Boston to Barcelona and back…Our first Transatlantic...PTR updated 09/10/2015 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Boston to Barcelona and back…Our first Transatlantic...PTR updated 09/10/2015
Today would have been my dad’s 83rd birthday. Hard to believe he’s been gone for over a year. Kind of a sour note to start a PTR but I guess I just wanted to recognize this day.
So let’s get going!
Well here we are again my friends. It seems like I’ve just finished up my TR when it’s time to start anew. Those of you who know me, know all too well that my planning and trips seem to get filled with family drama of one kind or another. Basically I am my mom’s caregiver which I have been for several years now. My mom has many health issues but these days her memory seems to be fading more and more. It’s frustrating to see her like this but it was my decision to not place her in a nursing home unless absolutely necessary and sadly permanent. That hasn’t come to pass and hopefully won’t for a few more years. So what’s on for this year’s agenda?
We’re going on a Disney Cruise!
Well it’s not the first time (won’t be the last either!). A matter of fact this will be our 7th sailing. Last year on the Magic we made the milestone of sailing all four Disney ships. So exciting. Sailing the four T-shirts Who are we?
Linda…That would be me. Long time Disney fanatic and part time Disney designer I look forward to these trips which we now manage once a year. I will be celebrating my big 6-0. Man where has all the time gone? DH and I will also be celebrating 26 years of marriage.
Dan…My dear hubby. Still a very hard working man he puts in 62 hours a week so we can go on these vacations once a year. He’s a Disney fan but totally is into Disney cruises. He celebrated the big 5-0 last year on the Magic and doesn’t want to think about 5-1. Lol!
Just a reminder...couldn't decide which I liked better. So where to next?
Well the title kind of gives it away. Lol. We are booked on the Magic yet again. But this time it will be our first transatlantic crossing. I am excited and so nervous at the same time because we have never sailed from anywhere other than Port Canaveral. We’ve only flown up and down the East Coast and as some of you may know I only started flying again a few years ago after staying grounded for some 15 years.
Who’s going?
It will just be my husband and myself. Our daughter Heather has not been on any trips with us since 2013. We do miss her but it’s kind of cool to be just the two of us. Heather as you recalled injured her ring finger at work and had to do light duty for 5 weeks. Well she was cleared seven weeks later and has been working the same job that nearly took her finger. The company was so impressed that she didn’t quit that they hired her. No more tempt job for her. Full time employee with all the benefits that come with it.
When are we leaving?
Not soon enough…lol…September 16th to be exact. We are flying out of Boston’s Logan Airport on British Airways with a brief stopover at Heathrow Airport then a change of planes and off to Barcelona Spain landing on the 17th. Once there we are staying for two nights at the Hotel Montecarlo right on Las Ramblas and meeting friends from a past cruise (staying at the same hotel) where we will board the Magic on the 19th for an 11 night Magical Adventure! There will only be two stops, one at Funchal Madeira, Portugal and another at Castaway Cay, before disembarking at the Port of Miami. There we will take a shuttle to Fort Lauderdale and fly home on Southwest on the 30th.
This is all new territory for us. International flights, staying in a foreign country, taxi’s, shuttles and euros…oh my. The couple we will be sailing with are Kris and Larry from my 2013 “Just the Two of Us! (Need I say anything more?) TR. Kris and I have remained Facebook friends since that cruise and have been waiting for the opportunity to cruise together again. So this is it! She has been a huge help with all this planning though I am happy to admit that I booked our flights and hotel all by myself. Okay a little direction from Kris.
All in all there has been no drama to speak of since I finished my last TR. Well I did have to have my wisdom teeth taken out. Ouch! But that went well. The only thing that we have to do is break some news to my mom that I don’t think she will be very happy with. Wish me luck!
Next…Plans are moving right along!!!
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Last edited by duck addict; 09-11-2015 at 10:28 AM..
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Great start! I'm glad you're booked on BA for your international flight, as we always find the non-American airlines are better for flights over the pond and hopefully you'll have a good flight with them.
So happy for you (and a little jealous too!). Can't wait to travel along and share your many adventures.
Thanks for joining in once more. This should be quite the adventure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Sounds wonderful.... all those sea days!!
Dan just loves sea days. If I don't get sick I do too, Love my Queasy Beads!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Great start! I'm glad you're booked on BA for your international flight, as we always find the non-American airlines are better for flights over the pond and hopefully you'll have a good flight with them.
