Geting there

Our flight on American Air was purchased through 1.800.fly.europe. The one way ticket was really cheep.... about 400.00 each, but the routing is crazy. We fly from GSP to DFW to JFK to Barcelona! We are scheduled to arrive in Barcelona at 10:30 on Oct 5. We will use the AeroBus to get to our hotel.

We are booked for two nights at The Hotel Barcelona Continental http://www.hotelcontinental.com/web/biznietos.php?apartado=43&Plugar=1&opcion=12&barcelona . It is a great location on Las Ramblas. A big group is staying there and we have planned to get together a couple of times before sailing.

We met Sandi and Gary on Cruise Critic. They live in Boiling Springs and New York. Sandi emailed me and we met for dinner last winter. Then we all took Shag lessons together!! It was fun but can't say any of us are super dancers. Anyway they get into Barcelona about an hour after us, so we are going to try to find them when they get off their plane and share a ride to the hotel, leave our bags, get some lunch and wander around for few hours until our rooms are ready.

I don't do well on these overnight flights so expect to crash early. We have to be up fairly early the next morning to go to Montserrat.

Jack is going to be the leader of our group of 10. He has directions and a map so I know we are in good hands. The ticket includes the train ride, lunch and all the sights including a museum (you know what I think about museums!) . It is suppose to be beautiful..... I'll let you know.

There is a dinner that night at a Tapas place that about 25 people are attending. We are not going. Maybe if I change my mind, I will but right now I'm thinking an early night.

We have chartered a bus to pick up 36 of us at the hotel and take us to the port at 10:30 the next morning. I think we are to meet at 9:00 for breakfast.

We leave in 5 days!

The planning is complete, the Euros bought and the bags packed!

We are taking Max to Eliza on Sunday and Moosie to Keller's on Monday.

Our flight leaves at 6:30 Tuesday morning. We arrive in Barcelona at 10:30 Oct 5th.

Itinerary of the Med and trans-Atlantic cruise Oct 7 - Nov 12, 2011

For the first leg, we will begin in Barcelona on the Carnival Magic

Oct 7 Barcelona

Oct 8 Monaco

Oct 9 Livorno (Cinque Terre)

Oct 10 Rome (Rome at its Best)

Oct 11 Naples (Pompeii - Vesuvius - Herculaneum)

Oct 12 Messina (The Godfather Tour)

Oct 14 Palma de Mallorca

Oct 15 Marseilles (Aix En Provence)

Oct 16 Barcelona

The second leg leaves Barcelona the afternoon of Oct 16 on the Carnival Magic

Oct 16 Barcelona

Oct 17 Marseilles (Marseille & Cassis)

Oct 18 Savona

Oct 19 Rome (Beautiful Lake Bracciano)

Oct 20 Naples (Sorrento - Amalfi Coast )

Oct 22 Dubrovnik (Walking the City Ramparts)

Oct 24/25 Venice (St. Marks Experience / Murano, St. George's Island & Gondola)

Oct 26 Messina (Mt. Etna at 2900 Meters)

Oct 28 Barcelona (City tour and Hotel Principal drop off)

We overnight in Barcelona Oct 28 and then switch ships to Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas for the trans-Atlantic leg.

Barcelona ..................Oct 29

Cartageña..................Oct 30

Malaga .....................Oct 31

	Alhambra Palace & Gardens

Cadiz (Seville).........................Nov 1

Legendary Seville

Santa Cruz de Tenerife..............Nov 3
Pyramids of Guimar

Las Palmas/Gran Canaria...........Nov 4
Caldera de Taburiente

Ft. Lauderdale.........................Nov 12

	Ft. Lauderdale Land and Sea (Ends at FLL)

Oct. 7, 2011

We put down a deposit to sail on the brand new Carnival Magic in the Mediterranean from Oct 7 until Oct 28, 2011. We will then get off in Barcelona and board the RCCL Liberty of the Seas for a transatlantic to Ft. Lauderdale.