Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 8 – Shopping in Kusadasi

Date of Visit: June 22, 2013

Kusadasi was the one non-tendering port we did not book Mik a port adventure. The reason was there was not a private vehicle with lift option and the only accessible option was a group bus tour. The group bus tour would not have been too bad, but it was about $400 a person. Thus, it would have cost almost as much for him and mom as the private vehicle tours they did, although actually more than the non-lift ones in Turkey. Also, he hates buses in general and it lacked the flexibility you get on your own, so we thought it better to not waste money on it. In the end though, it might have been cheaper to send them on that then let them get off just to shop in Kusadasi.



I encouraged Mik and Mom to get off and just walk around the port a little before Dad and I left on our port adventure, as the dock was right next to the city and Mik wanted to at least say he really had been in Turkey. Well, they did get off, but they did not get far. They only went to the shops on the dock and they did not even get far in there. They ended up buying some leather jackets and a vest before they decided they must return to the ship before they did any more damage. At least Mik has already gotten some wear out of his vest (photo is him in Mykonos) and we did not do the port adventure for them because I have a feeling they would have still gotten the leather.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 8 – Mediterranean Menu @ Animator’s Palette

Date of Visit: June 22, 2013

The Mediterranean Menu is another one that is the same in all restaurants that night.

Appetizer – Mik tried the Tapas, Taste of the Mediterranean for the appetizer, but did not particularly like it. It comes with proscuitto, sun dried tomatoes, marinated olives, and parmesan cheese with grissini stick (this was the one thing he liked).

Soup – Mik had the Spicy Andalusian Tomato Soup. It certainly was spicy, but he enjoyed dipping the table bread in the soup (foccacia and rolls, not the pumpernickel that came with the soup).

Entrée – Mik had the Braised Center Cut Osso Bucco “Milanese” and really enjoyed it. He also like the risotto that it was served on top of.

Dessert – Mik was full from all the bread and Osso Bucco, so he almost skipped dessert. He did end up trying the Chocolate Custard, though, and really enjoyed it.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 7 – Greek Menu @ Lumiere’s

Date of Visit: June 21, 2013


The Greek Menu is a themed menu served in all three restaurants on the same night. Near the end of the meal the servers came out carrying Greek flags and danced around the dining room.



Appetizer – Mik ordered the Kalamarakia Tiganita (i.e. fried calamari/squid). He enjoyed his so much that he also finished half of Mom’s and another order of it.

Soup – Mik thought the Parosoupa was okay. It is Fisherman’s soup with red snapper, mussels, and vegetables.

Entrée – Mik had the Rosemary Marinated Lamb Sirloin since he had enjoyed the lamb so much at a previous dinner. It did not disappoint, although he was disappointed in the oregano roasted potatoes being rather light on the oregano.



Dessert – Mik tried the Greek Lemon Cake and the Serano Chocolate Cake. His first choice would have been the lemon cake, but he actually only like the chocolate cake, so it was glad he had ordered both from the start.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 7 – Athens by Private Vehicle w/ Lift

Date of Visit: June 21, 2013


In Athens, Dad and I were supposed to do a Port Adventure that involved competing in games at the Panathenaic Stadium, but two days before the Pireaus port call we got a note that said our Port Adventure was cancelled due to not having enough people. Thus, we joined Mik and Mom on the Private Vehicle w/ Lift tour that was already booked with an itinerary to visit the Panathenaic Stadium as well as the Acropolis. The four hour tour ended up being just the right amount of time to enjoy both rather leisurely.

Panathenaic Stadium

Here the driver parked right in front for us to visit. Most of the bus tours also stopped here, as it is a good photo stop out in front. However, we also took the time to go inside the stadium. The cost was 3 Euros for adults, but Mik only had to pay the student price (1.5 Euros) and one companion got in free with him. The walkway around the track is rather flat, but it is a large step up onto the track. There appears to be a ramp in the front, but it is part of the gated off section. For us, it was easy to just lift Mik up onto the track. There you can run around the track, take pictures on a medal podium, and see tablets inscribed with the years and host cities of the modern Summer Olympics (they are in Greek and interestingly over the past century the spelling of Athens and London seems to have changed).

For Olympic fans like us, it was cool to see the stadium for the first Modern Olympics in 1896 (it was also used for more ancient games), although it is annoying Dad did not show us the pamphlet that came with the tickets until we were back on the ship because we missed climbing up to the seat with the founder of the modern games on it. Mik would not have been able to go up there, but he would not let me climb up to the top at all because he did not want to wait for us (it was his tour Dad and I joined after all). However, if he had known there was something to see other than a different view he would have been fine with me going up there.