Glad to hear you say that. This will be our first international flight. Like I said...nervous and excited at the same time. Lol!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Sounds like a wonderful trip!
Really looking forward to doing something different!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
So looking forward to following along. We'll be on the third sailing once you return!
I promise not to drag this out. At this point we are now less than 17 weeks away and things are moving along. I actually started planning this trip the night that I had to book my spa, Palo and excursions on the Magic last August. We were leaning towards an Alaskan adventure but I had been chatting with Kris who was not only booked on the Western Bound Transatlantic but also the Eastern Bound Transatlantic. I knew that Dan would love the idea of all the sea days so I approached him with it and he was hooked. So an hour or so before I could go online to book my Palo Ressies for my 2014 cruise, I booked for 2015.
2015 WBTA…booked
In October Kris told me about a wonderful hotel she found that was in the heart of everything. I looked it up and was so impressed I booked the hotel that very night. Lucky I did too because there seems to be some kind of conference going on the week we board the Magic so rooms were going fast. This is a lovely gothic hotel. I can see myself taking a lot of pictures here. Lol!
Hotel Montecarlo…booked
Can’t wait to see this for myself!
I had been researching flights for quite a while. It was suggested that I look into Skyscanner which I did. Prices would drop, go back up and then drop again. I kept looking and waiting. Finally near the end of January, a pretty good deal with British Airways came up and I couldn’t resist at just under $1,000 for the two of us. I also hoped to break up the flight so Dan’s back problems wouldn’t arise. Six hours and 35 minutes to Heathrow from Boston, a 2 hour wait until boarding another BA for a 2 hour 5 minute flight to Barcelona. That didn’t sound bad but then again I have yet to experience big time zone changes and jetlag.
Flight to Barcelona…booked
Well we had a way to get there but now how do we get back? The Magic returns to Miami and there were no Southwest flights from there. So I found out that we could take a shuttle to Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL) and then a flight home. Easy, just needed to wait for SW to open their booking window which they did in February. The shuttle, SAS, was inexpensive at only $15 each.
SAS Shuttle from Port of Miami to FLL…booked
Flight from FLL to Providence…booked
Kris told me that they would be arriving a few hours before us. They were taking the Aerobus which drops you off about 500 hundred feet from the hotel. I am trying to pack light. I wish we could be a pair of those travelers that can pack a months’ worth of clothing into one carry on but I’m not there yet. Lol! There will be at least one large piece of luggage along with a carry on each. I’m not sure I care to lug this through the streets so next was to find a taxi service that would bring us to our hotel. I did some research and found a company that we liked and booked with them paying 45 euros in advance. A deluxe Mercedes for the two of us sounded wonderful. After the booking and the confirmation I received a call from them saying that they could not drop us off at the hotels doorstep but a 100 meters away, across the street. That didn’t sound so bad so we stayed with them. I guess the area is going to be just too busy. Like I said, conference. Plus the hotel is located right in the middle of Las Ramblas, a very busy touristy area. This was finalized at the end of March.
Sun Transfers from BCN to Hotel…booked
So the last thing I needed to do was book our airport limo. We’ve stay with the same company we have been doing business with for a few years now. I’m happy to say that we are booked with them also.
WLimo …booked
Now back to mom. As some of you may recall last year when Dan and I went on our 7 day Western Caribbean on the Magic our daughter Heather took care of her grandmother. Well it was difficult at best. It’s hard to take care of someone 24/7 and in her case she worked nights which didn’t leave her much time to sleep. Mom’s heath has declined since last year so she needs constant watching over so this year I have arranged to have her placed in a very nice assisted living community that will take care of her and make sure all her needs are met. How does she feel about this? Well I haven’t told her yet but I think it is the best solution for all of us. I need a break from every day caregiving and she needs to be looked after. Hopefully she won’t hate me when I do tell her. Lol!
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That hotel looks wonderful! Some of the nursing homes and assisted living buildings near me do respite care as well and it's a wonderful service. Your mom may not be happy when she first hears about it, but in the end it could end up being a vacation for her as well. Always good for the spirit to have a change of scene once in a while!
What an exciting trip! Looking forward to reading all about it.
for Mom. I understand the tough choice to move her into assisted living. When we moved my Grandmom into one it was very emotional, but in the end she loved living there.
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I'm glad you're booked on BA for your international flight, as we always find the non-American airlines are better for flights over the pond and hopefully you'll have a good flight with them. 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
for Mom. I understand the tough choice to move her into assisted living. When we moved my Grandmom into one it was very emotional, but in the end she loved living there.
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