Wherein We Answer the Question: Does a Six Year Old Find the Med Magical? - COMPLETE!

TestingH2O

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 10, 2014
Yup. We took my daughter to Europe. I mean, Alaska was great, so why not? Just kidding. We debated off and on for the past year about if we were crazy. But, we did it and lived to tell the tale.

As with my previous trip reports, I'll add chapter links to this post as I write them.

Travelers - It's our same foursome! My mom, my dad, my daughter (now 6!,) and me. Since DH won't fly, he obviously wasn't coming to Europe.

FB798C6D-C344-4B9B-AB6E-99140F6DE86A.jpeg

The Plan - I've been to Italy before but never Spain. DD has never been to Europe. My parents have been to all three countries we would be visiting. Because we figured we were flying there anyway, we decided to stay in Barcelona for three days before the cruise. This would give me a chance to explore a new place and all of us some time to adjust to the time change.

DD had her 6th birthday at the end of May, so my parents were coming to STL anyway for that. I also found that airfare was about $800 less PER PERSON if we flew out of Chicago. Therefore, we decided to take the 5 hour drive to O'Hare for our flights.

If you'd like a preview from my PTR, feel free to take a peek here.

June 3 - 17, 2018
Day 0 - Halfway to Chicago
Day 1a - Time to Travel!
Day 1a-b - In-Flight Dining
Day 1b - Ireland and Barcelona
Day 1b - First Evening in Barcelona
Day 1b - Winding Down in Barcelona
Day 2 - Sagrada Familia
Day 2 - Casa Batlló
Day 2 - Afternoon and Evening
Day 3 - Las Ramblas and Boqueria
Day 3 - Paella and Chocolate
Day 4 - Montjuïc
Day 5 - Heading to Port
Day 5 - It's a Grand Slam!
Day 5 - Night 1
Day 6 - Character Breakfast and Pools
Day 6 - Mojito Tasting and Night 2
Day 7 - Pompeii Archeological Site
Day 7 - More Pompeii, Naples, and Pool Time
Day 7 - A Rapunzel Evening
Day 8 - Travel to Rome and the Colosseum
Day 8 - Private Tour Perks
Day 8 - Pantheon, St Ignatius, and Trevi Fountain
Day 8 - Trestevare, Lunch, and Catacombs
Day 8 - Gelato, Back to the Ship, and What Happened While We Were Gone
Day 9 - Pisa
Day 9 - Pirate Night
Day 10 - Cannes
Day 10 - BBB and Rapunzel's
Day 11 - Princesses, Palo, and Packing
Day 12 & 13- Debarkation and Travel Home

Reflections
 
Last edited:
Let's get this show on the road!

I'm still not completely adjusted to the time change. There is no good reason for me to be up this early!

My last day of school was May 25th. I had meetings through June 1. DD had school through June 1.

We were flying out of Chicago on June 3, but my parents felt better about driving halfway the day before. Regardless, we did not have a lot of time between end of the year and leaving town.

So, on Sunday, DD went to a birthday party and I put the final things in the suitcases. My dad picked up our rental car that we would drive to Chicago. We had a delicious dinner of Costco sandwiches, pita chips, and hummus. Mmmm.

6E453348-6E8B-43BE-9526-C7147E0926DA.jpeg
Then it was a three hour drive to the lovely Hampton Inn in Pontiac, Illinois. The hotel was fine.

CE95DBC9-CF45-43F3-B93C-6AFBD249F2CF.jpeg

In the morning we had breakfast, DD went swimming, I ran to the store to pick up a new charger cable for my phone and some snacks for the plane. My mom and I also did our nails.

020568FF-DDFF-4140-B0D0-DEE9ECDC8262.jpeg
Muppet Babies are back. Who knew?

3FD5E66E-6949-40F4-8227-BA1CB55A7858.jpeg

C8CC5B16-0A4E-447A-AA27-879833BF238D.jpeg

Then it was off to the airport! DD got a good nap. We also got lucky that we had enough quarters for the tolls. We dropped the rental car and headed to the terminal.

33D42BE5-5569-49E6-8D9F-A6C5B4C7383E.jpeg

A few notes about packing

I felt like a packing genius at a couple points on this trip. First, look how far under weight we were! (50 pound limit)

E02CD7EF-775A-488C-9A6F-8D7FD1AF54BC.jpeg 4A8104D6-3B52-409D-993E-6F7B9B129768.jpeg

It was even lower coming home after giving away our FE gifts. Also, I packed my packing cubes pretty smart. One was just travel clothes. I didn't have to open a suitcase at all at our overnight stay because I just put that cube in a front pocket. DD and I also drove to the hotel in clothes that could double as pajamas.

55956B9C-3C17-4951-8350-4E141C03A72E.jpeg

The suitcases themselves were split so that we only needed to open one for our time in Barcelona. This also meant that if one was lost, neither DD nor I would be without clothes.

