LiquidWu

So much for the shore excursions I chose. But such things are very subjective. Therefore, as a last piece of advance information on the shore excursions, here are PDFs with all the available excursions. I hope you enjoy browsing through this material as much as I do 🙂 MSC Bruges.pdf MSC Hamburg.pdf MSC LeHavre.pdf MSC Rotterdam.pdf MSC Southampton.pdf

SPLASHTOUR & EUROMAST EXPERIENCE This one-of-a-kind excursion is all about having fun, splashing in the water and reaching for the sky. A short drive takes you to the departure point for the day's first experience. Lasting about an hour in total, the Splashtour will first take you on a coach tour around the most exceptional and beautiful places in Rotterdam. Then comes the "splash" itself: suddenly the coach turns into a seaworthy vessel, makes a spectacular dive into the water, and sails off down the Maas River, offering spectacular views of the city skyline! After this memorable experience, it's time to walk to the Euromast. The crow's nest observation platform 96 metres up is the place to be if you want to feel like the king of the world, take striking selfies, stare into the distance, and share a truly unique side of Rotterdam with your friends and family. You can't help loving the view. After this spectacular highlight, the tour ends with the drive back to the ship.

LE HAVRE WALKING TOUR Originally founded in the early 16th century, then largely rebuilt in concrete by the architectural firm of Auguste Perret after WWII, the mostly modern cityscape of the port of Le Havre - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - is your destination on this tour. A short shuttle bus transfer will see you reach the city centre, from where your walking tour will begin. Among the key landmarks on the itinerary are the town hall, Saint-Roch gardens, Avenue Foch, the Church of Saint-Joseph, to name but a few. Once your guided stroll has come to a close, you can choose either to return straight to the ship with your guide or stay put for further exploration, catching a shuttle bus back to the ship when you are ready.

BRUGES AND BLANKENBERGE E-BIKE EXPERIENCE Explore the town of Bruges and the surrounding countryside the same way the locals do: on a pedelec electrically assisted bike. It's the fastest way to get around because it means you can travel both ways along one-way streets. And for visitors, it's the best way to squeeze in as many of the city's sights as possible. On your scenic ride through the Flemish countryside towards Bruges, you can admire the beach of Blankenberge and the Lissewege village. Once you arrive in the historic centre of Bruges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you'll enjoy cycling through the narrow streets past numerous sights, from the Church of Our Lady with its brick belfry to Saint Salvator's Cathedral and the Basilica of the Holy Blood. Enjoy a long break at the marketplace, which you are free to browse to your heart's content before the ride back to the ship.

SOUTHAMPTON TITANIC TRAIL Discover Southampton's historic buildings and its links with the legendary RMS Titanic on this fascinating walking tour. The Titanic pulled away from the White Star dock in Southampton for the start of her maiden voyage on 10th April 1912. Five days later in the early hours of 15th April she sank after striking an iceberg. The disaster made headlines across the world and had a devastating effect on the people of Southampton. Of the 724 crew which lived within in the area - only 175 returned home. Your interesting walking tour commences from the pier. A leisurely stroll will take you through Queen's Park and past the luxury flats which used to be the old South Western Hotel. This hotel was the accommodation for First-Class passengers before embarking on the majestic liner. Close by are the old White Star offices where Southampton residents gathered in the hundreds, waiting day after day for news of loved ones. A walk along Oxford Street will take you past some of the drinking establishments enjoyed by the ill-fated crew including The Grapes pub, which is where filming took place for the famous "Titanic" movie. At the end of the street are the ruins of Holyrood Church where a memorial to the Titanic crew stands. As you wander past the ancient Southampton walls and through the main shopping precinct, with its eclectic mix of shops, you'll hear poignant tales of the Titanic heroes and survivors. The highlight of the tour is a visit to SeaCity Museum. This interactive Museum is filled with information and interesting memorabilia of the fateful disaster and illustrates the impact the liner has had on the city.

There are only 10 days left until departure and I am just finishing the last things. Tomorrow I can pick up my fancy clothes from the dry cleaners, gala night here I come 🙂 It is now also high time to book the planned shore excursions with online discount. I'll use this opportunity to present them to you in the next few posts.

Hey @Itochen33, I'm a little worried about you. We haven't heard from you since the bar crawl with many impressive drinks. Nothing happened, right? I hope everything is OK and you are really enjoying the cruise. Of course, that's much more important than being online all the time. 🥰

I try to take advantage of each cruise line depending on my reason for travelling. For recreational cruises in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, the ship is more important to me and so the MSC YC is the first choice. If a destination is important to me, then I prefer Celebrity's shore immersion cruises, for example. In my opinion, the AquaClass offers a good price/performance ratio. If I'm in the mood for partying, both are unsuitable and I'd rather book a short trip with Carnival or AIDA. I could go on and on, my reasons for choosing a cruise are so different and my tastes have also changed over time.

