heatherb1958

MSC have  pump soap dispensers in the cabins at the sink , no need to bring a bar of soap which gets squishy and messy . It smells lovely too. They also provide body wash and a separate shampoo. In YC you get their signature  smell Med lotions and potions as well.

On our first MSC cruise when meeting our cabin steward on hearing our accent she said "oh , you'll want facecloths " and she scooted off to get them . 

We are British , yes I possess some face cloths,  do I use them ? Mmmmmm short answer , No.

Make up remover and wipes. 

I know you are having good weather because friends are onboard with you and posted pics . 😎 

One is even in shorts and tshirt ! . What a difference a week makes.. 

2 hours ago, Static events said:

I really hope not. I can’t deal with the Indy again, it’s so boring now having been on it around 12 times from Southampton. 

I just went through our  cruise history , between August 2008 and end of 2019 , the last cruise before her final westbound crossing  we went on Independence 21 times  ! Somehow we never tired of that ship but maybe because we did several different itineraries including  transatlantics , the Caribbean , Norway . Have great memories of Indie.

14 minutes ago, Jumping Cruiser said:

 

Southampton Deployment History:

2010 - Independence

2011 - Independence

2012 - Independence 

2013 - Independence & Adventure

2014 - Independence & Adventure

2015 - Anthem & Explorer

2016 - Independence & Navigator

2017 - Independence & Navigator

2018 - Independence & Navigator

2019 - Independence & Explorer

2020 - Anthem (Covid - No Sailings)

2021 - Anthem

2022 - Anthem

2023 - Anthem

2024 - Anthem

 

😆,  cheers for that . So I was right , Anthem has done more than 2 seasons . Feels like she has been here forever ! 😆.  

9 minutes ago, meadowlander said:

I do not disagree with the view of production shows/plays repeated for years on the same ship.  My first Anthem cruise I thought little of the 3 main shows. I have sailed Anthem 5 other times, never have I attended another performance of 'The Gift'. The last time I saw 'WWRY' was in 2017. I did attend "Spectra's Cabaret' 3 times in total.

 

I do wish the ability to change or transfer shows to other ships of the same class was implemented. It was asked onboard once & the answer was it is not possible. 'WWRY' has been recently renewed for another 10 years on Anthem. Conversely, I will miss Oasis not sailing from New Jersey because of 'Aqua 80'. It is the best show I have seen (land or sea) and I would never tire of it.

 

What I find ironic is Anthem has sailed out of Bayonne, NJ for more than 8 years. It is the only ship from Bayonne for 6 months of the year with the same shows performed when she sails from Southampton. There is a disproportionate number of complaints from those who board Anthem in England, where Anthem has sailed for only 2 seasons.

Anthem was named and launched her inaugural European season out of Southampton April  2015 , I think she only missed the Corona years but then again I could be wrong but she has definitely  done more than 2 seasons 

1 hour ago, sgmn said:

Just done Symphony ex BCN. The one and only sea day (yesterday) was cool, rainy  cloudy and rocky. Seemed OK inside, we went to the captains talk, an amazing magic show and Flight show. Hubs went to gym and I walked the track. The whole cruise was a mixed bag of weather

Think they could definitely do winter cruises ex Lisbon or BCN to Canaries and Maderia 

RCI have tried the all year round season out of BCN with Brilliance  and Malaga with Adventure . They couldn't fill the ships and we had some fantastic deals back then , 2008 onwards for a couple of years . 

51 minutes ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

Sorry to report a typo in my post #41 above: I was bemoaning the LACK of 'bars' not the 'back' of bars - there are too many pub style drinking establishments not 'cocktail bar' types. Bolero's is a music venue and the poor Schooner bar is downright depressing having a corridor cutting through it.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

I understood what you meant  🙂 😎. 

1 hour ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

My one and only claim to fame is that I announced to the world, or to anyone reading CC, that the last two Indy 18night  'Ultimate Mediterranean' cruises had been cancelled to be replaced by 3 x 12 night canaries.

 

One of the things I don't like about Anthem is the back of 'bars' as opposed to 'pubs' - in particular something like the Champagne Bar on Indy. This should not be confused with the Champagne Bar on MSC Virtuosa where we got through 700 bottles in one night last month!

