*~ Cruising (travel by Waterways) megathread ~*

Ludo

Densey12 wrote: »

Hi all,

I’m going on my first cruise ever next Friday with MSC ?

Would any of you seasoned cruisers have any advice ?

Will be interested to hear how you get on. It is a brand new ship (first cruise this week I believe) and I am going on it next month.MSC cruise once before and really enjoyed it so hopefully no teething trouble on the new ship.

Densey12

Thanks all!!!

We have a balcony room , Fantastica package ( had to pay for this up grade due to room availability ) and our dining info is complimentary restaurant which has two buffets and two restaurants , do we have to pay a service charge on the restaurants does anybody know ?

We have an all inclusive restaurant & bar package A .

Regarding the activities like bowling , zip line etc did any one ever buy a "fun pass" or are we best paying for these activities as we go?

Yes brand new ship - got a great deal as a result of this!! Balcony upgrade was free! 7 nights on ship and have two nights in Barcelona after! Small bit cautious of teething problems but we will have to take this in our stride!! The ship is being christened tomorrow! But it was suppose to take place earlier and was postponed due to the ship not being ready !

Barcelona , Marseille , Genoa , Naples, Messina and Valetta is the itinerary!

deisemum

I've been on MSC Splendida, Orchestra and Divina. Local excursions are much cheaper than booking them with the ship.

This is what we did at some of the ports you're going to visit. I got great tips on here before we went.

Our first cruise was from Barcelona 3 years ago. We arrived around 10.30am at the port by taxi (cost €40) and the porters were there to take our luggage which was great. I had visions of having to walk some distance with the luggage before we could check in but the terminal is beside the ship. They started checking in passengers just after 11am, they were only a small number of desks open and they were slow but that was fine. Once on board we were sent to the buffet.

Marseille: We followed the green footpath, you'll see it when you come out the terminal main door, there are green pedestrian symbols drawn on the ground, we followed them to the port's bus stop about 6 - 8 mins walk and got the free port shuttle into the old part of the town. We just pottered about and did some shopping. It was lovely and sunny but there was a strong breeze down by the port. MSC were charging €16.80pp for this 3 years ago.

Genoa: we liked Genoa and when you exit the terminal and take the escalator up to street level there were tour buses so we did the tour, it was €10 each. There was a large market that we spent some time browsing, there was even a Guinness stall.

Valletta: we loved Malta, the ship docked right in Valletta, we got off the ship and walk just past the length of the ship to the gate to leave the port and got one of the local hop on hop off tour buses that took us round the main places of interest on the island. It cost €10 each. Malta is very reasonably priced and the people were very friendly.

When we disembarked at Barcelona we went to collect our luggage from the conveyer belt and spotted a man at a portable desk taking passengers luggage to mind for the day and deliver it to their hotel, train station or airport. We left our luggage with him, it was €10 per bag and meant we were luggage free to spend the day sightseeing in Barcelona as our flight wasn't until 10.45pm. We got the T3 post bus into the Christopher Columbus statue and then did the hop on hop off tour of Barcelona and a tour of the Nou Camp.

One tip I'd recommend is travel light and avail of the laundry service onboard. Midway through the cruise have 20 times laundered for €35 bigger things like shirts/blouses, tops, shorts/trousers they'll be washed, dried, ironed and left back in your cabin the next day. Not only does it make travelling easier but it saves the cost of checking in an extra or bigger bag/case with the airline and reduces the amount of laundry when you get home.

The €26 drinks package is very good value.

Densey12

deisemum wrote: »

I've been on MSC Splendida, Orchestra and Divina. Local excursions are much cheaper than booking them with the ship.

This is what we did at some of the ports you're going to visit. I got great tips on here before we went.

Our first cruise was from Barcelona 3 years ago. We arrived around 10.30am at the port by taxi (cost €40) and the porters were there to take our luggage which was great. I had visions of having to walk some distance with the luggage before we could check in but the terminal is beside the ship. They started checking in passengers just after 11am, they were only a small number of desks open and they were slow but that was fine. Once on board we were sent to the buffet.

Marseille: We followed the green footpath, you'll see it when you come out the terminal main door, there are green pedestrian symbols drawn on the ground, we followed them to the port's bus stop about 6 - 8 mins walk and got the free port shuttle into the old part of the town. We just pottered about and did some shopping. It was lovely and sunny but there was a strong breeze down by the port. MSC were charging €16.80pp for this 3 years ago.

Genoa: we liked Genoa and when you exit the terminal and take the escalator up to street level there were tour buses so we did the tour, it was €10 each. There was a large market that we spent some time browsing, there was even a Guinness stall.

