AVACTION

Cocktails vs. Mixed Drinks.

Being from the UK originally and now in Australia I get confused sometimes with the use of American English.

Is a "cocktail" in US English the same as "mixed drink" in English.

We would call a bourbon and cola, gin & tonic, etc. a mixed drink. Whereas if there is more than one spirit used with various other ingredients that is the a cocktail.

Clarification please .......:confused:

Thanks so much Julie :)

 

Are there any issues being a lone female in a taxi?

 

....not safety as such, just don't want to offend any local customs :o

If you are worried about personal safety in a taxi in Dubai try the "Pink Taxi".

These taxis feature a pink roof and are exclusively driven by females for females/families.

Call 04 2080808 to book a pink taxi.

see http://www.dubaitaxi.ae/en/pages/LadiesAndFamiliesTaxi.aspx for details

MSC Cruises has instituted new rebating and cancellation policies that take effect May 1.

No travel agencies can advertise, market or sell a cruise or cruise package at a price below MSC's published or contracted pricing.

Agencies may continue to offer value-adds such as onboard spending credits and prepaid gratuities. The value-add cannot be cash, a gift card or other items that reduce the base price of a cruise.

Agencies that violate MSC's rebating policies will be "subject to written warning, a reduction in the co-op support provided by MSC Cruises and other actions such as, but not limited to, a reduction in the base commission paid on all future cruises booked by that agency," MSC said.

Fortunately this policy is illegal in Australia.

It is called Price Fixing and against Australian Consumer Law.

Just received an e-mail from MSC about Sir Bani Yas Island (MSC Fantasia). MSC is building a "Private Resort" on the island and will be open from December 2016.

Includes an exclusive Yacht Club enclave a swell as beach bars and spa. Sounds good to me as we will be there in March next year.

Any more information from forum members?

AVACTION,,,you're late to the party,,,the transatlantic was able to book almost 2 weeks ago!!! :o

Bugger!

Do you know anyone who got a booking?

Found on the MSC Australia website this morning, a 20 day Trans-Atlantic starting in Venice 30/11/2017

https://www.msccruises.com.au/au_en/Cruise-Departures/Cruise-Itinerary-MSC-Seaside-Rates.aspx?cruise_id=SE20171130VCEMIA&ship_code=SE&SelPrice=AUD

However when trying to book ALL cabins are marked as SOLD OUT!!

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Do Yacht Club guests take most their evening meals in Le Muse? Is it flexible dining (walk up with no reservations), or does Le Muse also operate with reservations only? Any reason to dine in black crab on occasion?

 

What about lunch. Le Muse without reservations? Is Le Muse open on embarkation day?

 

I've read that the evening menu in Le Muse is identical to the main dining rooms with the exception that the food is made to order. Can anyone confirm or Deny? I saw a video of a huge cold water lobster in Le Muse and I'm certain that isn't served in black crab, so I'm skeptical :).

 

One last question about evening meals. Is it true that yacht club guests can order complementary pizza from Pizzeria Eataly in the evening? THAT would be amazing (and dangerous for my mid-drift).

 

Thank you in advance.... I'm so excited to sail the gorgeous Divina again next month.

YES you can order Pizza from Eataly in the evenings as Room Service at no charge. We have done two YC cruises and this service was available on both.

We have booked two cruises through a USA based TA (cruiseshopping dot com) with no problems. We have booked direct through MSC Australia as well.

We got better service with the USA based TA than direct with MSC Australia, also we got added perks through the USA TA such as a discount and small OBC direct from the TA.

The US is obviously a more competitive market than Aus/NZ due their much larger population.

Has anyone found any information about a Transatlantic cruise on MSC Seaside. I can see the cruises out of Miami on the Australian website but am wondering if cabins will be available on the re-positioning from Europe to Miami or whether this will be used as a "shake down" whilst completing the interior. Would love to be on the maiden voyage across the pond .....

We have cruised with MSC twice. Once West Med and the other TA. Both times in YC. On the TA cruise we bought a book of drink vouchers for use in other bars on the ship but found that it was not a real bargain.

The drinks in the YC areas are really good but if you can afford the YC a few extra dollars on your OB account for premium drinks or other expenses should not really bother you.

