Magic July 14 - 21, 2019

Are there any other super planners out there? As I already posted we have our airline tickets - thank goodness for frequent flyer miles. We have hotel reservations in Dallas (our city stop on the way), hotel in Madrid with restaurants picked out during our stay, an apartment in London reserved along with reservations for the ceremony of the keys and tickets for another very special surprise that will be our DS's 16th birthday present, and an apartment in Paris for nine days with day trips planned for Versailles (both day and night), Disneyland Paris and Giverny...whew! This is going to be one fun trip! We are all disappointed that that we do not have more time on the Magic, so we are adding lots of good stuff before and after. :)

wow!!! how many days is your trip? it sounds like maybe 3 weeks long? more?

are you in texas that you're overnighting in dallas on the way?

i have most things booked...i wrote it in the facebook group..

i've booked our flights - to barcelona and back from paris..
our hotel in barcelona (we arrive on thursday before the cruise)...
our hotel at DLP for our 4 nights there..
the eurostar to DLP...
transportation from the ship in dover...

i still have to book transportation from the airport to the hotel in barcelona and from the hotel to the cruise port.
and i still have to book the train from DLP to the airport...

that's all i've done so far..
i've started figuring out where the grocery store is in barcelona, and restaurants that would work...
and trying to figure out what we should do there on friday and saturday (we'll probably be tired on thursday after the flight etc)..

anyone have ideas for what toddlers would like in barcelona? they'll be 4 and 5 years old..
we're a group of 9 - including the 4 and 5 year olds, plus a 14 month old baby - which means dragging around a stroller as well..

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Yes, it is one crazy long trip. We get to Madrid on July 8th and leave Paris on August 2. We actually live in Oregon, but we are having a day in Texas in order to use frequent flyer miles to Madrid. We did a lot of crazy searches to get to Barcelona, and there were not any good or cheap options, so we looked at a map and decided to look at flights to Madrid. For some reason, there were a lot more options to Madrid! After looking at options throughout the whole country, the best flight times without crazy red eye flight, etc. was through Texas.

We now have all flights, all lodging in Texas, Madrid, Homeaway in Barcelona, Dover, homeaway in London that we stayed in a couple of years ago right across the street from the Tower of London, and a Homeaway reservation for our nine days in Paris. We will be focussing on our trains between Madrid and Barcelona and between London and Paris soon. Also will be making reservations/ buying tickets for La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, train to Mont Serrat, Legoland outside of London, (already snagged tickets for Harry Potter and the cursed child as a surprise for DS's 16th bday - that was fun!), train to Giverny, train/entrance to Versailles, and train/ entrance to DLP. Wow, I feel like I have a lot more to do than I thought I did. :)

The last time we were in Barcelona DD was 3. We spent a day at an interactive children's science museum called Cosmo Caixa. DS was 9 at the time, and both kis loved it. So much so, that we will be spending DS's actual 16th bday there at his request. Both kids cannot wait to go back. Lots of pics and info if you google it.

There is also a great park with a little playground, a lake with rowboats and an amazing fountain called Parc Cuitadella. The kids just played at the playground with DH while I walked around the beautiful park.

We never made it to the beach, but there is a nice, big beach not far from Las Ramblas.

Hope you are feeling well,
Marni
 
Yes, it is one crazy long trip. We get to Madrid on July 8th and leave Paris on August 2. We actually live in Oregon, but we are having a day in Texas in order to use frequent flyer miles to Madrid. We did a lot of crazy searches to get to Barcelona, and there were not any good or cheap options, so we looked at a map and decided to look at flights to Madrid. For some reason, there were a lot more options to Madrid! After looking at options throughout the whole country, the best flight times without crazy red eye flight, etc. was through Texas.