Valletta: we loved Malta, the ship docked right in Valletta, we got off the ship and walk just past the length of the ship to the gate to leave the port and got one of the local hop on hop off tour buses that took us round the main places of interest on the island. It cost €10 each. Malta is very reasonably priced and the people were very friendly.

When we disembarked at Barcelona we went to collect our luggage from the conveyer belt and spotted a man at a portable desk taking passengers luggage to mind for the day and deliver it to their hotel, train station or airport. We left our luggage with him, it was €10 per bag and meant we were luggage free to spend the day sightseeing in Barcelona as our flight wasn't until 10.45pm. We got the T3 post bus into the Christopher Columbus statue and then did the hop on hop off tour of Barcelona and a tour of the Nou Camp.

One tip I'd recommend is travel light and avail of the laundry service onboard. Midway through the cruise have 20 times laundered for €35 bigger things like shirts/blouses, tops, shorts/trousers they'll be washed, dried, ironed and left back in your cabin the next day. Not only does it make travelling easier but it saves the cost of checking in an extra or bigger bag/case with the airline and reduces the amount of laundry when you get home.

The €26 drinks package is very good value.

Thanks deisemum,

That was very informative!
It’s great to get info like that before we go!
We are flying from cork to Barcelona Friday morning think we arrive in Barcelona around 9am so we will prob be very early for check in !
Is there restaurants near the port that we could wait in do you recall ?

deisemum

Densey12 wrote: »

Thanks deisemum,

That was very informative!
It’s great to get info like that before we go!
We are flying from cork to Barcelona Friday morning think we arrive in Barcelona around 9am so we will prob be very early for check in !
Is there restaurants near the port that we could wait in do you recall ?

By the time you get your luggage, then out of the airport and a taxi to the ship it will be 10.30am - 11am. We got there somewhere around that time and the porters took our luggage as we got out of the taxi. We entered the terminal and went through passport control/security. There's a cafe/bar in the terminal.

Once they start opening the check-in desks they will hand out so many number 1's, then 2's etc. so get a number promptly as they will call people in batches, once all the 1's have been checked-in they'll call 2's and so on. I think we were onboard before 12.30pm and we shown to the lift to take us up to the buffet on deck 14.

coylemj

deisemum wrote: »

Once they start opening the check-in desks they will hand out so many number 1's, then 2's etc. so get a number promptly as they will call people in batches, once all the 1's have been checked-in they'll call 2's and so on. I think we were onboard before 12.30pm and we shown to the lift to take us up to the buffet on deck 14.

Or the OP might be given a suggest time slot to arrive for check-in?

deisemum

coylemj wrote: »

Or the OP might be given a suggest time slot to arrive for check-in?

We were given a mid afternoon time to check-in for the last cruise but we were allowed check in earlier and knew that we could from previous experience when I was told by check-in staff that we could do so as it speeds things up and avoids a bottle neck post lunch.

coylemj

deisemum wrote: »

We were given a mid afternoon time to check-in for the last cruise but we were allowed check in earlier and knew that we could from previous experience when I was told by check-in staff that we could do so as it speeds things up and avoids a bottle neck post lunch.

Sounds good but that plan may not work if the ship is allocating time slots for check-in based on your deck number (happened us on our last cruise - Royal Caribbean) because if you arrived too early, there is a fair chance that your cabin wouldn't be ready. And to stop the public areas of the ship from getting clogged up with people (and their luggage) not yet able to access their cabins, they may hold you at the check-in area before your allocated slot and not allow you to board.

I know this discussion started with a poster heading for an MSC cruise but that thread has since been merged into the cruising megathread so I'm just pointing out that arriving early may not work with all cruise lines.

Nettle Soup

Any tips for renting a cruiser for 4 or 5 days on the Shannon?
Family with 2 adults and 3 kids (oldest 14).
I am thinking Emerald Star line.

Mc-BigE

Going on the msc preziosa this weekend from Copenhagen. Looking forward to it. Got a balcony Room fantasica. Looking at cruisecritic. I've heard mixed report on the ship. With overcrowded buffet areas being the main complent. Anyway I will make my own mind up and report back

angeldelight

Just off two weeks on Independence of the Seas - had a great time!!

coylemj

Mc-BigE wrote: »

Going on the msc preziosa this weekend from Copenhagen. Looking forward to it. Got a balcony Room fantasica. Looking at cruisecritic. I've heard mixed report on the ship. With overcrowded buffet areas being the main complent. Anyway I will make my own mind up and report back

Don't worry, whingers on cruisecritic and tripadvisor are always complaining about the buffets on ships and in hotels - not enough variety, sausages not like the ones at home, boiled eggs too hard, overcrowded, queues for the toast machines, blah blah blah. I've been on two MSC cruises, no problems with the buffets.