Wow, thank you very much, that's exactly what I meant. Let me practice it: "I am tickled pink to have got your support" 🙂 Cooper is actually just her dog, but I can imagine how painful it is to be separated from a beloved pet. That's why there is a dog picture from home every day.

I feel fluttered (wanted to say "gebauchpinselt", but I can't think of a suitable English expression right now. Do you have an idea?) 😆 Have a great second half of your cruise with lots of rest, great moments and please keep sharing with us. PS. As a strict, but always fair, non-smoker I found your introduction clear. But I found nothing for which that would have been necessary. I love reading these attitudes of an addict and your experiences in the nicotine den. 🤣😂

Entry to the Top19 is much better controlled. There is only one open entrance and there is a staff member at this entrance who checks the access authorisation. So sneaking behind another guest is not possible. But here, too, access for non-Aurea guests is officially sold. I've even seen an official display with prices and conditions (unfortunately I didn't take a photo and forgot the price). But since there is nothing special there (apart from the relative peace and quiet) that you wouldn't find anywhere else, it was never crowded during my travels. So thumbs up from me.

Thank you for making this so clear once again. That is why I deliberately spoke of "normal routes". A "Grand Voyage" is not one of them for me. But with your nice addition, this is now clearer for everyone.

Booking in advance is a good idea with MSC, you actually save a lot. (e.g. on Virtuosa the Carousel Production Show costs 10€ in advance instead of 18€ on board). I thought it was possible in the app, because at least there is a corresponding tile that you can click on (click "Things to do" -> "Plan and Book" -> "Speciality Restaurants"). Please don't ask me why the shows appear under this heading. That is one of the secrets of MSC's IT. 😉 I just did a mock booking and noticed that it was not really in the app, but in an embedded web browser. But at least it would have worked 🙂 You can also go directly to the website, which is easier and takes you to exactly the same place.

I can well understand you, because being sent away after a long overseas flight is unimaginable. But I was also on the Splendida even in beginning of November (from 9 Nov) and I found it very relaxing. There were no more checks during check-in and no more temperature measurements on board.

Do you travel to very specific areas like Brazil or China? Otherwise it doesn't matter any more. All restrictions on the normal routes have been ended.

I feel the same way as you and the 3 miles reported here don't satisfy me either. I then played around with the treadmill and got on the "incline setting". This made the treadmills run a little more realistically. I have not found anything better. I then switched from cardio to running-specific strength training and that wasn't so wrong 😉

Oh how nice that you will blog a little here. We have been in contact recently, as I will be going on the same cruise 2 weeks after you. I wish you a perfect cruise and many great moments in which you hopefully let us participate 😉

You can view the current shore excursions on the homepage at any time. This is one of the few things that really works well. Landausflüge für Ihre Kreuzfahrt | MSC Cruises Of course, there will be some changes over time, but you already get a very good overview. Sorry to everyone else that I'm linking to the German homepage for once, but we're both German and I'm not sure if it works on the American website either.

Nice to read you here. I'm also reading your current thread with anticipation. How is Cooper today? Take it easy and enjoy the time. To be on the safe side, I'll ask at MDR, but actually I know that everyone can order all over the place, e.g. 3 different starters and no main course, but dessert from the children's menu, etc. Greetings from Cologne to Berlin 🙂

Thank you for sharing your impressions. It increases my anticipation for my cruise in 2 weeks. I am looking forward to your posts about the rest of your trip.

Unfortunately, I have to confirm that this has been the case for some time and does not only apply to one ship. I had a similar experience already on the Splendida in August 2022. The Splendida's YC is similarly small as on the Divana, which is why I noticed it. It didn't affect me personally, which is the only reason I didn't post it here last year.

Yes, of course i will, I'm very happy to do that. I read here and in other forums that the variety and quality of the food has increased. Hopefully this does not only apply to the American market. I will send the menus in any case.

Yes, of course, I'm very happy to do that. Especially with the bar menus, this could be very interesting to see if the increase in prices for the drinks packages also affects the individual prices. I also read here that the variety and quality of the food has increased. Hopefully this does not only apply to the American market. I will send the menus in any case.

Oh, I'm very happy for you. I wish you a wonderful trip with many great moments. Keep the ship safe 🤣

I have booked exactly this e-bike tour for 21 March. Since no one else has replied here, I could write you something about it then. Can it wait until then?