Poesia

Hello, Just reading my invoice for our cruise in September it says payment received for Poesia Category 6? Cabin 8468. I've never been on a cruise before and a little worried about sea sickness I did ask my TA to book where this wouldn't be such a problem. Any idea where on the ship this would be. Thanks everyone.I'm learning a lot through this site.

I can't seem to see that cabin number. They seem to run 80-- and 81--

You can find deck plans online. This is from the UK site, but you should be able to find one in Australia via www.msccruises.com.au

http://www.msccruises.co.uk/flotta/multimedia_ship/infoship.asp?ship_id=232

You should be able to find deck plans under 'our fleet'

Hi Sparky1664, You scared me so I managed to find a good deck plan and couldn't find the cabin either so rang TA she said the 8468 that she had written as cabin was actually the invoice number. So the cabin number is 9053 which looks OK what do you think? PS. Thanks for all the great posts you put on here you are invaluable.

Hi cheneil.

That cabin looks spot on. :)

The general rule as far as seasickness is concerned is to travel midship, but all the very midship cabins are triples or quads. You are at the rear of the front section, so also avoiding any noise & motion from the thrusters at the rear. The other thing I like to look for too, is cabins above & below, so you don't hear noise from the pool deck, theatre etc. Again you have this, so it should be ideal.

We fortunately, don't suffer from seasickness, although I must admit to having to sit tight on a few occassions on cross channel crossings. Cruise ships though are very stable. Even if you hit rough seas, which I think is unlikely, it shouldn't be any worse than trying to walk without bumping into anything and being gently rocked to sleep. Just take a few tablets or bands with you as a precaution and you should be fine. I'm sure you won't need them though.

Thank you. :) I am not an overly experienced cruiser, and being the wrong side of 'middle aged' know that I am not necessarily looking for the same things as others, either on the ship or in the ports. I'm really just passing on my own thoughts and experiences in case they are of help to to others.

Not sure what you have already seen, but I think you will be sailing the same itinerary we did last year. I did post a thread here about our experiences.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=837387&highlight=

Also, you may find this thread useful, although there are one or two others out there too.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=909308

A couple of things I would perhaps have done differently. In Bari I would have found the little touristic train near the port gates & waited a little while if it wasn't there when I arrived. You may be interested in a ship's tour here, but I wouldn't bother with the city tour. You would do it better on your own. There are also caves, stalagtites etc about half an hour away, you would need a taxi for this trip.

In Istanbul, I would have taken the tram from near the port gates & taken in the sights at a more leisurely pace, soaking up the atmosphere a little.

We will also be visiting a couple of ports again in April, Katakolon & Izmir. This time we will perhaps hire a car in Katakolon..my husband has agreed to drive...on the 'wrong' side of the road. :eek: Also you may find this site useful if you are visiting Olympia on your own, you can print off a small map & a 'tour' from here.

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/clas/pathways/olympia/

In Izmir we have booked a different tour with a different company so I can let you know how that goes. For a first time though, Ephesus should be at the top of your list.

I'm sure you'll enjoy your cabin & the ship.:)

Cheneil,

I've just noticed you have also been asking about transport in Venice.

Water taxi's in Venice are expensive. You are looking at 100 euros plus from the airport to St Marks, & then perhaps in the region of 80 euros from St Marks to the port. It is of course the quickest and easiest method, but you do have other options if you wish.

You may want to take a look at the alilaguna route.

http://www.alilaguna.com/?funzione=1&contesto=1&valore=8&modo=6

Click on the (map) near the bottom on the San Marco Tronchetto route. It can be a little sporadic though, so you will perhaps need to check the site nearer your sail date for up to date times etc.

Also, taking your luggage on the vaporetto is no big deal, we did it. :) At 6.50 euros per journey, or even less if you buy a water bus pass for your visit, currently 16 euros for 24 hours, which incidently also covers the number 5 bus from the airport to the island together with any journeys to any other islands..Murano, Burano, Lido etc, can be a much better deal. I would recommend you use the number 2 vaporetto to and from St Marks, it doesn't make as many stops as the number 1 & is therefore quicker. Also there are 2 stops near St Mark's, San Marco & San Zaccaria..not sure which one will be the most convenient for your hotel.

If you decide to use the vaporetto, you can either stay on (the number 2) until the Tronchetto stop and take the short walk to the cruise terminal or alight at Piazzale Roma and take the free port shuttle to the terminal. Although the shuttle doesn't run every day, I can guarantee this will be running for your sailing.