We now have all flights, all lodging in Texas, Madrid, Homeaway in Barcelona, Dover, homeaway in London that we stayed in a couple of years ago right across the street from the Tower of London, and a Homeaway reservation for our nine days in Paris. We will be focussing on our trains between Madrid and Barcelona and between London and Paris soon. Also will be making reservations/ buying tickets for La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, train to Mont Serrat, Legoland outside of London, (already snagged tickets for Harry Potter and the cursed child as a surprise for DS's 16th bday - that was fun!), train to Giverny, train/entrance to Versailles, and train/ entrance to DLP. Wow, I feel like I have a lot more to do than I thought I did. :)

The last time we were in Barcelona DD was 3. We spent a day at an interactive children's science museum called Cosmo Caixa. DS was 9 at the time, and both kis loved it. So much so, that we will be spending DS's actual 16th bday there at his request. Both kids cannot wait to go back. Lots of pics and info if you google it.

There is also a great park with a little playground, a lake with rowboats and an amazing fountain called Parc Cuitadella. The kids just played at the playground with DH while I walked around the beautiful park.

We never made it to the beach, but there is a nice, big beach not far from Las Ramblas.

Hope you are feeling well,
Marni

wow!!! i'm exhausted just reading about your trip!!!! that sounds amazing!!
flying from oregon sounds tiring!

i'm really happy to hear that your kids loved cosmo caiza - that was already where i thought we'd go on friday as both my son and grandson are big on museums of that kind, so i'm relieved to hear your family enjoyed it!!

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wow!!! i'm exhausted just reading about your trip!!!! that sounds amazing!!
flying from oregon sounds tiring!

i'm really happy to hear that your kids loved cosmo caiza - that was already where i thought we'd go on friday as both my son and grandson are big on museums of that kind, so i'm relieved to hear your family enjoyed it!!

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We are definitely packing a lot in. Since we do travel from so far away it is good to experience as much as we can. Yes, our whole family really loved Cosmo Caixa. We are all really looking forward to spending more time there this summer. I thought it was really sweet that our son chose this as the place to celebrate his 16th birthday. He is not a super science buff, but there is such a variety of interactive things to do there. The other choice we gave him was the amusement park Thibidabo which we will do another day.
 


We are definitely packing a lot in. Since we do travel from so far away it is good to experience as much as we can. Yes, our whole family really loved Cosmo Caixa. We are all really looking forward to spending more time there this summer. I thought it was really sweet that our son chose this as the place to celebrate his 16th birthday. He is not a super science buff, but there is such a variety of interactive things to do there. The other choice we gave him was the amusement park Thibidabo which we will do another day.


our son teaches physic, so i guess you would call him a super science buff LOL....
and our grandson, who's 4, decided a few months ago that he's going to be an astronaut when he grows up, so the apple hasn't fallen far it would seem and they both take after me, so yeah, science museum makes sense...

when we took the kids to paris a million years ago (19 years ago, if memory serves), we spent an entire day at the city of science, which they adored....one of the best things we did in paris... don't know if it's still good, but it was great back then...


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our son teaches physic, so i guess you would call him a super science buff LOL....
and our grandson, who's 4, decided a few months ago that he's going to be an astronaut when he grows up, so the apple hasn't fallen far it would seem and they both take after me, so yeah, science museum makes sense...

when we took the kids to paris a million years ago (19 years ago, if memory serves), we spent an entire day at the city of science, which they adored....one of the best things we did in paris... don't know if it's still good, but it was great back then...


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I think you all will have a great day. There is a small cafeteria and maybe I read about another restaurant at Cosmo Caixa. We have had the city of science on our list for Paris the last couple of times we have been there. Maybe we will actually make it this time. We still have not made it to the Arc de Triomph or inside Notre Dame with the kids. :)
 
I think you all will have a great day. There is a small cafeteria and maybe I read about another restaurant at Cosmo Caixa. We have had the city of science on our list for Paris the last couple of times we have been there. Maybe we will actually make it this time. We still have not made it to the Arc de Triomph or inside Notre Dame with the kids. :)

the other place my kids adored when we were in paris (again, this was 19 years ago!!) was the sculpture garden of the rodin museum.
Not the museum itself, but the garden with the sculptures.
We went 4 times in the 10 days we were there. They couldn't get enough of it.