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

Yes I remember when that happened , the 18 nighter over Xmas and New year was split and made into 2 separate cruises and the price rocketed . Friends were booked on it and cancelled . 

4 hours ago, meadowlander said:

Based on numerous complaints by our friends across the pond in this thread and many others before, I expect the complaints about Odyssey  having the same production shows will begin once  someone sails Odyssey  for the second time.

For a few years RCI had 2 ships out of Southampton so at least there was some choice and could mix it up . Other cruise lines have been bringing in their newest ships to Southampton or established UK lines have brought out new ships  and winning customers over. We said we wouldn't cruise P&O as it was too British but they have new ships  and older ships with interesting itineraries even out of the UK, doing a cruise that goes to the Outer Hebrides in July.  

About blinking time but 2 years late in my book. We have been cruising with RCI for over 20 years and since 2008 out of Southampton, have been on Anthem 3 times and so done with the same old same old entertainment , how many times can you sit through We Will Rock you and Spectres wots it's name ?? Then you have the repeats of the headliner entertainment , rarely changes there. 

I do like the adults only Solarium,  our free wifi perk and the cabin storage . Speciality restaurants are now way overpriced on RCI unless you purchase a dining package . 

We are not flying anywhere at the moment so currently our money is being spent elsewhere and getting better value for money to boot . 

If a good deal comes up on Odyssey then we will book for the change in entertainment but you can keep Anthem .

P.S. we did some of those winter Indie 18 nighters , £669 for an inside cabin, they were losing money left right and centre !! 

12 hours ago, Plugtheleak said:

I also like Silk and Spice but they did not have it the whole week on Iona in February half term cruise. Disappointing as I was really looking forward to drinking this very nice wine again. Excellent advice to check availability prior to purchase. I bought my package before travel but you do not get any discount so probably won’t bother next time.

Agree that is a good tip about checking availability before onboard purchase. I will also add if they have the wine of choice  on day one get all your wine at once and store in your cabin until required before they have chance to run out !

We did come across attitude from staff in Glass house on   Ventura ..they seemed to dislike having to get the wine making a big deal about having to fetch it from the MDR and how long it would take to get it. I just smiled and said I was prepared to wait... 

We have had wine bottle packages on all our P&O cruises since Oct 21 , they cannot be booked online , I have  had to phone to have them added to the reservation paying  there and then.  In  the cabin on arrival there was a letter to take to the MDR /bar to swap for the voucher booklet . 

In April on Ventura we had a lot of OBC so purchased the 6 bottle Captains club through our waiter on the first night . We like  Silk and Spice which is £28 a bottle so quite a saving by buying the package. 

Plus , if you walk to the back of the ship on the deck above , go down the stairs in the corner you can enter from there therefore bypassing all the folks who entered from the other end . There is a bathroom here too and hand washing sinks plus outside tables . 

I can never understand folks who get their food first then wander around in a daze looking for a table , always always grab cutlery/silverware plus a drink maybe then find table . Leave a jacket or something on it so other people know the table is occupied .

12 minutes ago, Cable3232 said:

We doing the Norway cruise tomorrow for 7 nights and the cheapest I have seen it for is £700 pp so getting 14 nights for that price that is a bargain. 

 

Also looks like some Fjords will have limited access (zero emission rule) (Flam is one of them) from 2025/26 so better get sailing or pay a fortune later.

 

I am trying to convince my wife that an inside cabin is a good idea, but she is not buying the no fresh air idea. I love the darkness for sleeping. So we might see if I can view one on the cruise to win her over.

Tell your wife it never goes dark in summer in the Fjiords so you better pack a lot of pegs to close the gaps in those curtains !! 😄 😆 🤣.  Also have you not explained if you book an inside cabin you can either cruise more or use the savings on other items onboard like a spa treatment... worked on me 😆.  

P.S. showing her an inside cabin on Virtuosa , unless it is in YC, will not win  her over , there isn't any seating except the bed. RCI have sofas, Princess and P&O have a lovely layout but MSC's are big with no additional seating. 

Well you'll not be surprised when I say we have been there 😄. It is a lovely place to explore . I hiked on the peninsula right next to where the ship docks with great views from the Vestri Batteri. 