Acropolis and Parthenon

At the Acropolis, the driver drove right up to the ticket office area to drop us off. He could not stay parked there, so he parked the vehicle and came back up to wait for us to be done and then brought the vehicle back up to pick us up and return to the ship.

When we started out tour we were warned that Mik might not be able to visit the Parthenon, as apparently it is pretty common for the elevator to not be operating. The driver checked for us before unloading and if it had not been working we would have gone to the Acropolis Museum instead.

The path to the “elevator” (Dad called it more like a mine car) is where those climbing up and down exit. They only allow one person to go with, so Dad went with him. They both got to go in free. Mom and I could have got tickets and climbed up, but we thought we would likely end up taking longer to do the climbing and since it was Mik’s tour we did not want him to have to be waiting for us.

Mik was glad Dad and my tour was canceled because he would never have been able to do the Parthenon with Mom. The worst pathway was the area at the bottom around the ticket office and shops. Dad almost tipped Mik since his front wheel got stuck in a crack. Up at the Parthenon it was better, although it is old worn stone that can be slippery and not totally even. For an ancient ruin, though, it is pretty accessible other than it sounding like you may need luck for the elevator to be operating when you visit.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 6/7 – Monsters University 3D PremEAR at Sea in Walt Disney Theater

Date of Visit: June 20, 2013

The Monsters University movie was released in theaters during our cruise and they showed it in the Walt Disney Theater and Buena Vista Theater at 12:01 a.m. for a PremEAR at Sea 7 hours before it was even midnight opening day in the United States. It was shown again many times in the Buena Vista and even though the next day was a port day, we decided to go to the PremEAR because it did not coincide with anything else. The 3D option was only in the Walt Disney Theater, so we decided to watch it there. In hindsight, the 2D in the Buena Vista would have probably been more enjoyable.

The main issue with watching a movie in the Walt Disny Theater is the only wheelchair seating is in the back and it is not in the center. This means you are off center and quite far from the screen. Overall that would not have been a problem, but they never closed all the doors in the back and light came through causing reflections in the 3D glasses.

Mik did not have too much of a problem, though, as right before the movie he asked for a sweatshirt and we gave him his birthday present a few days early, since we had only packed the hoodie Grumpy sweatshirt that was his gift. The hood is fluffy soft and he was wearing it up before the movie even started and it ended up being quite useful for him to enjoy the movie. He was glad we saw it for free, though, as otherwise it was not really worth it in his opinion (he sort of thought it was a sequel, but it’s a prequel).

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 6 - Bella Itala @ Parrot Cay

Date of Visit: June 20, 2013

The Bella Itala was a themed menu that was the same for all restaurants that night.

Drink – Mik did not initially want the special non-alcoholic drink, but once he saw my Dolce Vita he wanted his own. It is a blend of apple and cranberry juice, agave nectar, chamomile tea, pomegranate puree, and fresh lemon juice.

Appetizer – Mik choose the beef and pork tortellini. He liked the tortellini, but not so much the mushrooms and the thyme red wine reduction that went with it.

Soup – Mik tried the Cream of Trevi Celery Soup. It was somewhat of a disappointment because he found no croutons in it like the description suggested it had.

Entrée – Mik had the Spaghetti con Polpette (i.e. spaghetti and meatballs). He really enjoyed the huge meatballs.



Dessert – For dessert Mik tried both the Sicilian Chocolate Indulgence and the Warm Stuffoli. He did not really like the Sicilian Chocolate Indulgence, but it had a pistachio cake and it was kind of surprising he even ordered it. He totally loved the stuffoli, which are mini doughnuts, although he did not particularly like the honey lemon dipping syrup.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 5 – Prince & Princess Dinner @ Animator’s Palette

Date of Visit: June 19, 2013

The Prince & Princess dinner was the themed dinner for the Formal Night in all the restaurants.

Appetizer – Mik tried the Slow Roasted Duck and Cheese Quesadilla. He liked it, although, it was different than a typical quesadilla since it was with phyllo dough rather than a tortilla.

Soup – Mik had the Beast’s Potato and Sausage Casserole Soup.

Entrée – Mik could not decide between the Oven Roasted Tom Turkey Breast and the Rosemary-scented Medallions of Lamb. He went with the turkey because the sides seemed more to his liking, although we thought sweet Mashed Potatoes meant regular potatoes sweetened and not Mashed Sweet Potatoes, which Mik never likes. In the end, he also asked for some lamb, so he tried both anyways. He ended up preferring the lamb, but still liked the turkey, especially the stuffing with it.

