mnpurple

Our first MSC cruise was Med in 2021. We flew into Madrid and from there took a flight directly to Naples. I arranged for a transfer because I knew our travel day would be long. I think a taxi would have probably been just as good. We stayed at a hostel in a family room that was very close to the port and we were able to walk the day of embarkation.  I would have enjoyed more time in Naples, but after the cruise we hopped on a train and in less than two hours were in Rome and stayed there a few days. This was in mid-May and it was already getting hot then.

We were recently on another Northern Europe cruise and left from Southampton. Not sure if that was on your radar. With this we flew into London and took a train to Southampton. Very easy to do. 

I had to use it for our trip in 2021. It was because our return flight was delayed and caused us to miss a connecting flight (booked separately and a different airline). We had to rebook for the next day and they covered those flights. I also booked hotels thinking they would be covered and they were not, which was a bummer. I think they may have covered some meals, but not taxi/ubers.  The customer service was pretty good though. It was better than working with Iberia to get documentation that the delay was mechanical. That sucked!

Thanks! Remove spaces - stegora peterson @ yahoo 

Probably good thinking on Greece for now.

No, we did not have Onel, but he remembered us from Divina and came over and said hello. We did sit in his section once for a lunch. We started the cruise with one server, but moved to another section and Jason was our waiter and was wonderful! He saw how much we enjoyed pistachio ice cream for dessert and insisted on bringing that every night!

Sounds like a wonderful cruise! We don't have anything on the books now and just got home yesterday from our European adventure that we started on the Euribia. So, of course now I'm getting itchy. Can you Email me the name of your TA? I had someone for the last one, but I feel like there is more to gain from another.  You may have even persuaded me to go back on the Divina, we'd like to go to Greece.

You've mentioned Italy a few times, where all have you traveled? We were just in LaSpezia, but didn't really get to enjoy the area because of weather and illness. We also visited Rome for a second time and Bologna, which was quite enjoyable. (our trip also included 7 other countries!)

Hug your kid and tell him he is great the way he is. I say that as a person of size who is constantly thinking about it and what others might be thinking of me. With that said, I avoided doing things I would have enjoyed for a long time worrying about others. One day it hit me, while I was on vacation with my young kids we were going to the pool. I hadn't been comfortable in a swim suit and avoided getting in with them many times. I realized NONE of the people there knew me or would see me again. The only people being harmed were myself and my kids and I had to get over it.  I had fun!

My husband and I have been traveling Europe now for six weeks. I definitely notice people are much thinner.  I may have felt some judgement, but nothing obvious.  But, a still won't let it take the enjoyment of travel from me.

I can't speak to how other kids will be, but as far as a cruise, he should be fine.

@Best Cat Mom Ah yes, I think you were on that one. We were just on Euribia in Northern Europe, not Europa. Europa has even 50 more cabins, so not sure how that would be!

Sounds great, I enjoy your reviews. We were on a similar itinerary a year and a half ago and enjoyed Divina. We didn't have a stop at Aruba, but wish we would have. After that cruise, I thought we wouldn't enjoy going on the Divina again, but I think I might feel a little differently now after being on Euribia a few weeks ago. We loved Euribia, YC was nice and food was the best we'd had. The one thing that we noticed was being a YC with more cabins, the staff, especially at dinner were so much more rushed, which made meal times a bit less enjoyable. They were working hard and we had a server we really enjoyed, Anyway, enjoy your cruise!

Sorry you felt this was a horror show for you. This is Spaghetti alle Vongole on Euribia a few weeks ago in YC. Only two clams actually with shells, but they were in the sauce. They must have forgotten to put sauce on. I would have been disappointed as well, but there are so many options.  The Euribia was the best food we've had out of three, but the other two were very good, just not as well seasoned. Your review seems a bit nitpicky and like you were looking for reasons to be disappointed.

To the person commenting about no food choices to feed your baby, I'm astonished anyone wouldn't pack their own baby food especially if breast fed. But you do you.

Oh why do so many people worry about having a drink at the shows? They are only 30 minutes. I like to have my drinks, but can certainly manage to watch a very short show without one.

We disembarked today. It feels strange to report on much more after finding out about the young man who apparently jumped. There was not even the slightest hint that something had happened around the ship.