Good to see you had use of the YC outdoor grill, our favourite place in Jan on Grandiosa for breakfast and lunch , we were the only ones there ! Hardy  Brits 😆.  Did you know that the room service YC breakfast comes from there ? We would watch the butlers come and get the orders for their guests ...

Enjoy white night .. x

Trying to work out if you are port or starboard ! Lorraine is port so if you  are too she will be happy to have some sun on the balcony , she won't mind me saying this if she see this but she certainly pays her dues to the sun god and worships from morn til sunset if allowed 😁 😎 🌞. 

With regards Baltic and Fjiord cruises we have done both, Baltics for me was once and done  but maybe because we had terrible weather  June 2009,  2 nice days  out of  12 .  I  had a fantastic trip to St.Catherines palace , obviously ships not going to St.Petersburg currently, and Peterhof gardens was toured in the rain sadly. It was still a fantastic cruise with friends . Having said that there are currently some great deals to the Baltics sans  St.Petersburg and we are going back this year TWICE 😆, first trip on 5th June on Silhouette after we have been on Virtuosa on 29th May  😎 

I climbed to that waterfall last year , not for the faint hearted as lots of steep steps , the walk to the church is lovely following the river. Our friends have done the train today ,  very cold at the top but I am happy to see your photos with the blue skies.. x

Wow Julie , you could not make that up about meeting your second cousin , amazing. 

I love Olden , have done both tours to the glaciers there 😎.  Lots of walking to the Briksdalen (sp) one. If not on a tour I walk to the red church and through the back lanes back  to the village. The scenery is just beautiful. 

Lovely photos.

12 minutes ago, patrice1 said:

I live in Lisbon and the Portuguese queue very well! 😄

😆,  notice I did not mention the Portuguese , we holiday on the Algarve in the winter , have been since 1985 ... 😄. We love ❤️ Portugal . 

Lucky you living in Lisbon, we take the train to Cascais amd have dinner there if on an overnight port stop. 

8 hours ago, ShawninFL said:

I also have received this 50% off bid offer for our July 1st, 2023.  There appear to be lots of cabins still available from inside all they way up to suites.  There are actually 30 suites still showing as available.  I wonder if they're trying to process move up bids a bit earlier as opposed to dropping overall fares?  And then in a couple weeks drop fares to try to fill up the ship.

I would agree with that comment, fingers crossed for us all who have made a bid we find out earlier . I hate not knowing where my cabin is at the last minute especially with other lines where  we get goodies delivered to the cabin on embarkation . I cancelled our one and only previous bid  as we hadn't  heard 24 hours before, we are always happy with the cabin we have anyway so no big deal . 

1 hour ago, kernow said:

Sitting in L'Atelier people watching and have just discovered my new favourite cocktail, The Second Empire. This bar always has the best cocktails on the ship for me.

Looking at the dress code I would say at least 50% dressed up to some extent and some really dressy, we've just seen a man in a kilt go by.

 

L'Atelier bar is my favourite bar on the ship followed by Sky lounge 😎.

Our friends from IOM are having a  nightmare start  to their first MSC  cruise . They have a disabled daughter with them who has had to sleep on the floor , long story short , special needs requests not met.

I think they will be cancelling their Seaside cruise out of Barbados .....

Have fun on Elegant night and I hope the sun shines tomorrow for you. 

P.S. you look lovely Julie and Mark looks a bit of alright too 😆.  

We only made it to YC breakfast once 😂.

Keep photos coming when you can 😎. 

For our 5th June sailing on Silhouette there are lots of cabins still available in most grades including the top suites  Got the first move up e.mail a few weeks ago and dismissed it but got the promo e.mail today so decided to give it a go. 

Thanks for all the replies. I have gone ahead and put in a bid. There are LOTS of cabins available in all the lower balcony grade  , practically the whole of deck 9 aft is available,  5th June to Scandinavia.  I expect a fire sale to fill the ship. The upgrade bid amounts are starting at very low prices and advertised  as a promo . 

We have a balcony, If I put in a bid for  Aqua class balcony do we get access to Blu and the seathermal suite or not? It says we get to keep our current promotions but not anything to do with upgraded cabin.  Not sure what the incentive is supposed to be if that is  the case,  confused 😐