Reismicrobe

Hi all,

I'm booked on the Seaview for a transatlantic cruise in March 22.

I would like to practise some yoga on my own. I think my cabin won't be spacious enough.

Can I do this at the gym? I know there are some classes to follow, but I have had a serious injury and the tempo would be to high for me.

Are there yoga props that I can use or do I have to bring my own? 

Thanks in advance for your help!

On ‎4‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 5:06 PM, Betty in Cozumel said:

 

We did the same thing.  Our only problem was that the immigration agent only gave us a 24hr transit sticker because our ship documents said the cruise started on March 3rd even though we were not sailing until 6pm on the 4th.  We finally got it changed but we lost 45 minutes getting it straightened out.  The first agent said it would be no problem as once we got on the ship; we couldn't get off.  Duh!!!!  Thank goodness my husband speaks Chinese.  We did get it fixed for all the other couples who followed us.

 

We went into town on sail day as they had a free bus shuttle to the park at the end of the Bund.  Didn't have enough money and there is no exchange places.  PLUS we couldn't exchange at a bank as we didn't have our passport; only the stamped copy from China Immigration which was not acceptable.  Be prepared!

Ok, thanks for the info, Betty!

Hi, 

I have another question. I 'm pretty sure I can use the 144-hour visa because I travel from Belgium to Shanghai and my first port of call is in Japan. 

I will stay 2 nights pre-cruise in Shanghai, then I will embark. The ship isn't leaving until the next day in the evening. Can I take an excursion on the second day? I'm not sure I can use the same visa again... 

Hi,

We just booked our Asia cruise on MSC Splendida for next year February. We 'll start our cruise in Shanghai and end in Dubai, 28 days later...

Has someone done this cruise before?  Can someone give me an idea what the excursions will be like for these POC's:

Shanghai, Naha, Lamb Chabang, Hong Kong, Singapore, Colombo, Cochin, Muscat, Phuket, Abu Dhabi, Dubai.

Other tips?

Thanks in advance.

You'll still have to tender. There will be enough time to take a cab to the rum factory, but don't expect a lot of it... It's just a shop where they'll offer you a piece of rum cake and where you can buy some rum. It's not a real factory...

I don't know about the beach, we didn't go there. 

I don't think you'll need a taxi in Bruges to take you from the Bargeplaats (where the bus will drop you). You're about a mile away from the market square (Grote Markt) but you are already in the center of town. Just enjoy strolling into the little streets (even with a wheelchair it would be easy) towards the Market Square. Bruges is a very little town, so you will have plenty of time to go everywhere you want. If you want some more information about Bruges, feel free to ask. I live there.

Hi,

We've just got back from our Baltic cruise starting end ending in Copenhagen. We stayed pre-cruise in Clarion Airport Hotel and post-cruise in Hotel Ansgar. Both were very good.

Els

We've just got back from our Baltic cruise. We spend three days in Copenhagen and really loved it.

Els

How is the Casino? Is it in Euros? Is there a non-smoking section? Thanks!

Casino was in Euros. Yes, there is a non-smoking section.

Els

Hei Els,

thanks for all the information!

 

Do you happen to remember the prices for the shuttles ?

 

Thanks again!

Stockholm shuttle was €13,70. For Tallinn it was €8,30 (I think).Tickets are on your bed the night before. If you want to use them, you bring them in the morning to the shuttle.

Els

Thank you for offering to answer questions!

 

 

Do you have any kids? Can you give me any more info about programming for them? One of mine is specifically interested in the "Lego Days" mentioned on the website and the other wants to know about when the cooking classes (for 4 yr olds) are held.

 

In terms of the St. Petersburg immigration delays, is it necessary that one anticipate the delays and get in line early? We've booked a half day tour scheduled to start at 10. Since the ship is due to dock at 7, we thought that would be enough time to be more relaxed about our exit. Does this sound accurate or do we need to get in line early?

 

Which ports have MSC shuttles included to take you into town or to main transit hubs? And, are they bus-like or van-like shuttles?

 

Thanks so much for your help! I hope you're having a great time.

Hello,

My daughter is already 17, so she went to the teens club. Sorry, I don't have any information for younger kids.