And you always have the option of going to the restaurant where they will serve you breakfast at your table. But the vast majority of the passengers prefer the speed and convenience of the buffet.

jhegarty

coylemj wrote: »

Don't worry, whingers on cruisecritic and tripadvisor are always complaining about the buffets on ships and in hotels - not enough variety, sausages not like the ones at home, boiled eggs too hard, overcrowded, queues for the toast machines, blah blah blah. I've been on two MSC cruises, no problems with the buffets.

And you always have the option of going to the restaurant where they will serve you breakfast at your table. But the vast majority of the passengers prefer the speed and convenience of the buffet.

I don't think you are allowed post on cruisecritic without saying the buffet is crowded and the food cold.

thetimeisnow

My brother said he would love to do a cruise holiday , any recommendations ?

Thoie

thetimeisnow wrote: »

My brother said he would love to do a cruise holiday , any recommendations ?

Lots, but we'd need to know a little bit more

Does he want to go to sea? Or a river cruise? Europe, Caribbean, somewhere else? Warm or cold? Relaxing or active, or both? Is his idea of a good holiday drinking himself into a stupor by 11am, or fine dining in romantic locations?

Atomic Pineapple

Thoie wrote: »

Lots, but we'd need to know a little bit more

Does he want to go to sea? Or a river cruise? Europe, Caribbean, somewhere else? Warm or cold? Relaxing or active, or both? Is his idea of a good holiday drinking himself into a stupor by 11am, or fine dining in romantic locations?

Mind if I hijack this?

• Sea
• Europe
• Weather isn't important
• Relaxing but not in a sun bathing all day way, we like to get out and see and do things, just not interested in things like water sports etc...
• Fine dining/romantic/culture
• Budget of around 5- 6k for 2 people

Thoie

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

Mind if I hijack this?

• Sea
• Europe
• Weather isn't important
• Relaxing but not in a sun bathing all day way, we like to get out and see and do things, just not interested in things like water sports etc...
• Fine dining/romantic/culture
• Budget of around 5- 6k for 2 people

If you're not too worried about weather, a northern european cruise (Baltics, or Norwegian Fjords) could be interesting, like this one: https://www.seascanner.com/cruise-k113112-baltic-sea-msc-meraviglia-hamburg

Having said that, the weather in northern Europe in September can often be nicer than here! Mediterranean is another obvious choice, but can be very packed full of port days, so they can be a bit less chilled and more "get up at 7am everyday to see allll the things"

Mc-BigE

just back from 7 days on the Baltic sea, the weather was nice , but got colder and windier the closer we got to Russia (st petersburg)

the ship (MSC Preziosa) was excellent (7 days was enough for me personally)

age of the people on board was 50-60 plus on average (German couples mainly)
so a little bit older than us.

the buffet was good (recommend the Pizzas) just watch the times, as it can be busy, just find a seat first, get someone from your party to sit down and you get the food and they get up and do the same later.

on the hot sea days everyone goes to the pool area and it was a bit crowded up deck.

the drinks package (not the premium package) works out at 26 euros per day /per adults in the room and children are 13 euros a day (everyone in the cabin has to get the package for the 7 days!)

drinks on board (without package) are:

beer (draught Heineken) 6 ish euros
wine (glass only) 7-8 ish euros
cocktails 9 ish euros

cappuccinos/lattes etc (cup) 2.5 euros

bottles of water 1L/0.5L 2.5 euros and more for the 1L bottle

ice creams 3.5 euros per cup
(all prices are approx as i had the standard drinks package and didn't pay very close attention to the included drinks)

so, you need to weigh up the package verses how much you will drink per day for each person in your cabin.

might be possible if you were traveling with other couples, for one couple/family to take the package in one cabin , and the other couple/family to not take the package, but be careful , they do watch for that sort of thing on board, the owner of the card has to sign for it only, and no other person is allowed to use the card.

for us, we came very close to the 26/13 euro per day magic figure. but on days when your off the boat on excursions etc. we found it hard to spend that much each.

Excursions:
in General, not enough time to see places, but you get a taste of the city/area
Copenhagen: recommend Tivoli gardens in the centre, carlsberg museum
thats about all the time you will have ( about 6 hours )

Stockholm: beautiful city, recommend the vasa ship museum and a walk around the old city streets, and back to the ship

Tallinn Estonia : highly recommend old town, great place, will go back in the future.

