My sail down memory lane continues with the fourth port of our Disney Mediterranean Cruise – Sardinia, Italy. After many days on the go, go, go touring historic European sites, a beach day Sardinian-style was just what the Travel Mama ordered!
This day we signed up for a Disney beach excursion. My husband, two-year-old daughter, and I boarded a bus with other cruisers to reach La Cinta Beach in Olbia, Sardinia. The sandy beach was quite the treat since many Mediterranean beaches have pebble or rock bottoms, which require tough feet or water shoes when taking a dip in the water. The tall grasses sprouting from the sand along the perimeter of the beach reminded me of Cape Cod. As part of our excursion fees, we were provided with two lounge chairs and a blue and white striped sun umbrella.
For lunch we snagged some unimpressive-looking tomato and mozarella sandwiches from the snack bar. Even these pre-made plastic-wrapped sandwiches were quite tasty. Italians sure do know how to do food!
After a couple of hours of splashing in the calm waves and digging in the sand with Disney-provided sand toys, we reboarded the buses for our hour-long journey back to the ship.
One of my sanity saving and vacation savoring tips is to schedule down days after busy days and to be sure to include activities that meet the desires of all trip-goers…parents, kids, everyone! Was this the most momentous day of our cruise? No. Was it a wonderful day nonetheless? Absolutely.
Some might say there are beaches in the U.S. and spending a day seaside was a waste of our precious vacation time. I believe relaxation should be part of any itinerary and a day spent playing at the beach recharged our internal batteries, allowing us to do the unthinkable…tackle Rome in a day with a toddler! Check back for my story on that one!
The current Disney Mediterranean Cruise no longer includes a stop at Sardinia. Instead, cruisers visit Tunis, Tunisia on the Northern tip of Africa. Visitors can explore on their own, visiting this Muslim city’s famed Zitouna Mosque, tasting Tunisia’s flavorful, exotic cuisine and shopping for handicrafts, jewelry, and spices in the city’s center medina, or marketplace. Disney excursions are available too – with day trips to the ruins of Carthage and Moorish village of Sidi Bou Said or the town of Nabeul, known for its pottery. The Bardo Museum and Medina for Families excursion includes a special youth activity, where children can create their own mosaic with Disney Youth Counselors to bring home while parents explore the museum’s beautiful artwork.
I love that Disney Cruise Line is always working to change and improve its cruise destinations and excursions. It makes taking another Disney Mediterranean Cruise someday even more tempting as I daydream about what activities my family would choose in each port!
Which would you rather visit, Sardinia or Tunisia? Let us know in the comments!
A Note from The Travel Mama: My family paid for this cruise and I did not receive any compensation or goodies from Disney related to this story. I will always let you know if I receive any money or products related to a blog post.
About Colleen Lanin
Great post. Sardinia is on my list of places I must visit, I absolutely love Italy. We were in Tuscany 2 years ago and the Lakes this year. Stunning!