This is just one more reason my husband are trying to live our lives to the fullest now and travel because you just never know what is going to happen. We are now beginning the rest of our European adventure. We tried the Eurostar from London to Lille, France (the train under the English channel).  If anyone has questions about our cruise, feel free to ask.

@alserrod The Carousel lounge is more "night club" style with drink service.  I don't think drinks are supposed to be brought into the Delphi Theater, but I did see a few people with them. We went to two shows and people coming in late (or leaving early) wasn't too much of an issue. 

Two questions I can answer from earlier (sorry not tagging because I'm tired and don't wanna look). We went to the casino again to cash out more OBC. It shows on our billing as entertainment, so yes, it does work. I spun a few too many times, so we didn't cash out as much as we wanted. Still ahead after winning. 

Second, yes, Vitalli from Ukraine is on board. I think he is assistant Maitre'D, but don't quote me. I am usually more detailed, so I'm sorry I'm not here. He has been all around. I would have sworn he was Italian at first because he was working closely with Maitre'D.

I'll do more updates tomorrow. Bruges was wonderful and I'm tired!

We bought chocolates in Bruges today and no problem! We didn't get anything in other ports, so not sure. They wall seemed a bit crabby about removing belts and watches. It was mostly port security and not MSC.

I've been on 3 and never had contact. It's not that big of a deal. I had been contacted by NCL Haven and nothing was followed through with. It will still be great.

These are from the Carousel lounge and show early in the day what it's like and then with the show. My pictures/videos aren't great. I try to be discreet and not get people, but a server walked through one video. They have corn chips and olives available with your drinks.

One other note about Rotterdam, they have nick names for everything! It was very amusing and we enjoyed seeing the sculptures all around the city. The architecture is not very impressive because most was destroyed in WWII.  There was a market in the town center and we tried some fried fish which was very good.

The thermal spa was wonderful after our excursion. It was great timing because it was quite empty. There are two thermal pools, 2 steam rooms, several types of saunas, aromatherapy showers (mostly cold!), a salt room and a few heated loungers. They didn't have any water there, which was a bit disappointing.

For the first time, I made a special order for dinner. I ordered Amatriciana, something I had in Italy on our last trip. It was wonderful! There was a gentleman next to us who seemed more "fussy" about wines and our waiter got him a special pinot grigio. considering I didn't really like what I had been given previously, I also asked for that and liked it much better. I find it interesting that MSC seems to hold back on better wine options.

After dinner there was a special performer in the Topsail lounge. I can't recall his full name, Paul ?, but he has performed in London Theater shows and was very good.

We have an excursion in Bruge today, but it doesn't leave until after 11, so we're going to see if the Pool buffet is open and I'll report back.

We booked the package of three tours for our excursions in Hamburg, Rotterdam and Bruges. The tour guide today in Rotterdam was better than in Hamburg and managed the group better. It is warm and the sun is coming out!

We are back on board around 1:00 and we are going to see if the thermal spa is a bit quieter with many people off the ship.

Last night we went to the circus show. It was enjoyable, but I preferred the Ed Sheeran. We checked out the casino mid-day to see if we could cash in our OBC and only tried $20 and it seemed to work. I spun twice and WOW, lucky winner!!!  We don't generally go to casinos, so it was a great surprise and after only a few more spins, I cashed out a happy lady!

Gala Night. I can confirm there is lobster for those wondering.  We haven't gone to dinner yet, so can't say how it is.

We passed through the buffet around lunch time today. It didn't seem like a crazy mad house. I don't care for buffets much, but my hubs has gone twice and brought slices of pizza back. Both times they were still hot when he got back to the room after a little walk.

Most passengers seem pleasant. A few are just plain clueless and looking at their phones while walking right in the middle of the walkway. We just take a deep breath and think how lucky we are to be on vacation!

10 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Yes. That is one item on our must have in a suite cabin.... a walk-in  shower.  We can no longer climb in and out of tubs. Even these new low profile tub/shower combos are tricky. MSC RS and OS have a nice more roomy shower.

An interior cabin has a walk in shower, LOL. Might not be as roomy as you'd like though!  Great pressure!  You might be able to book two and use one as your closet, hehe.

I love the Galleria ceiling. Some views around the ship:

Upper level outdoor hot tub

Walking/running lanes

Sky lounge, but they served desserts with our drinks

Horizon Pool and hot tub:

Jean-Phillipe

Atmosphere Pool

Not sure about the video.  I was able to do most of this on the standard internet while on a sea day.