This is an excellent site for Venice.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/

You will also find the Med boards on this site very useful for anything you want to know about Venice or your other ports.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=234

This can be accessed from the index page..Ports of Call..Europe.

Grab a coffee and make yourself comfortable...there is a load of information out there and I am sure it will keep you busy :)

take some ginger capsules with you. Take as soon as you get onto the ship and take 3 times a day , 2 capsules. If you still feel shakey take 3..... works great for me.

Thanks for all the info. My husband can't understand why I'm suddenly on the computer so much so now it will be even more. I tell him I'm doing my homework. Shows you how much I can tell from a ship plan I thought our cabin was at the back of the ship and we'd be seeing the coast as we sailed down but what will we see now?? Also trying to cut down on weight of lugguge as much as possible will my husband get into the formal nights in good pants and shirt or will we have to carry a suit around Europe for 5 weeks??? Thanks again and back to the homework I go.

Hi Chenelle

On my first cruise with MSC in the Med, we had 3 gentlemaen at our table and only one had a suit, the other 2 wore smart trousers, shirt and tie and had absolutely no problems. Whilst it is true thaat on the caribbean sailings the dress does tend to be more informal on formal evings than in Europe, if he chosses not to lug his suit around for 5 weeks to only wear twice, he will not be the only person not wearing a suit.

Not sure what time of year that you are planning to travel, but another option would be if he is intending taking along a smart jacket anyway. I've seen some men opting for this rather than a suit or tux.

Problem is my husband suffers very badly from the heat and will be very uncomfortable in a jacket I've told him I don't want to miss any of the formal nights but know he'll be very uncomfortable so besides the weight issue in the luggage there's also his comfort. I know he'd be happy in pants and tie and the jacket is a waste of time as he'd only have it on for the minimum of time. We sail on the 5th of September.

I thought our cabin was at the back of the ship and we'd be seeing the coast as we sailed down but what will we see now??

The sea! :) :) :)

No, seriously, we were on the other side so I suspect you will see what we saw in reverse. You will have magnificent views of Venice as you sail away, so grab a glass of wine on your balcony & enjoy. You will also see coastline as you sail around the bottom of Greece towards Izmir, & again as you sail to/from Istanbul.

As for the jacket, as AmoMondo says, don't worry too much. My husband does take one, but often takes it off. My son (21) has pulled such faces in the past that I'm not taking a jacket for him this time, just a smart shirt, tie & trousers. You will see a range of dress & your husband will not feel out of place.

Don't worry about the heat on the ship either. It is very well air-conditioned. It can even be a tad chilly at times.

I second what Sparky says abot the air conditioning - it is often quite cool bordering on chilly in the dinig rooms. it is not the first time I've taken a wrap or cardigan for wearing in there!

Thanks for all the help, Sparky how do I get in touch with the guide for Ephesis and approx how much will he cost for the day? Thanks

Sorry me again just wondering it seems from all the threads on here you can't take alcohol on board?? Can we get on board then go and buy a bottle of wine to have in our cabin as we sail out of Venice?

Sorry me again just wondering it seems from all the threads on here you can't take alcohol on board?? Can we get on board then go and buy a bottle of wine to have in our cabin as we sail out of Venice?

Yes you can do that. Either through room service, or by buying a bottle in the duty free shop or at one of the bars. They also have small bottles of wine (usually) in the mini bar

Cheneil, I put together a list of a few guides for Turkey for another poster. If you email me at yahoo.com I will forward it on to you. Prices vary & it will also perhaps depend how many of you there are, but I'll let you know the prices we were quoted for four.

As for the alcohol, who knows? The odd bottle or two may get through, it might depend on who is on the scanning machine at the time. However, it is not just on embarkation that the rules apply, but any time you return to the ship from any port, so it won't help getting off the ship & getting on again.

When in Katakolon we bought a couple of bottles in the duty free shop, together with a pack of water, and openly popped them on the belt when we returned to the ship and no-one said a word. The rules are suppossed to have changed but I've still heard reports of people taking the odd bottle or two on.

There is a small supermarket in Piazzale Roma. If it were me I would perhaps buy a couple before getting on the shuttle, pop one in my luggage and perhaps one in your hand luggage or even just leave it in the carrier bag & see what happens. I think the chances are you would be able to keep them.

The other thing is that they charge corkage fees in the dining room if you bring on your own wine. How could they charge corkage fees if they didnt allow you to bring on a bottle in the first place? Just tell them it is for your meal in the dining room. :)

Edit: Ha! AmoMondo, it seems I just misread that! :)