KFinTx

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Fairly calm seas today and packing mostly done, so may actually be able to spend some time on deck this afternoon and have lunch on the Patio! The cloudy skies even seem to be clearing. Hallelujah!! 😀

 

Like many with a late flight tomorrow, we have a long excursion booked - a tour of Buenos Aires with a trip to a ranch with bbq lunch, a gaucho demonstration and airport drop off. Should be a nice end to the cruise.

I did that excursion last year & it was good. Enjoy!

I really enjoyed Puerto Madryn. I found a private tour to Punta Tombo that was wheelchair accessible! There were 7 of us, plus a guide & driver. Saw loads of penguins, guanacos, even a rabbit! It was 2 1/2 hours to get there, but IMO worth it. They even had time to take folks on a tour of Puerto Madryn, but I was exhausted by that point, so they dropped me off first at the ship.  At Punta Tombo there is a boardwalk that you can access via a gravel road, so it’s best to have heavy duty wheels on your chair & not the lightweight plastic ones. My chair is made for handling any terrain, so it was fine. 

On 2/21/2024 at 4:43 PM, uktog said:

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Today we really have rolled. There was a lot of crashing of dishes including a pile of plates right behind me.

 

I was in the spa when we hit that really big wave. All the little bottles fell off the facialist’s desk & the table I was on moved. 😬 I asked them for a wheelchair back to my cabin. Can’t wait for Puerto Madryn tomorrow! 

I did a similar tour to @Mackdogmolly , same itinerary but a different guide. It was awesome. The train moved much slower than I thought, though, but Ushuaia is so beautiful! It’s impossible for pictures to show how beautiful it is! 

Oh gosh yes! We had a rough time of it, especially that Saturday night/Sunday morning. High winds & high seas, lots of crashing into waves. Missed Icy Strait Point completely. 😞 

I was on the 10/3 sailing that departed from Pier 66 & ended at Pier 91. I got off as you were getting on. I waved! Did you see me? Lol 

Anyway, they should have provided transportation back to Pier 99, imo. NCL Sun seemed very disorganized & I’m not feeling the desire to book with them again. 

I just got off the NCL Sun. Yes, we disembarked at Pier 91. They did provide free shuttles for people to get back to Pier 66. Staff worked hard to get people to where they needed to be but NCL seemed to be very disorganized this cruise. 

4 hours ago, travelberlin said:

Internet is not working in Ushuia! We are on port not somewhere far away. In Ushuia town every one has got good connection. Let’s hope this will improve later on. Prices for internet are too expensive to just look away.

Ivi

That happened at times on my cruise too, & sometimes, all the news channels would go blank. I never figured out what the deal was on that, because the other channels still worked.

19 hours ago, travelberlin said:

On the Pursuit right now. Cabin attendant and Restaurant personnel (waiters and managers) are excellent as always. Captain Michael makes such a good impression! I was even lucky that our tender boat yesterday had Captain Michael bringing us to port.

 

There are apparently many “first time contracts” with Azamara. I have met some who although new, seem to be a good fit for this company. I have met one, who unless she gets a proper training and changes her attitude, she might be better with MSC cruises.  Fortunately she just works for shore excursions so I am not booking any on this ship to avoid interacting with her. 
 

Ivi

 

Yay Captain Michael! He’s probably glad he doesn’t have to go back to Antarctica anytime soon! Way too many late nights figuring out how to avoid the rough storms! He did a good job, though!

On 1/21/2023 at 4:06 AM, oddjob16 said:

The review was too long to bother watching,- however I got the essentials and obviously there is a problem at the head of guest relations. We sailed with Quest in october and didn't have an issue with GR on that cruise. She is newly appointed as GR Manager and has previously worked in different roles onboard, including the Spa as a therapist and manager. Maybe a new post is imminent?

It wasn’t just about the internet packages. They hit very rough seas & water was getting into their cabin. They were moved to another cabin & essentially abandoned there. When they went to check on when they could get back to their original cabin, they were given the run-around. The captain didn’t seem to care about running the ship through the high seas either, which was a complete change from the captain on the Pursuit who re-routed us a couple of times to avoid the Drake Shake. Their concerns are valid.

There may be a shore excursion that includes a brief tour & airport transport. There were 3 offered in Buenos Aires (5, 7, & 9 hours each) & you were booked on the tour based on your flight departure time. My flight was at 10 pm & we got to the airport between 5 & 6 pm.