Dessert – Mik choose the Prince Charming Chilled Chocolate Souffle. He had been wondering what a soufflé was since it was on another menu earlier and he had instead choose something else. At least the chilled one was a lot like the mousse dessert.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 4 – Rome by Private Vehicle w/ Lift

Date of Visit: June 18, 2013

Mik’s first port adventure for the cruise was from Civitavecchia. We decided not to do the first two ports because it required using the tender boat and it was unclear if it would require a transfer. Turned out Villefranche would have been no problem other than it is quite hilly to go around too much in the port town. The gangways up in La Spezia, though, were too narrow at the top and would have likely required carrying Mik and the chair on separately.

Mik did not much care about missing the stuff from La Spezia, but he would have liked to see Monaco. However, he really did love having his first two days basically as at sea days compared to all the people we overheard saying they wished the first at sea day came before the three days of port calls to give more time to adjust to the time and get settled on the ship.


Mik and Mom did only the 4-hour private vehicle w/ lift port adventure. All along we were warned it would only allow time for a panoramic tour, which was fine with Mik and Mom since 4 hours is about their limit on touring, as they are the ones that always prefer the at the hotel/cruise ship parts of vacation and not long days of seeing stuff like Dad and I. Also, it was flexible enough that they could have stayed out longer and just paid for the extra time if they ended up finding something they wanted to spend more time at or wanted to see more things.

The ride between Rome and the port is about an hour to 90 minutes, so that does take up a big chunk of the 4-hour private vehicle tour in Rome. However, they still saw more different parts of Rome than Dad and I saw in our 10.5 hour tour, although that was because we spent most of our time in the Vatican and the other time was just seeing the inside of the Coliseum. Mik and Mom still got to see the outside of both, which while the insides are at least partially accessible Mik probably would not have enjoyed inside much because of the crowds.

During their tour, they mostly viewed stuff from the vehicle, but the driver would stop and open the side door to give a better view. They did get out once, though. They parked about a block from the Trevi Fountain and the driver even pushed Mik to it. He then took a picture of Mom and Mik in front of the fountain. Mik was totally excited to hear when we got back that he went to something I have never been.

One of the coolest parts of the tour for them was that they got to drive around/close to the Capital Hill and Forum area that you normally have to walk through. Mik also liked that the way they tied down the chair made it feel very secure, which really has to be saying something with the way driving and traffic in Rome can be crazy.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 3 – Island Dinner @ Parrot Cay

Date of Visit: June 17, 2013

The Island Dinner is the theme for the Parrot Cay restaurant.

Appetizer – Mik had the Baked Crab Martinique for this appetizer. He liked the crab and the plaintain chip, but not so much the tortilla chips as they seemed like guacamole flavored.

Entrée – Mik choose the Mixed Grill, although he had extra shrimp and no sausage, since he is not really into sausage. He enjoyed it, although he ended up with more than he could eat, especially since they also gave him extra steak.

Dessert – Mik had a hard time deciding between the Chocolate S’More Vanilla Cake and the Ice Cream Sundae, but he really enjoyed the Ice Cream Sundae, especially the brownie in it.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 2 – Chocolate Croissant @ Goofy’s Galley

Date of Visit: June 16, 2013

Mik was really excited on the first full day of the cruise to discover that they not only had chocolate croissants at Goofy’s Galley, but they still did them the good way. It seems they only do it with the chocolate inside and in a rectangle shape at Disney World and he has been missing the chocolate drizzled and inside actually croissant shaped ones since they at least temporarily seemed to disappear from Disneyland when they were remodeling the bakery on Main Street. They are his absolute favorite breakfast thing, although Mickey waffles are a close second. It was also fun for him to have it the first day since the port call was in France.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Day 1 – Let the Magic Begin Dinner

Date of Visit: June 15, 2013

The first night of the cruise we had dinner in Lumiere’s, although the dinner menu is the same Let the Magic Begin menu in all the restaurants that night.

Appetizer – Mik choose the Chicken “Basteka” and found it so-so. Not sure if it was the spices and/or the cinnamon/sugar sweetness that made it only okay.

Soup – Mik also had the Blue Crab and Seafood Chowder before his main course. He thought it tasted good, although he was expecting a thicker/creamier soup like clam chowder and this was thinner broth.

Entrée – Mik went with the Yachtsman Steak House Cut Grilled Sirloin Steak. He loved it and we loved that the waiter cut it up for him. He also really liked the cheese potato that came with it.

Dessert – Mik had the Apple Tart-Tartin as his dessert.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Barcelona Airport/Port Ground Transfers

Arrival - Barcelona Airport to Port Experience

Date of Visit: June 15, 2013

Upon arrival at the airport it was easy to find the Disney Cruise people by baggage claim. They odd thing was that they sent us already out to the bus before even asking if we wanted an alternative option. The buses do not have lifts, but they could make alternative arrangements (sounded like a private vehicle with lift). Since it would have taken half an hour and Dad was with us, Mik choose to have Dad carry him onto the bus and the chair easily fit in the luggage area underneath.