Yep, feeling like I'm getting pretty good at this. :cool1:
 
Last edited:




Time to Travel!

After dropping of the rental car, we headed in to the terminal to check in to out Aer Lingus flight. None of us had ever flown Aer Lingus but I've generally found that the service on airlines based overseas is better. So, even though they are marketed as a discount airline, I was feeling pretty confident. The only downside is that Aer Lingus doesn't partner with the TSA to accept known traveler numbers. Oh well.

While we waited to check our bags, DD hammed it up and practiced her Marvel moves.
3D25E72B-8637-4317-827C-0CF3648B9E99.jpeg
A35CEAF2-6F31-4E52-AA3F-E55B715EDB3B.jpeg

We also saw some sad balloons lost up in the rafters. At least one said Welcome Home!
C327DA09-3F80-468E-839A-F843F2D9875A.jpeg
The security line was very long and slow moving. They were using K9 units to do the intial bag checks. It really seemed to slow down the process overall. However, the final step where we went through metal detectors and x-ray scanners was much faster. It was probably a wash overall in terms of time, but not taking off shoes or removing toiletries was convenient.
2EF1E601-B554-491A-B00B-EAB7C48A2C8D.jpeg
We helped DD read the sign to know not to try and play with the dog.

After we got through security, we had lunch at an Italian place. It was very good. International terminals have the best stuff.
25D42163-70D3-4850-AC79-C1622A79E634.jpeg
We then walked down to the gate and waited the final 20 minutes or so until we boarded. We also did one more restroom stop because airplane bathrooms are never fun.
F169A26D-F9EA-4EF0-88A4-990A20174ED1.jpeg
Our seats were great. The sides were only two seats, and we had two sequential rows. This meant we all had window or aisle seats. Yay!
2394907C-8D01-46B0-BF4F-E0481A99FCC8.jpeg
Seatback entertainment systems were very good and fully operational by the time we boarded.
7CD80622-39AB-4745-A200-9396093AF503.jpeg

CC82C87F-C04E-4C88-8481-14D4006BDA47.jpeg
Before we knew it, we were taxiing down the runway and on our way!
AD81C8A9-AB87-48B6-9A3D-F3BB9A905BE5.jpeg
Next up - In-flight dining is still a thing
 
Yay! Glad you're here.

Following along. Thanks for writing a trip report!
Thanks for reading!

About to leave for Barcelona ourselves! Following.....
Ooooh! So fun. I already want to go back.

Great intro! I'll be following along. Looking forward to hearing about your cruise!
Welcome!

following! can't wait to hear how much your daughter enjoyed Europe.
Spoiler alert - a lot :D

Following!!!Can't wait to read about your latest adventures!!
Thanks for being here! I'm reading your updates too!
 
Joining! It has always been my dream to see the Med. I'm excited to hear all about your cruise!
 
Joining In! I am hoping to do the MED cruise in 2020, so I'm excited to read all about it. Also, as a fellow (hopeful) teacher, I am also a bit concerned about how close these cruises then to be to the end of the year, so hoping that all works out.
 
Such fun and your trip has just begun! I really like it when we spend the night in a hotel before flying. It decreases the stress since you know you are already packed and ready to start traveling. Thanks for sharing.

Kate
 
In-Flight Dining

It's been so long since I flew on a flight with a meal that the whole thing seemed novel again. DD had NEVER eaten airplane food, so this was particularly exciting.

Somehow I had ordered DD a children's meal. I don't really remember doing this, but it was a good call.

7FB5B12A-D831-4E94-989D-C664917484F6.jpeg
The meal was not very colorful (chicken, tater tots, corn, and a roll,) but there was a small salad that she enjoyed.

C16007B2-774B-4A51-A512-10E169AC2559.jpeg
Look at the cute little salad dressing!

I purchased a celebratory cider for making it on to the plane.

81670E19-AEFC-41D4-8C06-5E1216E10F36.jpeg

Here was the menu and plan for the flight. Boutique?!?

8E07E7E6-DC30-4D05-96F3-50D3BEFB33E9.jpeg

I opted for the beef stew. It was quite good.

28CB9C75-0EBC-4E9E-B7E4-3E4EBA4C9407.jpeg

CF05C904-1A9F-4AC7-B3BD-781DFAAF7399.jpeg
Irish airline means delicious Irish butter!

6295E5B8-3D84-475F-9DF6-66E7EA0AB172.jpeg
At this point it was after midnight in Europe so we knew DD needed to go to bed. She typically goes to sleep between 7:00 and 7:30 during the school year, and, since school just let out, this timing was not awful for her little body.

39C7838A-0FA5-4B1E-9715-6A5D676A1B00.jpeg
She asked me to change seats with my mom so she got a good Grandma snuggle, put on her sleeping mask (previous FE gift,) and looked right out.