our hotel was pretty close to the arc de triomphe, so we definitely got there...we were on avenue george V just off the champs elysees, which is just a short walk to the arch..

that was where we saw a boy hit by a car.....shocked the hell out of us....happened right in front of us..
we were all crossing the street - we had a green....a large group of people at the front crossing..
and a large group at the back (where we were)..
and in the middle a young boy (maybe 10 years old?)...

he was between the two groups, on his own...and again, we pedestrians had the green...

a mercedes came blasting around the corner and hit that boy with such speed that he went flying into the air and landed really far...
we all were so shocked....we all can still picture it 19 years later and mention it every now and then...
this is to say, watch out for those paris drivers, they haven't improved with time!!!

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the other place my kids adored when we were in paris (again, this was 19 years ago!!) was the sculpture garden of the rodin museum.
Not the museum itself, but the garden with the sculptures.
We went 4 times in the 10 days we were there. They couldn't get enough of it.

our hotel was pretty close to the arc de triomphe, so we definitely got there...we were on avenue george V just off the champs elysees, which is just a short walk to the arch..

that was where we saw a boy hit by a car.....shocked the hell out of us....happened right in front of us..
we were all crossing the street - we had a green....a large group of people at the front crossing..
and a large group at the back (where we were)..
and in the middle a young boy (maybe 10 years old?)...

he was between the two groups, on his own...and again, we pedestrians had the green...

a mercedes came blasting around the corner and hit that boy with such speed that he went flying into the air and landed really far...
we all were so shocked....we all can still picture it 19 years later and mention it every now and then...
this is to say, watch out for those paris drivers, they haven't improved with time!!!

.
I cannot imagine seeing something like that! Do you know if the boy survived?

Yes, we are planning on visiting the Rodin sculpture garden. My Mom and I visited it in 1998 and loved our time there. It is a beautiful, contained space where the kids can explore. This time I will also visit the museum. :)
 
I cannot imagine seeing something like that! Do you know if the boy survived?

Yes, we are planning on visiting the Rodin sculpture garden. My Mom and I visited it in 1998 and loved our time there. It is a beautiful, contained space where the kids can explore. This time I will also visit the museum. :)

i can't imagine there is any way he could have survived that hit, but i don't know.
so we were in paris, around the same time as you and your mom.
I'm pretty sure it was 19 years ago (my daughter certainly knows for sure as she'll remember what grade she was in at the time).
Nineteen years ago was in 1999 i guess.
We had a nice picnic in a park, but i can't remember where exactly.
It was October and they were having a heat wave, so it was lovely outdoor weather.
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We just booked this trip and are starting to plan the rest of our travel plans. Its going to be a large party of seven of us; me, wife, sister in law, mother in law, and two friends and baby. Excited to see people on the boat from the Disboards. Do we have any meetups set up yet?

My wife and I have been on other DCL, but the caribbean ones. Does this mediterranean one have similar cruise boat activities, i.e. one night is dress up for pirate night, captain's night? Also do they have a night with fireworks?
 
We just booked this trip and are starting to plan the rest of our travel plans. Its going to be a large party of seven of us; me, wife, sister in law, mother in law, and two friends and baby. Excited to see people on the boat from the Disboards. Do we have any meetups set up yet?

My wife and I have been on other DCL, but the caribbean ones. Does this mediterranean one have similar cruise boat activities, i.e. one night is dress up for pirate night, captain's night? Also do they have a night with fireworks?
Welcome!
How fun to cruise with extended family and friends! Activities are in line with cruises in the Caribbean. There is usually a formal night, semi-formal night and pirate's night with fireworks. Sometimes there are no fireworks due to local laws. We experienced no fireworks in Alaska and near Greece.
Happy cruising!
 