Found another couple of articles:

http://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/MSC-Adds-a-Second-Ship-to-Cuba

http://www.cruiseandferry.net/articles/msc-cruises-to-double-capacity-in-cuba-in-winter-2016#.VmDXpvkrJqM

No specific details as yet but this came up on my Google News page:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f33cf96c-9911-11e5-95c7-d47aa298f769.html#axzz3tI8KM7aU

MSC is IMHO completely different from other cruise lines operating out of USA. They have a very European/Italian feel which a lot of North Americans cannot adapt to.

Be aware of this and "go with the flow" and you will have an excellent value holiday (vacation).

Stump up for extras like the Aurea Experience or the Yacht Club and you will never want cruise with another company.

This is true! We waited until it was just us and our favorite bar tender and we definately gave our butler extra in private..... we felt the few we gave extra cash to went above and beyond and that's saying a lot for the YC because they all go out of their way for YC guest.

I agree, slipping a few dollars to the bartender for his fantastic service resulted in some (by some I mean A LOT!!) premium spirits that were not "on the list". Also throughout the cruise when we saw our butler or his assistant we "greased their palms" with a handshake.

We were very happy with the service from individuals, thus the extras but if you are not, there is no reason to tip individually.

We are thinking about doing that...maybe buy one coupon book. I really don't understand the reasoning behind the YC drink policy. I suppose you could mix a drink with your minibar before venturing out and then drinking very slowly.:)

We bought a book of vouchers on booking and thus saved the 15% + a bit more, but did tip the servers anyway. We quite often took a cocktail from the YC bar down to the casino and then either used vouchers or just added drinks to our account.

There is music in the Top Sail Lounge every night and depending upon the passengers, dancing as well. We rarely left the YC areas apart from dining, shows and the casino, as we had a good crowd of passengers to socialise with in the YC.

After our first cruise in YC I did some rough calculations on what we would have spent on drinks etc. and found that it did not work out much more expensive that a balcony cabin, that may have changed now with the Aurea including drinks all over the ship but I doubt it.

I think its a shame that people do wear Jeans and a T Shirt, a sign of the times and its Lazy I think, its a bit more effort to be smart, The DR is smart and its a night out and so should be smart trousers and a shirt, maybe others would do the same if more showed some effort.

I agree completely. Laziness and a lack of respect. Must be a worldwide problem :mad:

"Manners maketh the man"

On our TA cruise most people in the YC dressed up for formal nights. It's nice to get the evening wear out once in a while .....

I've never had a problem in Europe or the U.S. with a N.S.W. Licence (photo).

I've still got my old 'paper' licence from the UK (valid till 2026) but that is not accepted even in the UK when hiring a car, they demand a photo licence.

To be safe you can get an International Licence from your local motoring association (AA or similar).

My understanding is that La Muse on Divina is open seating but some Caribbean reviews from April 2014 said that they were forced to choose once they were on board between an early or late seating as they were told the Yacht Club had been sold out.

Anybody else have this experience recently. When I booked I had assumed it was open seating.

We were on MSC Preziosa earlier this year and YC was sold out but there were no restrictions on dining times.

It is an October 2016 sailing from LA 7 days return, visiting the 'Mexican Riviera'.

We are looking at a 7 day cruise on NCL out of LA going 'Haven' class (courtyard penthouse). Seems like good value, AU$4000 includes the usual Haven perks + drinks package (throughout the ship), excursions, wi-fi, speciality restaurants and OBC.

Is the experience equivalent to MSC YC?

We have never cruised other than MSC YC so will we be disappointed?

Deposits vary from market to market. Booking a cruise through MSC Australia was a $400 pp NON-REFUNDABLE deposit but when we booked through a U.S. Travel Agent it was $100 pp refundable.

You give the voucher to your server when ordering/receiving your drink.

We have cruised YC twice and the drinks selections were different each time. On the first Med cruise there was a wider selection of beers and spirits than on our TA from Brazil.

MSC change the drinks and food menu depending upon what ports they replenish at and also from season to season.

Being regulars at the bar we were able to get more or less any drink we wanted F.O.C. from the friendly chief bartender. Both my wife and I prefer to sit at the bar rather than be served by the butlers and a few tips and friendly banter ensured a well lubricated cruise .......

Pete,

Do you know if 16029 on MSC Fantasia is the same size balcony?

Thanks in advance