It would have been nicer if they had asked if we wanted an alternative before walking out of the airport like when we checked in Vancouver and had to wait for the bus with lift to arrive. We totally were prepared for an extra wait, but we thought they just happened to already have something there when we were walked out (involves escalator/elevator) with a group to a waiting bus. If we had also realized we would end up at the port before boarding began, but with a high enough number that we ended up just in the all aboard abandoning the group numbers five before ours situation waiting for the transfer at the airport would have been better than at the port. It all still worked out good, just would possibly do it differently in the future.

Departure - Port to Airport Experience

Date of Visit: June 27, 2013

Several days before returning to Barcelona we got a message in our stateroom telling us that a vehicle would be available to take us to the airport at 8:15 a.m. on disembarkment day.  We got off the ship right after breakfast around 7:45 a.m. and they first tried to direct us to the buses.  When we told them we were supposed to have a vehicle with lift they quickly got a taxi around (it is all paid for by Disney when you get buy the ground transfer).  It was just a mini van with lift in the back.  It barely would have been able to seat us four much less our luggage, so Dad and I had to take the bus with luggage and Mom and Mik went in the taxi.  It was kind of inconvenient to have to split up, but they do drop you at same spot when you get there and we were not that far behind leaving the port as they had the buses leaving every ten minutes or so full or not.  However, with the chaoticness of the Barcelona Airport and having to wait for someone to escort us just to go through security with the wheelchair I think we would have been cutting it close if we had left the port at 8:15 a.m.  Of course, that was nothing compared to the back and forth in circles that happened to us when we got to Miami.

Disney Mediterranean Cruise with Greece: Disney Magic Stateroom 7138

Date of Visit: June 15-27, 2013

We knew the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder had some differences, but we sure did not expect that stateroom 7138 would be any different on the Magic than when we were on the Wonder in Alaska.  For the most part it is exactly the same.  The size and layout is the same.  However, there is one huge difference.  There is no grab bar that comes down on the side of the toilet like Mik loved on the Magic since it was half like how his old bathroom had one on each side of the toilet.  Not only is there no grab bar to come down, but the only grab bar by the toilet is behind it.  How useful is that?  Hopefully, when the Magic goes in for its upgrades this September that is one of the things that will be changed.

Deluxe Studio at Disney's Saratoga Springs

Date of Visit: March 4-9, 2013

Since we usually end up eating in the parks anyways and there were even more food things Mik wanted to try at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival this trip, we thought we would try a studio for the first time instead of a one bedroom like we have done every other time at a DVC resort.  Plus, we used our points this year to get a concierge level one for the 2014 marathon and did not want to borrow much from 2014.



Entering the rooms they have mats that are a nice thought, but rather annoying with the wheelchair.  Actually, not so fun for stepping on either with the spiky style.  I suppose you could move it aside, although I wonder if it would just be put right back in place every day.



The bathroom was good.  Mik actually surprised me in that he was able to use the toilet on his own when we left him in the room one day, which he often cannot do with the raised toilets.  The shower was good as a roll in and holding the shower head to use.  For standing under it, though, it was worn out and kept sliding down to spray pretty much back at the wall instead of out or straight down.

The kitchenette area was pretty functional.  The microwave was perfect for Mik, since he tends to just crawl around when in the room.  He actually used it to make his first ever quesadilla made all by himself.

The deluxe studio has one standard bed and one sofa bed.  The room gets extremely crowded when the sofa bed is out, although it was better to just leave it out than deal with the annoyance it was to take it out in the first place.

The oddest thing about the room, though, is that it has a closet next to the bed.  You can barely walk sidestep between the bed and the wall to get to it much less have it actually accessible to someone in a wheelchair.  At least there is an easy to access closet in the entry, though.

Our conclusion is next time we will stick to our usual of a one bedroom or even a standard hotel room at the All Star value resorts.  The microwave was nice, but even the All Star resort we had just stayed at had mini fridges and the actual bed is so much more preferable than the annoying sofa bed.  However, Mik and I did decide it would not be so bad if it was just the two of us, as we would not need to fold the sofa out and it would be roomier than a hotel room then.  However, the inability to override the thermostat at Saratoga Springs does not make me likely to choose it again, as kept being too cold during our stay (it was very cold for Florida standards this trip) and I imagine it is too hot other times of the year.

Destination Info:

Disney's Saratoga Springs
1960 Broadway

Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830