About St-Petersburg, you could sent one person to get in line. A lot of people were doing it that way. When your excursion is planned to start at 10:00, then the lines should already be more doable.

In Stockholm, Tallinn and Kiel there was a shuttle to take you into the city center. They were bus-like.

Els

Thank you for great information. We will be on a Baltic cruise in August, although not on Preziosa. You have said to allow an hour and a half for disembarking in St Petersburg , does this include waiting on the ship? Were the MSC excursion passengers of first? There were many delays at Russian immigration last year but all reports are saying it is 30 -40 minutes this year but ship excursion passengers go first and there is waiting if you are going ook an independent tour, which we are.

What time were you able to board in Copenhagen ?

Hi,

We had to be in the green sax bar at 08:00 a.m. for our excursion to Saint-Petersburg. At 8:20 we were in the hall to go through customs. At 9:50 we were able to board the bus. It was really very busy.

In Copenhagen we were on board at 11:45 a.m.

Els

What time do They have dinner in the restaurants

It depended a bit on the ports of call. But mostly the 1ste dinner time was at 18:00 and the second dinner time was at 20:30.

Looking forward to hearing about your time on Preziosa, we are sailing on her for the repositioning later this year.

Good choice ;)

Another Belgian over here, thanks for offering some of your time on board. We're hopping on the repositioning cruise from the Med to the Carribean at the end of this year, it will be our first cruise.

 

1) Are there closing hours for the gym? Closing hours for the spa?

 

2) Is there a shower near the gym? I know the spa is right next to it but I understand you need to pay for access to the spa.

 

 

3) I already booked a pass to the spa area (sauna, hot tub, ...) for my fiancé, for her it's a no brainer. I'm not the biggest fan of wellness, but could I pay for one day access? Or does it have to be for the entire cruise?

 

- I'm also having some difficulties understanding the pricing of drinks.

 

4) What's the situation if I only drink water? There's a tap at the buffet but anywhere else I'll have to order bottled water, correct? Is there water at the gym?

 

5) I'm considering prepaying a package of wine bottles. The website tells me only 'à la carte restaurants' can put your bottles away for the next day. Are those the specialty restaurants only, or does it include the main dining room?

 

6) How does the main dining room work, is there a fixed menu for every lunch and dinner or do we have a bit of choice?

Dag Zotn ;)

1) Thermal area closes at 21:00, the gym closes at 22:00.

2) I didn't see a shower in the gym.

3) You can buy a day pass for the spa. Price is 29 euro.

4) Water is only for free at the buffet, correct.

5) It includes the main dining room too. I should definitely book the package.

6) There is a different menu every night which you can choose from. There are at least two starters, a soup, a salad, a pasta, a risotto, three or four main dishes, a cheese plate and five desserts. And hey good news: you can choose as many dishes as you like :D;):')

Groetjes Els

Which shows do you have in the Nights and WHO is the Cruise director.

Hi,

The cruise director is Sandro. We didn't attend a lot of the shows actually. We only went to Sogno Italiano with famous Italian songs. This show was really good. We also went to My life in music. They should have been singing "the most famous film music", but we hardly recognized a song actually. We didn't like this one.

There were also: Grease, The Mask and Flowers

During sea days they offered also opera. I went to "la traviatta", it was really nice.

Els

Thank you for your kind offer. Did you embark in Kiel or Copenhagen? We have booked a back to back 7/15 - 7/29. Have you discovered your favorite spot on the ship yet? What has been the best and worst so far? We are so excited about this itinerary.

Thank you again.

Hi,

We embarked in Kopenhagen. My favorite spot is the jacuzzi at 7:00 a.m. and the preziosa bar on deck 5 for my cocktail before dinner. The ship is really beautiful.

Food is nice, not wauw. Service in the restaurant is excellent.

The itinerary is wonderful, especially Saint-Petersburg.

Els

Hello Els, very kind of you to offer help. I have a very tight schedule getting from Kiel to Hamburg airport (2:00pm) on September 1st and was wondering if the ship arrives on time and how quickly they process passengers off the ship.

Also, can you ask the guest services if they offer private transfer to Hamburg airport? I am not having much luck here in Florida to get answer from their office.