A note about the sleeping mask: this was a godsend. She is the only one of our family that was able to get good sleep. This was my first international flight that left the US mid-afternoon, and our way just too early for me to fall asleep. Plus I happened to be right next to a person who left their reading light on the whole time. I will get one for myself before my next international flight.

Since I couldn't sleep, I watched several movies.
The Greatest Showman - loved it
Ladybird - didn't finish it
One of the Marvel movies - don't remember which one. I somehow watched several on this trip.

24C4D554-1635-4007-A3BB-05B5B86E7A09.jpeg

As we approach Dublin, they served breakfast. The burritos were actually very good.

714394CB-9DC1-4F30-B8F0-1982C2595B6A.jpeg
We opened the shade and got our first glance of Ireland.
 
Great report so far and we have flown Aer Lingus one round trip to London and will definitely be flying them again!
 
Can't wait to read about this. We're thinking of doing the Med in 2020. DS will be a little older (9 at the time of sailing).
 
Following along! I loved your previous TRs and I vaguely remembered you guys had booked a Med cruise! Can't wait to see more of your adorable pixie daughter!
 
Joining! It has always been my dream to see the Med. I'm excited to hear all about your cruise!
Thanks for reading!

Joining In! I am hoping to do the MED cruise in 2020, so I'm excited to read all about it. Also, as a fellow (hopeful) teacher, I am also a bit concerned about how close these cruises then to be to the end of the year, so hoping that all works out.
It was a bit stressful getting ready to go, but I was SO ready for the break. Good luck starting your career. Just remember, the first year is the hardest.

Such fun and your trip has just begun! I really like it when we spend the night in a hotel before flying. It decreases the stress since you know you are already packed and ready to start traveling. Thanks for sharing.
Kate
It is nice, but at the same time, it meant we were away from DH and the dogs one more day.

Your daughter's hat is spectacularly awesome! Looking forward to your tips.
I love that hat. I keep telling her I'm going to take it one day. Ha!

Great report so far and we have flown Aer Lingus one round trip to London and will definitely be flying them again!
I was so impressed. Glad to hear it wasn't a fluke.

Can't wait to read about this. We're thinking of doing the Med in 2020. DS will be a little older (9 at the time of sailing).
Yay! It was an amazing experience.

Following along! I loved your previous TRs and I vaguely remembered you guys had booked a Med cruise! Can't wait to see more of your adorable pixie daughter!
Aww thanks. We think she's pretty cute.
 
Ireland and Barcelona

CBEF2079-2A35-478C-BCA0-DA0A116F4C79.jpeg

We arrived at the Dublin airport before 5:00 local time.

Needless to say we were really tired. We got off the plane and headed to our next gate. Except the next gate was really just a shuttle stop to some auxiliary gates. We asked if there were refreshments available at the actual gate, and the person loading the shuttle said no. So, wet hung out before loading the shuttle to have some coffee, use the restroom, and brush our teeth. Then we headed to the actual gate.

The airport in Dublin had free WiFi so we face timed with DH for a bit and I checked the weather.

9372C5AC-D0CB-41EE-8198-E951823CB493.jpeg
Swords!!!!

The auxillary gates meant we'd be using stairs to get on the plane. This was fascinating for DD.
A9C12B42-D252-44D0-A98F-1A9745CDA13C.jpeg

Before long it was our turn.

78570790-D93A-470A-BF98-F8D828163CA1.jpeg

The flight to Barcelona was smooth and I actually got a bit of rest. Even the coffee was for a fee, but my dad took care of getting himself and DD something to drink.

When we arrived in Barcelona, we went through passport control and got our luggage. The airport again had free WiFi so I let DH know we had arrived safely. He was also but I knew he'd be glad to see the message when he woke up.

For transfers, we booked with Barcelona Welcome Pickups. (https://www.welcomepickups.com/barcelona/)
We also booked them for pretty transfers. Or driver was waiting for us and his Mercedes mini van was spotless. He had waters for everyone and candy for DD.

F00870C5-6B16-4DC9-ABFE-8DC4D4028C3D.jpeg
I don't think I was expecting the plan trees.

71834358-89C1-4929-8D69-210A545D8E61.jpeg
Amazon?!?

9F37746F-33AB-4485-A4A4-6AE41A09343F.jpeg
Arriving in our neighborhood, l'Eixample, where we had an AirBnB. Technically or check in was around 2:00, but our hosts had messaged indicating that they could let us in early.

We unloaded in the condo. Here is the view from the living room window. That's a dog park across the street and DD spent lots of time watching the pups come and go.

90286AE8-C7A1-404C-A2B4-667D1396435F.jpeg

My dad and I ran to the grocery store just around the corner to get sandwiches for lunch. Then, after more than 24 hours of travel, we ran out of gas.

C0CD1969-7383-45F5-8B78-D50150E76010.jpeg

Next up, we start exploring Barcelona.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!







Top