urahoho

Thanks for your opinion. I just expressed my opinion on the MSC Sinfonia buffet so others would know what they are getting. As for MSC saved you $1,000 due to your son sailing free, other cruise lines do that, too,

What other cruise lines give that discount? I checked with royal Caribbean and Norwegian. Both of them wanted an additional 1000+ for my 3 yr old toddler.

I also think that people need to understand that MSC in Europe probably caters more to the Europeans. 90% of my boat was European, vs my coworker who went on a Norwegian cruise a day later and similar itinerary said 90% of their boat was American. Although, they weren't satisfied with their meals on their cruise.

Yes, the MDR was very good. However, out of over 100 cruises on 7 cruise lines, this was the worst and most limited buffet on Deck 11 we have ever seen. On the last night of the cruise, the hamburger bar closed at 7pm, the pasta bar only had pizza after 6pm and the main buffet had 1 meat and 1 fish choice as the main dish. I would have been ashamed to call that a buffet. JMHO!!!!

Been on 6 MSC cruises and this was very poor!!!!!!

To be honest it sounds pretty European, but also you get what you pay for. MSC saved me $1000 due to my son sailing free, so I can;t complain. But I also discovered, I don't like cruising as much as I did before. As back in the States I did Carnival and Royal Caribbean, but they were all Caribbean cruise, eat and chill on the beach. In Europe, I have an agenda for each port and definitely did not like the stress of worrying about making it back to the boat on time. I think for me it is better to fly into a country and explore it at an relaxed pace. Also healthier for me since I am not stuffing my face with delicious deserts =P

what did you think of the buffet?

I enjoyed it, but I have been living in Germany for two years now, so my taste buds may have changed since when I lived in back in the States. I also do the Keto diet and there was plenty of food to sustain my diet there, even though I cheated like hell. LOL

There is pasta served every day, some kind cut meat, salad, desert pastries, fresh fruit and of course 3-4 main course meals ranging from meat dishes to vegetarian. You can order ice cream sundaes and the staff will bring it to you. I had a 3 yr old toddler who was able to eat like a champ as well.

For the price I paid, it was worth it.

EDIT this is for the buffet in the MDR. Not up on the 11th deck.

I just got back from cruising from the Sinfonia . You will have a blast!

took me an hour last time when I called.

Sailing on the Sinfonia to Greece in June with the Bella experience and I have a couple of questions

Some background information We have the beer package and wine package. Will have a 3-year-old toddler with us plus my 60-year-old mom. We normally travel Europe with my own itinerary (driving, flying, etc), rarely use a guide or anything. I am cheap and try to save money on everything. That's about it.

Is free Hot tea available at all times? Can she get hot water for free? Asking for my mom.

Will I be able to get cold milk and cold water at all times for free? Is there an ice machine available?

How hard is it to get on and off the boat in Santorini? Debating if I want to do an excursion with MSC or on my own, I have never been on a cruise where it was tendered and then taking a cable car. I have read about the long lines to get back to the boat. Based on the MSC OIA excursion description, it says that we will be tendered to a different port, BUT on the way back we have to take the cable car down. I thought by paying for the excursion, we would get private transportation to and from Santorini.

Can I bring a bottle of wine (maybe boxed wine) in my checked luggage? Yes I have a drink package, but we want more.

Has anyone tried the plastic flasks? Just trying to find a way to transport unfinished wine from the port, back onto the ship.

Bringing on a small bottle of Mio (water flavor) should be ok right? Also, powder chocolate milk mix?

I am planning on bringing Capri suns for my son on board, I have read that this should be ok. Anyone else try this?

We are also stopping off at Split and Dubrovnik. Anything I should know about those ports? Hard to get on the boat?

Has anyone gotten a drone on board? I am looking to fly my DJI Spark at the ports, not on the ship. I don't care if they hold on to it while we sail, as long as I get it back for the ports.

Any senior citizen discounts or activities I should know about?

