A Vacation from a Vacation

Having recently retired, it was time to take a vacation.

Actually it was a vacation initially planned two years ago when the cruise first opened for bookings. Getting three weeks off at work was a gamble, but got it approved last year. However, having retired in the meanwhile, we've added a week at WDW following the cruise, so we'll now be gone a month. Kenneling costs for our four dogs preclude any additional time away from home.

One day to go and there's still things left on our to-do list, beginning with figuring our the status of our tuxedo order. We had recently acquired our own tuxedos/dinner jackets/etc for the cruise, but with the new charges for extra luggage, decided to rent formal wear that would be delivered to the ship.

Placed the order last weekend. Haven't received the promised email confirmation but noticed a charge on the account. Only for one tuxedo and it's not the full amount. Since we leave tomorrow and must pack our tuxes if need be (and buy additional luggage space), I'll be on the phone at 7 am NYC time to make inquiries. It's less expensive to take our own - even with the extra baggage charges, but schlepping around 5 suitcases will be a drag, so to speak. What did we do before wheeled cases?

There's also one last mail pick-up here in town, taking the dogs out to the kennel in the countryside, one last load of laundry to do (we got the washer/dryer up and mostly running), arrange a ride to the airport, book additional luggage with BA (it's cheaper in advance) if we're taking our own formalware, getting Euros to start us off in Barcelona, picking up our INAPAM card this afternoon (we need it for the return trip), and probably a few other things I haven't remembered. Oh yeah, packing for the trip.

I may need to eliminate some of the things I grabbed yesterday. We intend to use the laundry services on board the Magic and there's a washer/dryer in our villa at WDW. No need to pack an outfit for every day, is there?

Much of the time aboard ship is being planned by a group of Dissers, so we won't have a chance to get bored while bobbing our way across the Atlantic. In fact, we may need to time at WDW to recuperate. They have more activities planned than you can shake a stick at. Glad I loaded some new books on my Kindle if I need time away from all the hilarity.

I should explain that 'Dissers' are members of the Dis (pronounced 'Diz' as in Disney) internet forums. Many of them are veterans of the first transAtlantic voyage last year and most of them know each other. They have posted over 2500 message on the XAtlantic thread, beginning before the bookings were announced.

Planning has run amok! We have special shirts to wear for the first meet-and-greet aboard ship before it embarks Saturday. And the hilarity continues from there. There are special activities on board for group members, there are special shore excursions, the list goes on. Some are already in BCN. Some are sailing back-to-back Mediterranean/XAtlantic cruises.

We're all slightly nuts!!! (er, enthusiastic!) We have pre-ordered wine for dinner every night and there are several bars on board, so we'll get through this somehow with only minor liver damage.

We had our airline tickets before this retirement thing came up, so we are only in BCN 3 days before the cruise, in time for some light sightseeing: Gaudi's Segrada Familia chapel - still under construction and estimated to be finished in 2040 - and other 'Organic Modernista' buildings and gardens; Monserrat & its Black Madonna (with a cog railway ride!); Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso called Catalonia home (Catalonia has it's own language; I wonder what happened to my handy list of phrases in Catalonian?); and Santa Maria del Mar has one of the widest Gothic naves. We hope to squeeze in some time on a Segway, but that's fungible.

Guess I'd better get back to bed for a few more hours of shut-eye before the day begins. I'll try to post along the way, but the transAtlantic cruise time will probably be silent. There is internet aboard the ship, but it's muy $$, so there may be a gap until we hit WDW.