Many thanks,

Consulate

Hello,

We were on schedule this morning in Kiel.

Disembarkation time depends on the experience you booked. Aurea experience gets off first. The last group to disembark today was at about 12:30 p.m.

If you have an early flight to catch you can go to the guest services and ask for an early disembarkation time. That's no problem. You can also take your luggage down your self. Then you don't have to wait...

Disembarkation wasn't very smooth this morning. Everyone had to go through customs. There was a delay and there was a bit of a chaos. They don't offer private transfer to Hamburg, there is only an excursion that ends at the airport. But not suitable for your time, unfortunately. There were a lot of taxis waiting outside, the drivers were shouting "airport" so I presume you could do this. They probably offer fixed prices to the airport. I would have asked them, but due to very strict security rules, I could not reach them. Sorry.

Els

Hey Els,

 

I'll be sailing on the Presioza in December.

 

Being from Belgium like yourself, we love a good beer and I would really appreciate a complete list of beers available on board (Heineken is just not acceptable for us ;p).

 

Also how is the food? Been reading a lot of conflicting reviews about food on board.

 

Prettige reis

 

Ann

Hallo Ann,

I took a picture of all the beers available, but I still have to figure out how I can post it here. Unfortunately only the Heineken is included in the all-inclusive package. For the other beers you have to pay extra. Even in the sports bar there was only Heineken on draugt. By the way, I totally agree about the Heineken not being an option :'):'):')

Food is definitely nice, but not really gastronomic. Like a good bistro in Belgium, if you know what I mean.

The service in the restaurant is very very good. They really go above and beyond.

Groetjes Els

Thanks Els, that’s kind of you. Other than what Pukeolive has asked:

1. What is the embarking and disembarking like when visiting a port?

2. How do they organise those who will do a company organised tour ?

3. How would you rate th food?

4. Are fellow passengers pushy or rude?

5. What are your overall impressions of the ship and the cruise?

 

Many thanks in advance :)

Hello,

Embarking and disembarking in Stockholm and Tallinn went very smoothly. For Saint-Petersburg you have to calculate a waiting time of one hour and a half. It was a real hassle to get all the people through customs. Nothing to blame MSC about.

Kiel in Germany was a disaster. It took us more than an hour to get off the ship. There was only one line for transit guests and disembarkation guests. The organization was poor.

When we got back in the terminal, we had to wait outside for a bus (!) to take us back to ship (20 meters further away). Apparently a security thing...

When you take an organized tour (not MSC) you can get off as soon as those who booked an MSC excursion. You don't have to wait.

Food is nice, most of the times hot enough, but not wauw. But we are real foodies so that's very personal. The buffet was very crowded at breakfast and lunch.

Most of the people were German and Spanish. Fewer Italians than I'm used to. Most of the time they were all very nice and friendly, not rude at all. The main language on board was English because that was the common language for most of them.

I

My overall experience is very good. The ship is beautiful and spotlessly clean. The staff is very friendly.

What deck is your cabin on thanks?

 

Is anything else served in Galaxy apart from Sushi?

 

Is there any other beer served as non-Premium i.e. no asterisk on Bar Menu, apart from Heineken - I think this would be most likely in the Sports Bar?

 

Did you have any sailaway parties?

 

What itinerary are you doing thanks?

 

We travel in Aug Sept 2018 for 23 days.

 

Appreciate your answers and thanks in advance Elaine & Chris from New Zealand

 

 

Sent from my SM-A320Y using Tapatalk

Hi,

We are on deck 12 in an aurea balcony cabin. There is only Heineken beer included in the all inclusive package. Even in the sports bar. For all the other beers, you have to pay. We are doing the Baltic cruise for one week. We booked the norwegian fjords for next year ;)

There wasn't a real sail away partie because the main embarkation port is Kiel and we did embark in Kopenhagen.

Also the weather was very poor, so no party at the pool like we are used to.

Els

Hi everyone,

I'll do my best to answer all your questions as soon as possible.

Els

Hi,

I'm on the Preziosa at the moment. If someone has questions about the ship, I'll do my best to help you.

Els

Thank you very much for the quick and clear answer, Pete!

This is very usefull for me.