TIA

Have taken my now 5.2 year old on NCL 10 times, Disney once, and MSC once. I will say that our NCL mega-ship experience was probably his least favourite. The kids' club was mayhem. The smaller ships have been much better for him - most recently on the Gem last month. We did the around-the-horn on the Sun last January and there were only a handful of kids - which was good because the physical space of the club was quite small.

 

Anyway - my opinion would be any of the jewel-class ships.

How was the MSC kids club compared to NCL for your child?

Our 3-year old loved the Star as well. Especially the kids club. And it wasn't overwhelming.

 

 

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My son will be 3 when we go on the star, any tips? What did your kid like about the star? TIA

Weve done NCL many times....only once with my than 3 year old. She loved it.

Our last few cruises have been on DCL - this will be a huge switch for us... I hope my daughter likes it just as much.

How was it cruising with your 3 year old? We are going next year and my son will be 3.5. Did you leave them at the kids club and everything was taken care of?

when are you going in June? We are thinking about booking this cruise in june 17, 2018 as well. Debating between this one or the MSC Sinfonia.

hmmm.. Thank you for the response. That is one of the negatives of this cruise, that Mykonos is at night. It is almost like we are losing a port. But at the same time, the $700 difference is quite significant.

Wife and I are debating to either take the Norwegian Star or MSC Sinfonia from Venice to the Mediterranean. When we go on the cruise in June 2018, my toddler will be 3.5 years old. He is pretty sociable and tries to play with other kid, but sometimes he can be shy. My question is when you enrolled your children into the MSC kids club did the other kids speak English? How about the staff instruction for group activities?

I am not sure if this will be a decision point as I currently live in Germany and my son is 2.5 years old and has no problem playing with other kids in parks in Europe who don't speak English. But at 3.5 years old it might be different since I can see him trying to communicate in English with other European kids now.

Also how is the baby sitting service since one of the ports is from 8 pm to 2 am at Myknos. Will a babysitter watch my child if we leave the ship for the night? (not even sure if we can stay up that late, lol)

TIA

Thanks for the detailed response and description of each of the ports. I will check on the Msc Board as well about my son going into kids club and seeing what's it's like.

We currently live in Europe and at 2.5 it's cute to watch him play with other European kids as language is that much of a barrier. But at 3.5 it could be another issue.

Booking a cruise to the Mediterranean for June 2018, I can't decide on which cruise to take. I am hoping some of the more experienced cruisers on here can help. I have a 3 year old toddler so kids stuff is a must, (first time cruising with a child) and the island Santorini is a must as well as that is a place me must stop off at according to the wife.

NCL Norwegian Star - $2792 deck 9 - all inclusive with drinks

Venice, Italy 5:00pm -> Kotor, Montenegro 2:00pm-8:00pm -> Corfu, Greece 10:00am-4:00pm -> Santorini, Greece 2:00pm-10:00pm -> Mykonos, Greece 8:00am-4:00pm -> At Sea -> Dubrovnik, Croatia 7:00am-1:00pm -> Venice, Italy 8:00am

MSC Sinfonia $2011.11 deck 7, all inclusive no drinks. $65 for 14 drinks coupons

Venice, Italy 5:00pm -> Split, Croatia 8:00am-6:00pm -> At Sea -> Santorini, Greece 9:00am-3:00pm -> same day Mykonos, Greece 8:00pm-2:00am -> Dubrovnik, Croatia 1:00pm-7:00pm -> Ancona, Italy 10:00am-6:00pm -> Venice, Italy 8:00am

Things to weigh in on

1. 8 pm to 2 am mykonos worth it? since my child will be in bed by 9:30? I can push him later if needed.

2. Split, Crotia MSC vs Kotor, Montenegro NCL?

3. Corfu greece NCL or Ancona Italy MSC?

4. Drink vouchers on MSC ($65 for 14 drinks) or All inclusive drinks on NCL

5. Price MSC $2011.11 vs $2797 both prices are final, includes all taxes and gratuities.

6. In your opinion, who has a better child experience on these specific boats? MSC or NCL

TIA