Hello everyone:tinker:
I'm Isabelle I'm French My husband's name was Didier and my daughter at 13, and she's called Sydney
we live in the east of France a city called strasbourg.
It will be our 10th Disney cruise for us and the 9th for my daughter.
We have already done several fish extender we would like to know if groups are present and how we can do to participate.
we will all be very happy to meet you on the disney:tink:
 
Welcome!
How fun to cruise with extended family and friends! Activities are in line with cruises in the Caribbean. There is usually a formal night, semi-formal night and pirate's night with fireworks. Sometimes there are no fireworks due to local laws. We experienced no fireworks in Alaska and near Greece.
Happy cruising!

thanks for providing us the info.

We've never done a fish extender thing, how does it work? Small gifts that we exchange via hanging them outside our doors?
 
thanks for providing us the info.

We've never done a fish extender thing, how does it work? Small gifts that we exchange via hanging them outside our doors?
I think there is a whole thread on here somewhere about fish extenders, but I can give you the basics. On the classic ships there is a hook outside your door in the shape of a fish; thus, the name. You hang something from the hook that people can leave small gifts in. I designed mine myself with a tote bag from Michaels. You can google DCL fish extender and see lots of different ideas. You pre sign up to join a Fish Extender (FE) group and everyone gets a list of cabin numbers participating in the FE. If you choose to participate you agree to put a small gift in each of the cabins FE holders on the list. Some people have felt pressured to meet some expectation of "a good enough" gift. FE has always been about the thought, and a fun way to connect and get some "tangible" memories from your cruise. We have given, dollar store laundry bags with Mickey heads stencilled on them, decorated photo frames with our cruise dates on them, personalized magnets, or key chains, small brag book photo albums and autograph books. We have received small travel emergency kits with bandaids, pens, clips to keep the curtains closed tight and nightlights, mini flashlights, decks of cards, postcards and candy, coloring kits for kids, Disney pins, shot glasses, can koosies, hand made autograph books, eye patches and tattooes for pirates night, just to name a few. When we did our first few FE's the lists were quite long with 30+ cabins, now you can find groups broken down into smaller numbers. I have even been debating offering to put a small group together on this thread. It would probably be around 10 cabins. Would you or your group be interested in this? Happy planning!
Marni
 
Hello everyone:tinker:
I'm Isabelle I'm French My husband's name was Didier and my daughter at 13, and she's called Sydney
we live in the east of France a city called strasbourg.
It will be our 10th Disney cruise for us and the 9th for my daughter.
We have already done several fish extender we would like to know if groups are present and how we can do to participate.
we will all be very happy to meet you on the disney:tink:
Welcome! I love your country and we get to enjoy 9 days in and around Paris after our cruise. We cannot wait! This will be our 9th Disney cruise for our family. Congratulations on being platinum after this one. I would be happy to organize a FE group right here on our meet thread. It will probably end up around 10 cabins or so. I did this for our Iceland and Norway cruise a few years ago. Let me know if you would like me to start a post for FE. Our family would definitely participate. :)
 
thanks for providing us the info.

We've never done a fish extender thing, how does it work? Small gifts that we exchange via hanging them outside our doors?

there is a facebook group for this cruise, with several different fish extender groups i believe...
so if you're interested in fish extenders and you're on facebook, you should probably check it out there..
 
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isn't our final payment date approaching quickly?
It is!! We actually paid last weekend since it was getting close. We have been booking through Costco the past few years to get their cash back offer and they have you pay a bit early to make sure that everything gets to Disney on time.
 
Anyone else happy to be on this years itinerary versus next years?

what's next years? i glanced at it, but i don't remember...
i think i saw that there's no france and two stops in spain?

i'm not that big on the stops for our cruise either to be honest..
but then again, for us, the ship's the destination..
we're on the magic to get our disney fix without having to fly across the atlantic to get it..
my daughter was on the magic a few years ago (right after the big dry dock where they added tangled)...
she LOVED it....
i'm sure we will too!!!

i took a really quick look at the 2020 itineraries..
the ones that caught my fancy were all the castaway cay double dips...
i'd like to be on one of those..
i was thinking that for our next big trip to WDW in what my son refers to as "full family mode", maybe we'll be able to add in a short double dip cruise..
i saw they even are offering a 3 day double dip!!!! no nassau at all - just two days at CC....that sounds so AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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