Essiesmom

MExico itineraries don’t vary much, not many choices. EM

Back when cabins still had real keys…. EM

One other thing when assembling your wardrobe: every MSC cruise has a White Night, where everyone is encouraged to wear something white. It does not need to be fancy, you will see everything from white shorts with a tshirt, to fancy white dresses. Some people have a lot of ‘fun’ with it. Last year on Seaside I positioned myself for good people watching, and saw a woman wearing something like a white leotard, and over it she had a transparent white netting/tulle gathered floor length skirt. Another was a group of ladies all in white, though not identical outfits. But each one was wearing a pixie cut wig in different neon colors…pink, yellow, green, blue, etc. they appeared to be having a lot of fun. I splurge and buy the basic Wi-Fi for two devices, using my iPhone and iPad mini. I think you can use the MSC for Me app without being connected to WiFi. I prefer to take the iPad to the MDR as reading the menu is easier on the larger device. EM

Welcome to Cruise Critic. When you enter the terminal there will be a sign for Diamond and Aurea. Follow the signs or ask. There is a separate checkin line upstairs. Once on the ship, go to your cabin and drop off your carryon bags. Then go and explore the ship. I suggest you go to cruisedeckplans.com and creat a pdf of the public decks, print it off in color. It’s always a good idea to have a visual of where things are. The buffet will be open for lunch and will probably be crowded until they announce cabins are open. (When you drop off your luggage, don’t stay…). The pools will probably be open. On the Gala nights, do not stress about clothing. Long pants and a collared shirt is all that is necessary, but many will dress up more, especially the ladies, in particular those from Europe. And there will be a lot of European guests onboard. They tend to dress with more care, even during the day…if you like to dress up, by all means do so. I did this itinerary on Seashore in Dec. and did a Live from thread. I will be repeating it on the June 23 sailing and again doing a Live from. Pictures of the ship, menus…sometimes activity sheets. I have been to these ports many times so I don’t do excursions. I can’t help you with the Spa, but I’m sure someone will be along to help you out. Don’t try to do everything. A vacation should be relaxing…. EM

If that’s the Coast Guard they won’t be charged. Part of their mission. EM

If you book over the phone you can prepay them. O way to do that after you book, but I suppose you could call and have it added. EM

What we need is a phone number for the visitors bureau (or whatever it’s called) and someone to call and ask if the small coastal cruise ships dock or tender. And do that for all of the ports in question. It’s too bad there is no directory of members by locality so we could ask them for info. EM

And speaking of the hot season, it can be beastly hot in July and August, especially in the eastern Mediterranean. If looking at Greece, Turkey (Kusadasi/Ephesus) I would do them in spring or fall. EM

I start to think about it as soon as I book the cruise. EM

Venice still loves visitors, but not ships. MSC actually docks the closest to Venice of any cruise line. They dock in the industrial area of Marghera, across the lagoon from the islands of Venice proper (if there is such a thing). You would fly into Marco Polo airport. Not sure if they provide transport from the airport all the way to the ship, but I do know you check in for the ship at the Marittima terminal (where most of the ships used to dock) and they then transport you to the ship. Of course, we all recommend you come in a couple of days early and/or stay a few days after. Rick Steves also has a guide for Scandinavia and Northern Europe Cruise Ports. He tells you about the port areas, what there is to see in the area, how to do it on your own, and how much you can do in the time you have allowed. He also has free audio tours on his website that you can download. For the places he doesn’t cover, he recommends Lonely Planet. With LP you used to be able to go to their website, pull up the city you were interested in, and purchase for download only that chapter. With cruisetimetables you can search by ship, departure port, or ports you want to visit. Lots of fun! EM

Don’t know where you will be flying from, but you will probably get the most direct flights to Barcelona and Rome, although the airport for Rome (FCO) is about 90 minutes away. Research on cruisetimetables.com will show you that most cruises have a circular itinerary and board and debark guests in most of the ports. This can make embarkation less hectic, but you have safety drill announcements almost daily…but you may be off sightseeing when they occur. If you want Spain and Italy you want western Mediterranean cruises. If you haven’t already, get a copy of Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports, read about them and decide which ones are the most important for your first time visit. My preference is for Eastern Mediterranean, especially including Venice. You need to plan your excursions, or book cruise line excursions because you won’t find vendors waiting on the dock to sell you a tour. You know, I don’t think Ive ever been to a port talk on MSC, but any in Europe will not have shopping recommendations. No DI in Europe. Enough for now. EM

Under #9. You forgot casinos. EM

I believe the itinerary from the cruise line should tell you if a port requires tendering. I don’t know how active the ACL board is here, but maybe someone there could tell you if there are any tender ports. EM

That doesn’t look like a balcony to me. Looks like taken from a pool deck looking across at a ship docked across from them. EM

They can adopt me, too…I’ll be 80 tomorrow, so won’t carry your bags as I can barely carry my own…. EM