St. Petersburg : we had a ship visa only, so can only do tours run by the ship, so we had a very restricted tour of chapel of the spilt blood and the hermitage museum, would have liked to have had more time to see more. got to see the entrance to the world cup fan base complex in the centre, but couldn't get in without ticket.

Kiel Germany: didnt do much here, did a bit of shopping in a big electronic store (Saturn i think) which had some good deals.

overall, the ship was good, food good, a lot of people on board, but manageable if you plan your eating times off peak. same for pool deck area etc.

will i do it again? probably not for another few years and maybe only as a couple or group(s) of couples.

tip: try to get a balcony cabin in the middle to front of the ship, back cabins shakes around the engine area

fitzparker

Hi All,

So we booked a cruise for our honeymoon, something we as a young couple never thought of doing but we got a great price and decided to go for it, not until next march but already counting down the days.

heading out for a week on the MSC Seaside for a western Caribbean Cruise. we have never been and looking for some info and recommendations while on board.

We land into Miami the night before and the cruise sets sail at 7pm, ideally we would like to check in as early as possible (i.e before 9-10am) and spend some time in miami before we get onto the ship.

We are staying in a balcony room, with the Bella experience and deluxe drink package.

I have a few questions, regarding Tips (gratuity) - I understand we pay this before we board, around $10 a day, is this each? and what does this mean. do we not tip on board?or should we still do this? is it cashless on board? do you only pay for things ( i.e in shops etc with credit card)

In terms of food, i know there are some buffets and restaurants on board, are we eligible to eat in all of these, or is it just the buffet> i'm sure with 5000 people it will need to be prebooked is this the same for buffets?

For excursions is it best to book through the Cruise or from the companies at each port.

I am trying to find a list of everything that is on the ship... Restaurants,stores etc.. has anyone come across it?

I know this is a new ship so it will be hard to get ratings and experiences on it until after the summer id say.

Thoie

Congrats!

fitzparker wrote: »

I have a few questions, regarding Tips (gratuity) - I understand we pay this before we board, around $10 a day, is this each? and what does this mean. do we not tip on board?or should we still do this? is it cashless on board? do you only pay for things ( i.e in shops etc with credit card)

The prepaid gratuities go to your cabin steward, waiters and a few other people. You don't need to tip them any further, though many people leave some extra at the end of the trip. Everything on board is purchased with your room card - you'll need to carry it everywhere. It's how you pay for everything, get into your cabin, and for identifying you getting on and off the ship.

If you're buying extra things like drinks/spa treatments, another gratuity will be added to your bill (so a $10 drink will be charged $11.80 to your account). Some people tip extra in dollar bills on top of that again, or by adding an extra tip on the receipt, but you don't have to.

You can give them your credit card details when you're checking in online, and the money you've spent on your onboard account will just be charged to that automatically at the end of your trip.

fitzparker wrote: »

In terms of food, i know there are some buffets and restaurants on board, are we eligible to eat in all of these, or is it just the buffet> i'm sure with 5000 people it will need to be prebooked is this the same for buffets?

The buffet and main dining rooms are free (and a few other places as well) - you'll probably get a set dining time. Most ships have two sittings (6:30pmish and 8pmish) to handle the crowds. If you have a set dining time there's no need to book in advance. If you want to eat in any of the speciality restaurants (which charge an extra fee) you'll need to make a reservation. The buffets are usually open about 18 hours per day, so you can just wander in there any time you like.

fitzparker wrote: »

For excursions is it best to book through the Cruise or from the companies at each port.

Up to you. You can generally get excursions cheaper by booking independently, but by booking through the ship you're guaranteed they'll look after you if you're late and miss the ship. Look into getting extra cruise cover on your travel insurance, which covers you for things like that. It's not the default. If you're going to St Maarten, I highly recommend "Bernard's Tours" - they're an extremely well set up professional organisation. https://www.facebook.com/BernardsTours/

fitzparker wrote: »

I am trying to find a list of everything that is on the ship... Restaurants,stores etc.. has anyone come across it?

I know this is a new ship so it will be hard to get ratings and experiences on it until after the summer id say.

https://www.msccruises.com/en-gl/Discover-MSC/Cruise-Ships/MSC-Seaside/Restaurants-And-Bars.aspx

Flick through there for info on your ship.

coylemj

fitzparker wrote: »

We land into Miami the night before and the cruise sets sail at 7pm, ideally we would like to check in as early as possible (i.e before 9-10am) and spend some time in miami before we get onto the ship.

