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HenrysAunt

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Posts posted by HenrysAunt

  1. I am looking at a cruise on MSC in March 2023.  This will be my first ocean cruise, and also first with MSC.   Cruise is Dubai - Barcelona.

     

    I'm confused about the different levels of "Experience", so if anyone could guide me, I'd be grateful.

     

    I'm thinking that I pay the base charge for the cruise, then I must also select a level of "Experience", that I can't just have the base charge?

     

    In asking that, it would be either Bella or Fantasica that I would upgrade to - any advice on which to choose?

     

    Also, I'm assuming it's a good idea to buy a beverage package - looks like it works out to be about NZD$35 a day.  I would imagine I've drink at least one cocktail a day, plus one or two wines, and soft drinks.  Would a package be the way to go?

     

    Basically, I want to have food and drinks paid for upfront so I don't have to worry about it on-board.

     

    Any advice is greatly received 🙂 

  2. Sailed on the Jade in Sept 2016.  We were on the Sapphire deck, in a deluxe balcony.  The view from our room on this deck was still spectacular and we didnt think going up one deck justified the extra cost.  We were happy that we were relatively close to the lobby/lounges etc but far enough away that the noise didnt carry.  Those corridors are long!  The Jade itself is a lovely ship.  Enjoy.

  3. Has anyone done this cruise with Scenic? Trying to plan out our two days in Amsterdam and wondering what time boarding is? We did the Jewels of Europe in 2016 and it was from 3pm and the boat stayed docked in Amsterdam until around lunchtime the next day (after our tours were done).

     

    Wondering if this trip is the same, or will the boat leave the night we board?

     

    Many thanks to anyone who could help.

  4. We (Mum and I) are the opposite to you! More social in the morning and at lunch, then we always sat with our friends we travelled with in the evening. Mainly because we were all tired and the conversation was easy. We are going again though, in September, on our own so who knows. We will probably stick to tables for 2 or bigger ones as then if we are tired, there are more people making conversation rather than just a foursome ;-)

  5. What a shame one person has tainted your view Scenic. Even though we are in NZ, we too could pay in our currency. I'd suggest using a travel agent too rather than going direct. Our's was/is brilliant as we now use her even for small trips. And yes, Scenic most certainly do have Nordic walking poles - it says it on the website and I saw them first hand in our wardrobe on board. And, a number of people had their own as well and the lady we travelled with even took her zimmer frame! Can't comment on the actual tour for you as we didnt cruise that route. I hope it works out for you.

  6. I didn't travel with Viking, but certainly noticed more Viking boats rafted than any others. While they may have their own docks, they have so many boats on the rivers now, it looked to me like they need more docks. I couldn't tell you if they raft overnight as our boat mainly sailed through the night. However, they rafted at least 4 across in Vienna overnight, and I saw them rafted again overnight in Budapest. The only time we rafted was during the day and I found it quite interesting passing through the other boat to get ashore. Never more than one to pass through though.

  7. Ditto the point and shoot. I got a Canon SX610 (newer model out now I believe). Great little camera, excellent zoom, and takes great pics on the zoom. I love the fact it has a wrist strap as I found I was juggling a few things and this was perfect. Better than using my phone, and the screen was much easier to see in the daylight.

  8. We stayed there last year, via Scenic. Loved it. Not often you find a hotel with the art deco thing that hasnt been mucked around with. This was outstanding. Boring modern hotels do nothing for me. Turn the light on in the room if its dark! Mind you, Scenic had just out and about so we really only were in the room morning and evening. The location was spot on too. I'd book it again if I ever get back to Prague.

  9. How about the Imperial Art Deco Hotel. Near the Marriot etc and a short walk to the old town - approx 6 minutes if you dont stop! So much to see :-) This is one of the hotels Scenic use. I'd definitely stay again.

