helenb

Unfortunately, I cannot give you any information as to Christmas on MSC, as I have not experienced that myself. I have done Christmas cruises on Princess. It was nice, but for us, it did not feel like Christmas at home... almost as if we missed the holiday. But I think that comes down to personal preference. My favorite is to do a cruise over New Year's... you get Christmas at home, then enjoy the holiday decorations onboard, as well as the multiple NYE parties.

There was something in the FAQ on the site stating that as countries were added, they would be given sufficient time to adapt. The question is, what is sufficient time. 6 months is very reasonable. 2 months, maybe not? Regardless, TounchstoneFeste's suggestion is very reasonable. I check all of my travel arrangements again a couple of weeks before I travel, and this is something else that should be added to that list.

Oh trust me, we will be at the YC restaurant for lunch, probably right when it opens! And then probably at gelato for dessert.... 😉 But that is a great tip!

Yes, we have experienced that when driving or cruising in Europe before. I wasn't certain if the stop in Africa would make a difference or not.

Thanks for the info! We're fine if we have to go through customs when disembarking in Marseilles, but I agree, it would be nice not to have to do so!

Thank you, everyone for your responses. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one confused, because that might mean that there have been no announcements/official statements... *fingers crossed*. I'm guessing that this might be like the Real ID rollout in the US that keeps being pushed forward and pushed forward and pushed forward...

Yep, that looks consistent with the information I found... what's bothering me is the vagueness of 'later in 2024' to roll out to other countries. Ah well, our trip is in 2 months. Perhaps I should just take it for granted that they can't announce and then begin enforcement in such a short time period? 😉

Okay, after some online investigation... ETIAS is for the EU. I am talking about the ETA (which seems to be a similar thing) for people entering the UK.

Perhaps it's the same thing? It's called the ETA on this website. https://www.etauk.uk/requirements/us-citizens This site also discusses it, but just says 'in 2024' without specific dates. https://uk-eta.com/eta-eligibility/uk-eta-for-american-citizens-everything-travellers-need-to-know/ If it has been pushed to 2025, that would be very helpful! 😉

I keep hearing that Americans will have to register via the ETA when entering the UK in 2024, but I cannot find a start date. Is this already in effect? We are cruising out of Southampton in June, so I'm trying to figure out if we need to apply.

Thanks, Alserod! Actually, we will be on Seaside which is a bit disappointing, since we have sailed her twice before and were hoping for a new ship. But hers is the one whose itinerary fits our dates. I appreciate the info about Barcelona. We have been there before, but it has been a long time. it will be weird to see the Sagrada Famila (nearly) complete when we are there in 2025!

Thank you, everyone, for your responses! I knew that I could count on Cruise Critic for information! We will be embarking in Marseilles and doing the Western Med, so I'm expecting that every port (except Tunis?) will have new people. The many languages doesn't bother us, as we're used to that from our previous travels in Europe. We're going to Europe to experience the culture, so that's part of it. I'm surprised (but pleased) that there would be trivia! Given the different responses on smoking, I'm guessing that it varies from cruise to cruise. I don't mind less salty, as I can always add salt (that's why there's a shaker on the table right?). Less sugar... depends on the dessert, but I'm sure that there will be plenty to eat, so I'm not too worried. For anyone else interested, I did find some Med menus here. Many of the dishes do look familiar from our Caribbean cruises, so I would expect the recipes to be the same. But there are definitely more seafood dishes. https://www.alannazingano.com/videos/yacht-club-menus-on-msc-grandiosa-mar-2023

I found a very short thread on this from pre-COVID, so I figured it was worth asking again. We just booked a Med cruise on Seaside for 2025. We have been on Seaside twice before, in the Caribbean. I understand that there will be some differences to the onboard experience sailing in the Med. I am expecting: - onboard currency in Euros - multilingual activities/shows (no trivia?) - multilingual announcements - passengers embarking and disembarking at every port - possibly more seafood-heavy menus - possibly more smoking onboard I was wondering if anyone could give me some insight as to the extent of these differences. How is it embarking/disembarking in a port where the majority of the ship is not joining you? If you're not getting off in a port, do they still make you disembark to 'clear' the ship, like they do for people on B2Bs? How much more smoking can we expect? Does anyone have any sample menus from the Med? We will be sailing in YC, in situations where that makes a difference (e.g. menus).

I agree. It is the best of both worlds. There are people with whom you can converse, yet you can ignore them if they don't seem like they would enjoy your conversation. And officially, you are at 2 different tables, so you do not have to wait for them to be seated, order, finish a course, etc. Each table can eat at its own pace. Much nicer than being at a 4-top with no escape and being locked into the other couple's dining style.

Yes, you are correct, the 8th! I mistyped. On the 7th, we will be touring Windsor, enroute to Southampton. The DDay Beaches are amazing sights, even if you are not a 'World War/Military Historian' type. Being able to walk through those old bunkers and looking down on the beach, and then a visit to the cemeteries, really brings it home. This being said, if there is an anniversary and it is packed with people, you may be better off elsewhere. I would highly recommend Mont St. Michel, if you can get there. Paris is too much of a slog (for me) for too little time. For us, we have done all of these sites multiple times, so we are going to take it easy in Le Havre and just go to Honfleur for a few hours.