The normal procedure for checking in that they will give you a time slot which may or may not depend on your deck number. There may not be a facilty to deposit your bag if you arrive early because the place where you will be checking in (usually a warehouse very close to the ship) may be very busy with departing passengers collecting their bags.

fitzparker wrote: »

Hi All,
I have a few questions, regarding Tips (gratuity) - I understand we pay this before we board, around $10 a day, is this each? and what does this mean. do we not tip on board?or should we still do this? is it cashless on board? do you only pay for things ( i.e in shops etc with credit card)

Onboad is totally cashless, even in the shops. You will get a guest card when you check in and you charge everything to your account which you settle on the last day or the night before. You can chose to leave a cash tip for your room cleaner and you can give a tip on the last evening to the waiter(ess) who served you dinner in the dining room but that's it. The'suggested' tip that you mention would be per person.

fitzparker wrote: »

In terms of food, i know there are some buffets and restaurants on board, are we eligible to eat in all of these, or is it just the buffet> i'm sure with 5000 people it will need to be prebooked is this the same for buffets?

ALl MSC ships have 'speciality' resturants such as Japanese or Texas steakhouses or the like which you can book and you pay extra. If you stick to the breakfast and lunch buffets and have dinner in the main dining room, you don't have to book or pay a cent extra, other than for wine if it's not included in your drinks package.

fitzparker wrote: »

For excursions is it best to book through the Cruise or from the companies at each port.

Excursions booked onboard are relatively expensive and they will even try to extract an exhorbitant fare from you to drop you downtown and will often exaggerate the distance to get you to buy a bus ticket from them the night before. Do some research on each port and see if you can explore independently but be aware of personal security at all times.

fitzparker wrote: »

I am trying to find a list of everything that is on the ship... Restaurants,stores etc.. has anyone come across it?

I Googled 'msc seaside', this was the first hit....

https://www.msccruises.ie/en-ie/Discover-MSC/Cruise-Ships/MSC-Seaside.aspx

coylemj

Thoie wrote: »

If you're buying extra things like drinks/spa treatments, another gratuity will be added to your bill (so a $10 drink will be charged $11.80 to your account).

Isn't the gratuity included in the drinks' price on MSC ships? I don't recall seeing the gratuity/commission as an extra.

Mc-BigE

coylemj wrote: »

Isn't the gratuity included in the drinks' price on MSC ships? I don't recall seeing the gratuity/commission as an extra.

yes same here, i just had 0.00 at the end of bill normally if i stayed in the drinks package terms. we also had the gratuity package (10 euro per day , per person) so you don't need to tip, i left something for the man that cleaned the room at the end of the trip
also , we had an issue at the end of the cruise with my sons junior card, it was separate to my credit card and he had his own money on the card to pay for extra things like computer games , sweets in the shop etc. but he had left a positive balance of 7 cent ! and they wouldn't let him off the ship until the card was swiped at guest services, totally mad! it added 30 minutes to getting off the ship because of ques.

Thoie

coylemj wrote: »

Isn't the gratuity included in the drinks' price on MSC ships? I don't recall seeing the gratuity/commission as an extra.

It's been a while since I've been on MSC, so you're probably right.

6541

Hi All,

I would appreciate some advice. A gang of us all in the 40 - 45 bracket would like to go on a cruise. We are still partying. So love the pub and a bit of a dance ! Can anyone recommend a cruise ? We don't want really old and we don't want 18- 30 crowd. Also somewhere in Europe as this is our 10 day summer holiday.

Thanks,
6541.

LiamaDelta

Hi Folks. I'm interested in going on a cruise in November in the Caribbean. Just wondering if anyone has recommendations on what travel agents they used (or ones you found poor). I want to book an all-in package with flights.

Thanks

Sycamore Tree

Hi,

Getting a cruiser for 3 nights on Shannon in July. 6 berth boat. Emerald Star.
Price quoted is 1050 euros. Does that seem steep?

coylemj

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Getting a cruiser for 3 nights on Shannon in July. 6 berth boat. Emerald Star.
Price quoted is 1050 euros. Does that seem steep?

Yes but they are well-maintained and high-spec. boats and it's high season. And the boat needs the same going-over at the end of your 3 days as it would after a 7 day cruise so your daily rate is probably higher than if you rented it for a week.

See what Carrickcraft and Silverline are quoting for a similar boat.

spurious

LiamaDelta wrote: »

Hi Folks. I'm interested in going on a cruise in November in the Caribbean. Just wondering if anyone has recommendations on what travel agents they used (or ones you found poor). I want to book an all-in package with flights.

Thanks

I used a local travelcounsellors.ie person and found them very helpful. They were able to factor in all our wishes regarding days in the departure port etc..

Sycamore Tree

What are the nicest villages and towns on the Shannon between Carrick and Lanesborough? We are thinking of staying in Dromod & Roosky. Any others?