn’t have finished all the samples we were given – a lovely woman from Great Britain turned to me and exclaimed, “Why NOT?!! You’re on HOLIDAY!” Yes, indeed!

We (all six of us) relaxed that afternoon by the Cove pool. Then, as Raymond headed off for his massage, I got ready for Formal Night. We had an “All Hands On Deck” cheese platter with our happy hour glass of wine before, looking very spiffy, we made our way to dinner.

Once again, we were back in Animator’s Palate, but this time we were dressed to the nines. We enjoyed our meal very much and the evening’s show afterwards was Twice Charmed. Honestly – we were so excited to arrive in Villefranche the next day and all of us, except Grant, had seen this show before – we kind of wound down and were ready for sleep once the show was over. Well – Raymond and I headed back to our cabin and the youngsters…. probably best we didn’t ask. (Really – they were well-behaved as far as we know.)

Back in our cabin, Raymond and I sat out on our balcony with a little bit of wine (leftover from happy hour) and the chocolate left on our bed by our cabin steward. The Mediterranean was so calm, the weather beautiful, the stars in the sky so different from home – we loved this moment so much, it also became our habit every night of the cruise – to end the evening just this way.

Tomorrow we would arrive in France. I had studied French from 7th grade through my first year of college. This was a big deal for me – not just because I had always imagined what France would be like – I had planned no formal tour or excursion in France. We’d be on our own. I had a plan – well, several in fact, but they depended on ME! Getting us around and safely back to the ship. Armed once again with Rick Steves’ induced confidence…we drifted towards our next port and off to sleep.

Please come back for Part 4 (Villefranche) on Tuesday, February 11th! If you have any questions about cruise planning, excursions, anything at all, feel free to ask and I’ll do my best.

Links to other parts of this trip report:

Cruising the Mediterranean on the Disney Magic – Part 2

Posted on January 28, 2014 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Our First View of Europe

Our first view of Europe was from the plane’s window as we prepared to land in Barcelona. It was breathtaking! Seeing those beautiful peaks also meant the long, seemingly endless flight would soon be over! Plans to sleep on the plane had failed miserably and I, having ignored all the advice I’d read about coping with jet lag, had feet and ankles so swollen it was reminiscent of the last month of pregnancy. The six of us had basically spent the entire transatlantic jaunt watching movies and eating. Running on fumes, we drug ourselves through customs without incident and looked for our Disney transfer bus.

In the Heart of Barcelona

As I mentioned in Part 1, I booked all the tours and shore excursions for this trip on my own, however, the hotel in Barcelona and transfers there from the airport and then to the port for boarding the Magic and finally back to the airport, I booked through Disney. Having used Disney transfers in the past, I knew they’d be reliable, English-speaking, and stress-free (especially for a group of six). The hotel would be centrally located – within walking distance of all we wanted to see and do in Barcelona on our one-and-only day there. So, we boarded our motor coach at the airport and headed for the Renaissance Hotel Barcelona. The weather was gorgeous – crystal clear blue skies, tons of sun and highs in the mid 80’s.

The Sagrada Familia

Luckily, one of our rooms was available for us to use when we arrived. It was still morning, so we freshened up, piled all the luggage in a corner and headed out onto the streets of Barcelona. I did not book a tour for the inside of the Sagrada Familia due to time constraints, but we wanted to see this famous cathedral at least from the outside. Our “real” tour for the day was scheduled for 4:00 pm. We had plenty of time to walk all the way around the cathedral taking pictures – WOW! Amazing! – before finding a place to stop and eat lunch. I’d wanted to buy water and wine to take on the ship with us as well – shops and restaurants lined all the streets along the way from the Sagrada Familia back to the hotel.

Delicious Lunch at a Corner Café in Barcelona

I’d love to be able to tell you the name and exact location of the fabulous corner café where we enjoyed lunch. Sleep deprivation, hunger, and jet lag had all combined to make that part of the day a bit hazy. We were pretty grouchy – I remember that well enough. After a great meal, we made our beverage purchases and hobbled back to the hotel for a little siesta. After a very short rest, we headed back out, but this time we were going to Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter – The “Old City” where we would meet our tour guide, Amanda. On the way we made a quick stop by the Hard Rock Café to pick up a couple of pins for Raymond and Joseph’s collection. The Hard Rock was packed!

Poor Megan – SO Tired!

I booked our tour for Barcelona late in the day, hoping we could use it as motivation to stay awake and keep moving! I figured it would be timed just right so we could have dinner right after the two-hour tour ended, walk back to the hotel along the famous La Rambla and get to sleep early in preparation for setting sail the next day. This still seemed a solid plan – except for one tiny thing. The tour I’d booked….was a SEGWAY TOUR! None of us had ever been on a Segway, we were exhausted, had aching feet and were generally cranky! Uh-oh.

The Placa Sant Jaume, Barcelona

We met Amanda from Barcelona Segway Tours at the Placa Sant Jaume – a square in the center of Barcelona’s Old City. She arrived on her Segway and guided us a short distance through the very narrow streets to the tour company’s headquarters. Helmets, Segways, and release forms properly distributed – we headed out to a nearby courtyard for our Segway lesson and practice session.

Barcelona, Look OUT!

Who knew? Seriously – I’m not kidding – this was hands down one of the most fun things any of us had ever done. Megan noticed right away and commented that “You want to cure jetlag and cranky-ness? Just get on a Segway!” It was so EASY! Before we knew it, we were off on an incredible tour that took us through the Gothic Quarter (Roman ruins!) to the waterfront (Christopher Columbus Statue!) – along the waterfront past Barcelona’s man-made beach with its khaki-colored sand imported from the Sahara Desert. How we didn’t wreck at the beach I’ll never know – we were completely distracted by the total lack of clothing on the sunbathers! Amanda was delightful, spoke excellent English and her love of both her job and her city were obvious.

Segway Tour in Barcelona – Most Fun EVER!

When the tour was over, we were entirely refreshed, excited about what the next day would hold and ready to eat! We ended up at a seaside restaurant with outdoor seating where we ate a leisurely dinner and enjoyed delicious Spanish wine while the sun set beside us on the Mediterranean. After dinner we did indeed walk along La Rambla and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the bustling Catalonian city. Once back at the hotel, we couldn’t get to our rooms fast enough – exhaustion had set back in. We promptly fell into our beds and were sound asleep in record time – dreaming about the sights yet to see on a journey that was only just beginning.

Links to other parts of this trip report: