Janet&Carl

We did our own thing travelling around by taxi - the taxi fare is very reasonable. From ship to SagradaFamilila was only 8 Euro. We were first to arrive (opened at 9 we were there 8.30) we waited for the gate to open so there was no queue. From there we pottered around doing our own thing and seeing the things we wanted to see. we ended up with taxi's from one place to another. We like to try the local transport and get amongst it with the locals however, the metro in Barcelona was not as easy to navigate as other European cities we have been to so didnt use it.

I have taken a small travel (hand held) steamer on MSC ships with absolutely no problems.

2 x 2 plus a sofa bed is what I see on the plans

= doublebedroom

+ a bedroom with twin single beds

+ a lounge with sofa bed

Thanks. That all makes sense. The ship looks beautiful. I was about to book it until I saw that the bed in the room is only a double. My husband and I would be miserable on that. :(

In Australia the bed would be called king size and they are in every room. The size of two full sized singles put together. My husband and I have found them to be the biggest of the beds we have cruised on.

can anyone tell me if the have smoked salmon (lox) on the breakfast buffet? Bagels, and cream cheese?

not in the buffet but yes in the dining room

What are the hours that the buffet is open for each meal?

the buffet is open most of the day - times will be in the daily planner. The food available changes throughout the day.

Early birds breakfast starts at 6am and continues until about 10am then there are morning tea items followed by lunch items from about 11.45. Pizza , biscuits and snacks etc... available all day

The dining room is only open as specific times. Usually 12 - 2 for lunch and 7 -9 for breakfast

They do not have salmon. Msc serves smoked herring in place of salmon (at least they did on both my sailings). I didn't like it. I'm sure others do.

 

 

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I go to the dining room for breakfast - salmon is available every day :)

What do you mean by "restaurant voucher" What does this get you? We booked fantastica class. How much to upgrade to unlimited beverage? Does everyone in the cabin have to do the same?

The free dinner in a specialty restaurant is for Black Card holders. You can purchase unlimited beverage packages prior to boarding and they will also be on sale at the port on embarkation. Everyone in your cabin will need to purchase the package.

Aurea package gets the unlimited beverage package as well as other perks such as access to the thermal suite, private deck, your choice dining etc.... Yacht club gets private deck pool, thermal suite access, butler, drinks in the yacht club bar and restaurant as well as free access to the mini bar in your suite.

The older teen club usually meets in the disco - which is why there might be a lot of teenagers hanging around. If you are not sailing Caribbean they can be served alcohol after 18. A lot of the "mocktails" look like cocktails. I thought the bar staff were pretty good and didnt serve the kids alcohol at all. I cruise with teenagers and have never had a problem.

Last time I sailed MSC they did not have moscato - my mother drinks this and we couldn't get any for her.

Which package are you thinking of purchasing - the charges are by the day not for the whole cruise. if it is the allegrissimo package it includes all drinks, gelato, coffees etc.... and we think it is a good deal.

Last cruise our drinks were not watered down - if anything the liquor was generous each serving.

Heres a link to the different packages https://www.msccruises.com.au/au_en/Images/Pre-paid_Beverage_Package_Pricing_tcm39-69311.pdf

If you google the drinks menu for MSC allegrissimo covers everything with a red * - if you purchase the premium you can order most everything on the menu (I believe except some very expensive bottled wines).

Hope this helps

I have always been able to request that our party be seated together. If you haven't booked as one group it is possible that MSC will not know that you want to be together. On the first day of the cruise it will be advisable to see the Maitre'd. He will be in an office and you can go see him and request the same table or even a change to your seating time. :) They will accommodate any request if at all possible.

Please go early and not ask when you arrive at dinner - by then its too late as you will cause disruption to other guests if you want to change at dinner time.

Yes you do. You have the classic beverages - none of the top shelf stuff. Same with specialty coffees or ice cream sundaes. You can order a coffee (cappuchino flat white, latte etc...) and a shot of whatever ( like kahlua, baileys etc.) and add it yourself ;).

You can eat as much gelato as you want in a tub or a cone but if you want one of the spiffy sundeas you'll have to pay for it.

Make sure you book your free massage as soon as you get on. Aurea packages are heavily booked and if you have a shortage of sea days on your cruise your massage might not be at a convenient time.

the Free time dining restaurant is open breakfast lunch and dinner - no need to hassle with the crowds in the buffet unless you want to.

Enjoy ..... it is a lovely way to cruise.

Hi , We sail MSC and have had the balcony suite you are speaking about with the metal balcony twice. We have chosen this corner one again for our next cruise because Yacht Club is full.

The rooms are fabulous and we really enjoy having a lot of space. The balcony is not so good - it is narrow and not comfortable to sit on. It is ok to stand on and the views are good but they are the same that you will get from the window. It is very windy when the ship is moving and we were only able to use ours on very slow sails into and out of harbour.

My suggestion is that if you want to use your balcony a lot take a better balcony. I you have lots of port days and are only using your balcony for views when you go in and out of port then you will appreciate the spectacular suite and the extra room that it provides.

Hi

I have sailed this cabin - it is two rooms - it is slightly smaller than deck 9 and 10 in the cabin. It has a larger balcony than the corner one on deck 9 and smaller than the corner on deck 10. It is a lovely room - I wasn't impressed with the balcony.

Having travelled as a family of 4 I have tried to get a disabled cabin for the extra space but have never been successful.

If you are moved you will always be moved to a 4 person cabin. some have beds that come down out of the wall over the double bed.

google "msc 4 person inside cabin" and you will get enough pictures to give you an idea.

I find it unusual that they would only give you one package for two adults and one package for two children - are you sure that you are not reading that wrong. that it is one package per person ? MSC state that if you buy an all inclusive package that all people in the cabin have the same package.

MSC try to give you a waiter that can speak your language - for instance if you speak English they will seat you at a table with an English speaking waiter - if you speak French then you will most likely get a French speaking waiter.

The wait staff take language classes and can mostly decipher the menu in any language but are not fluent so cannot answer your questions. I have noticed in the past few years that more Russians are using MSC and they have increased staff from Eastern Europe that can speak Russian accordingly.

If you want anytime dining you will only get that if you book Aurea package or Yacht Club.

I have sailed on both Fantasia and Splendida but I have not sailed on a short cruise so cannot tell you what the theme nights might be. On our recent back to back 7 night cruises we had "White Party" and "Italian night" as well as two formal evenings - Italian night the suggested dress was red/white/green.

There will be plenty of variety on the menu - especially at night with Western Asian and Ethnic tastes all catered for - you can google menus - there are plenty of examples around.

There will be lots of indoor activities in Winter. In the main bar there will be the entertainment team running lots of different quizes food demonstrations, craft as well as board games. Check your daily program for a run down on what is going on each day.

The pools will not be well frequented and the outdoor pool and spas will still be heated. The indoor spas might get a little crowded although I found at times I was the only one in there.

Our first YC cruise we were surrounded by fellow Aussies - only one American in YC and one family of Italians. The American was by far the snobbiest and loudest - the rest of us enjoyed ourselves ;)

I have met some lovely Americans but the ones with money I've met have been LOUD about it

sorry I hit enter before I'd finished - I wanted to say I"m looking forward to the rest of your wonderful review. It's refreshing that you have picked out the highlights I would have picked and not the nitty gritty everyday - well done :)

What a fantastic review - thanks for sharing - love the pictures

On our last cruise we tipped the barman, butler and assistant butler throughout the cruise.

 

However the best response and thanks that we got was when I handed out (and pinned on) Australian Flag Pins, thanking them for making our holiday special.

 

The waiters, maitre de, barstaff and waiters all seemed REALLY thrilled to get something more personal.

 

Perhaps you could get some NZ Flag pins (before you change your flag!!).

AVACTION I just cruised on the Orchestra for the past two weeks. Staff that have pins still wear them. Everytime we said we were Australian the crew member said "I love you Aussies" It was a fab cruise thanks to you memorable Aussies.

And to NZ girl - we were told that the daily service charge is in place of tips and is split up between the staff that serves you. As such (and being Aussie) we mostly haven't tipped on top of that except for the time we have spent in Yacht Club when the holidays were truly memorable.

Looks like your going to have fun.

I'm busy checking for our next cruise on MSC. Loved the Aurea experience.

I found that cruising in the Med is much more dressier than our last cruise to Northern Europe. Hardly anyone dressed up at all for Gala night. I was totally overdressed in my sparklies ;) but felt right at home in them when sailing out of Venice. It adds a nice atmosphere to the night I think.

Buyer needs to be aware of what is included - you can't be spoon fed individual information on every aspect of your holiday. Take a look here and you will see what I mean :D:D

http://www.debriefdaily.com/lifestyle/travel-complaints/

I know on the deck plan that 11009 doesnt look like it has a divider but it does. It is two rooms. The best balcony of the three is the one on deck 10. It goes further round the front but we had a fantastic view on deck 11. The shortest one is on deck nine which seems to stop before it goes around the corner. We had enough room for a sail away party for 6 people at the front - the bit not in the picture above, although it was a little windy.