Here are a few photos including the YC tent at Southampton and the waiting area and our interior cabin.

This is a long strange hallway  after we enter our room

I've heard on some other ships the shower doors can collapse in to make more space in the bathroom. Unfortunately, that wasn't part of the design. It would make it a lot better if there was a bit more elbow room.

Mini Bar

@Best Cat Mom Yes, that was it, the Holiday coffee.  I might try it, but quite honestly, they are so busy I don't want to complicate things too much.  That's not saying anything is bad, it is just at max capacity.

Captains "party" is this morning. We are having a tough time waking up, which is one of the down-sides for us of an interior room. Other than that, the room is comfortable and I'm not sure how much we would use a balcony for this itinerary.

We saw the Ed Sheeran show last evening and I really enjoyed it. 

It's another sea day and I'll try to add some photos later.

For lunch today on Euribia they had a made to order burger, hot dog and fries. They also had made to order choices of fish and a couple other proteins, as well as pasta of the day which was a pesto with pasta. There was a salad bar, the carving meat was pork with rosemary potatoes and zuchini. Also several choices of bread and desserts.

6 hours ago, Preziosa said:

Have you seen a headwaiter from Ukraine called Vitali in Yacht Club restaurant.

Is the buffet outdoor Open for breakfast and lunch in the Yacht Club area.

Have a fantastic stay in Hamburg.

I haven't noticed any waiters name Vitali. It has been very busy and they are all running around.  The outdoor buffet was open today. It's quite cool in Hamburg, but warm with the sun. We were going to order pizza after our excursion but tried the buffet since it was open. I'm not sure about breakfasts yet, but it sounded like it hadn't been open a lot. 

Out excursion was a bus tour with a few stops and was interesting. The group we were with were like a bunch of kindergarteners and hard for the guide to manage. She had a lot of information, but was a bit all over the place and hard to follow. I didn't realize there were red light districts in Germany. 

I have taken a lot of photos, but they don't seem to want to upload from my phone to laptop, so I'll post some when I'm able. 

A few notes about the room. We managed to fit all of our things into the closet and desk with room to spare. Our backpack and suitcase fit underneath the bed.  We did pack light though.  The shower has great pressure and it has a "step" to put your foot up with you need to shave or a bit more space. I am not a small person and I was comfortable, although easier to leave the bathroom to dry off and get dressed.  There are light switches by the bed and they do not turn off, more of a night-light glow. Guess it doesn't bother me too much. I have heard some banging in the early mornings that I assume is from staff in the hallway, but it doesn't last very long and not a big deal.

One other thought, we checked with the concierge on our OBC and were told it can't be used in the casino. We'll have to see if that was to dissuade cashing it out or not.

I forgot to mention that all of the entertainers in the Topsail lounge were wonderful so far. I really  enjoyed a duo of a singer and guitarist. 

Yesterday was a sea day. We are still adjusting to time changes and made it a more restful day, skipping breakfast. We were going to try Hola, but that kind of fell through since we didn't make reservations, so we ended up at the YC restaurant. They were making a fresh pasta dish with potatoes that hubs had and I had linguine with clams. Both very good. 

Before lunch we had booked the thermal spa. However, when we toured the day before and noticed how busy it was, we called to see if they were at capacity and because they were, we changed plans. Instead this crazy woman thought it might be a great idea to try the hot tub on the One Pool deck in the cold. It wasn't so bad until we jumped in and turned on the jets and with the wind, the water was spraying all over! The water could have been warmer and our ears and faces got quite cold. We got a great laugh though!  My husband thinks I'm nuts, haha!

So much excitement and a nap was needed mid- day. It was Mediterranean night for dinner  and we started with beef carpaccio to share, fried seafood (Naples style) and boullabaisse. DH had seafood paella, but didn't think it was great. I had Osso Bucco with mashed potatoes and enjoyed it. Baklava was the choice for dessert and I've enjoyed better. It just seemed a bit dry, but I was full anyway!

We went to the Big Band Orchestra and it was very, very good. The band was great and singers were very enjoyable!  I highly recommend anyone see that. 

We are now docked in Hamburg and have a ship excursion with a tour. Looking forward to that. I can see a bit of sun on our bridge cam in the room, so that makes me happy.