    As to your point about it being expensive via Viking, we thought it was worthwhile paying (even though through Scenic). We had some excellent guided tours, including one about growing up in Communist Prague. Our guide was around the full three days of the extension and it was also good having that local knowledge if you wanted to go off and explore. Of course you can organise your own tours, but I would recommend using Viking. Everything will be thought of. Enjoy your trip no matter which option you take :-)

  10. Did you have to wait in line to dine in the evening? They said they don't have reservations.

     

    No waiting as there are only 169 max passengers. There is always room as some people may dine in their suites, dine at Portobellos or La Rive, or not bother.

     

    Dinner is straight after the evening port talk then people just meander down to the dining room. Of course there are always some that rush!

     

    It is superbly organised and the food and wine excellent.

  11. We sailed in October last year. Noone wore sports jackets at dinner but a number of gents did pull them out for the concert. We also did the Prague extension. I booked to do the Lobowicz Palace but after hearing stories from our guide on the bus from Budapest to Prague, I changed my mind and did the communist walk. We saw how the locals live and she was brilliant. We got on it Amsterdam so I am not sure where you start from. From feedback from others, I don't think it matters which options you take, they are all excellent with very good and amusing local guides. Enjoy!

     

    Sent from my SM-T350 using Forums mobile app

  12. We did this same (on board Scenic) Sept/Oct last year and found the weather great. Warm days and didn't worry about the nights as we were indoors. I took a rain jacket, and a soft shell jacket for warmth but found I only used that once, and even then I didn't really need to. The rain jacket was the perfect weight so I always took that out and underneath mainly blouses and smart t-shirt type tops. Things that didn't need ironing and dried quickly if I had to hand wash. Shoes: I took evening shoes with a wedge so still slightly OK if on cobbles (briefly!) walking shoes and some Dr Scholl Mary Jane shoes for on the plane and the days on board. I like to dress up for dinner, but smart casual is the general rule and your black jeans and nice top will be perfect. I took items that could easily be dressed up or down by mixing and matching. Layering is the key. You can always throw in a scarf or warm hat to your suitcase and they take up minimal room. It also helped me by checking the weather forecasts along the route before we left home.

  13. Our Deluxe Balcony on Diamond Deck on the Diamond felt small. We could not open the closet door without it being stopped by the bed and there was no room to walk around when it was open. The safe was on the floor and we had to get down on our hands and knees to use it, which was irksome. Really limited storage/shelving in bathroom.

     

    It was a layout issue rather than a space issue but it felt smaller than similarly sized cabins on other ships. Great beds!

     

     

    Must be different depending on the boat. Our closet door was sliding, and the safe was sitting on a shelf inside it. We were on the Jade, on the Sapphire deck.

  14. Ditto for using the Australian website. Go to European river cruises, then "tour our ships" and click on the ships there for the route you are interested in. Shows the layout, all the room options, and their sizes. We had the Deluxe Balcony - ample room for my mother and I. Plus a completely separate balcony which was great.

  15. We also had amazing weather late Sept/early Oct last year. My most used item - my raincoat. Not necessarily because it rained, but good for that extra layer just in case. It would have been too hot in wool although I did occasionally wear my thin Merino cardy on board. I mostly wore short sleeve blouses. Always long trousers as I didn't want to have to bother with packing 3/4 pants as well. I didn't over heat and certainly didn't freeze. Laying is the key! Also, each cabin on the boat has its own heating/cooling unit and we found the temp just right in the lounges.

  16. Oh yes, the other passengers! Most on our trip were just lovely but there are always one or two pains! Our's were a woman that come on board sick and proceeded to infect half the ship. (so bad that the doctor was called to a number of times). She was most offended when someone suggested she should wear a face mask... and a very loud woman who drank too much!

    As for the evening dining, some nights we were social and some nights too tired to want to make small talk and were grateful for the tables for 2. During the day though we made a point to trying to sit with different people in the lounge for port talks etc and managed to avoid the annoying ones and had a great time with the others.

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