17 hours ago, vtgumby said:

Pursuit WAS full for the Antarctica cruise according to the cruise director on first night, 650 ppl

We also found internet to be fast but we don’t stream, just email

I found the internet to get slower the further south we went. It was fine for email & posting on social media. I did try to facetime with my cousin who wanted to come on the trip but wasn't able to, but never connected. We just kept getting "missed calls." We were able to use Messenger though. I kept my phone on Airplane Mode & never got a call or text, even when I was on the ship's wifi. That was awesome.  I don't think the ship internet is set up to allow for streaming or stuff like Zoom, so I wouldn't count on that if you need to be in contact for work. Emails, FB, Twitter, & Messenger worked well for me.

3 hours ago, roberts2005 said:

Do you know the name of the ranch you visited.?

The owner's name is Pancho Guevara & he did say the name of his Estancia, I think it's Estancia Rosario? He's a staunch Catholic & named his estancia after the Rosary. He & his family were exceptional hosts, too. 

I was on the Pursuit for the Antarctic Cruise. It was amazing. I felt my stateroom was comfortable & it was unbelievable that each morning we were there, I could open up the drapes & see Antarctica right off my balcony. Absolutely no complaints about the staff or the captain. I loved being kept up to date with the weather conditions & being able to watch the lectures I missed on the TV at night before bed.

I wouldn't mind doing this itinerary again, but not right now. My cats have grounded me.

Also, I took the ship's tour & airport transfer on the last day (the 9 hour one) & loved it. It was a very special way to end a very special vacation.

It's just another example of the Americans misusing the English language.

 

Or just another example of how the English language evolves over time.

Sigh. I resubmitted on 8/16 and nothing. I have a cruise in four weeks and was hoping to have this sorted out but apparently it'll be a dog and pony show.

Did you get a little message box that said it would take 2-3 business days to click on after submitting? I don't recall that happening the first time I submitted my request, but I got that box the 2nd time.

Here's to you getting the good news today :D

I re-submitted my form yesterday & got an answer today! Status Matched to Silver. :)

So if you haven't heard back on your Status Match application, I guess you can submit it again.

I have yet to hear anything. I even responded to an email sent by what I guess is MSC's version of a PVP. Never got a response, even though I said I was ready to book a cruise!

Look at the reviews posted on this board. They should give you a good idea of what to expect on board, especially the food, which to me looks yummy.

Do not expect Coca Cola in Europe to taste like the US version. They use a different formulation over there & I personally don't care for it (Tastes almost like Pepsi to me.). However, I have found other European brand sodas that I really like (Kas in Spain for example). If I can't find something that appeals to me, I stick to water or coffee.

Thanks for the advice on airport transfers. I'll look more into that once I take the plunge & book. I have an upcoming cruise in January to finish paying for (& Christmas as well) before I start alloting money for this cruise. :)

I requested a status match yesterday, but did I also need to join the MSC program first? I'm considering a cruise on MSC in 2017.

That's what I thought. Thank you, Pete!

Thanks! Movement doesn't bother me, but if the difference between Bella & Fantastica is only $77 US, then I'll look harder at those.

I live where it's extremely hot in the summer time, so cooler weather sounds lovely to me. It won't keep me off the balcony unless it's raining too hard. :)

Since I'm not familiar with MSC ships (not sure what "a hump" means at this point), I'll order a brochure for further study.

Thank you for your help!

the cruise I'm looking at is in January 2017, 11 nights, from Rome & stopping at Alexandria & Haifa among other ports. I've only sailed on Carnival, but I have travelled extensively, especially in Europe & even to Egypt, so this cruise is really appealing to me. I do have some questions about MSC though, & I hope y'all can help me out.

I sail solo, so I'm sure there's some sort of "supplement" that goes along with that. I'm considering splurging & getting a balcony, but I notice MSC has several types of "experiences." Would it be worth it to go all out for "Aurea" or would I be just as satisfied with either of the other 2 experiences? I don't drink alcohol, maybe a glass of wine with dinner & another drink before bed, if I drink at all on a cruise, so "drink coupons" (unless they include non-alcoholic ones) aren't that much of a factor for me.

My main concerns are selecting a good cabin, especially if I splurge on a balcony, & getting the best (lowest) fare possible. Any other tips would be appreciated. :) TIA

I'm on the return Dream Journey from San Juan to NOLA!