Tips for Americans sailing on MSC through Europe

1. When visiting a foreign country I always try to learn the local language equivalent of some basic words and phrases. Being on a ship that caters to citizens of multiple countries will provide an even greater challenge. So for my upcoming cruise on the Fantasia, I have created this translation cheat sheet. Languages, in order are English, Italian, French, German, Spanish

a. Hello - Ciao, Allo, Hallo, Hola

b. Good bye - Arrivaderci, Au revoir, Auf wierdersehn, Adios

c. Good morning - Buongiorno, Bon matin, Guten morgen, Buenos dias

d. Good night - Buona notte, Bonne nuit, Gute nacht, Buenas noches

e. Please - Per favore, Sil vous plait, Bitte, Por favor

f. Thank you - Grazie, Merci, Danke, Gracias

g. Yes - Si, Oui, Ja, Si

h. No - No, Non, Nein, No

2. It appears from reading many of the reviews on these boards that the following sentences will also come in handy:

a. (It) “Cameriere , il mio cibo è freddo . Per favore mi porti una nuova piastra.” (Waiter, my food is cold, please bring me a new plate.)

b. (Fr) “Excusez-moi madame, cela est le côté non fumeur du navire.” (Excuse me madam, this is the non smoking side of the ship.

c. (Sp) “Hey amigo, al final de la línea de buffet es volver allí.” (Hey buddy, the end of the buffet line is back there.)

d. (It) “Signore, ti prego di portare un cuscino soffice.” (Sir, please bring me a fluffier pillow.)

e. (It) “Dove è il comico che racconta barzellette in cinque lingue diverse?” (Where is the comedian who tells jokes in five different languages?)

f. (It) “Barista, cre do io sono prossimo in linea !” (Bartender, I believe I am next in line!)

g. (It) “Guest Relations? Ho smarrito la mia lista attività. Potete dirmi a che ora le gare disimpegno dei bambini concludono?” (Guest Relations? I have misplaced my activities list. Can you tell me what time the children's hallway races conclude?)

Seriously, I strongly suggest that everyone reads the reviews, both good and bad. Then determine which complaints, if valid, might impact the enjoyment of your cruise and then plan accordingly. Me? My only concern is getting a good night's sleep. I will bring my own pillow and a white noise machine. And really, speaking even a little bit of another's language will elicit smiles from guests and crew alike. Try it!

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You've missed the most important phrase if you want to be able to get out of a lift at the floor you want to, or basically just get past a crowd anywhere.."Permesso per favore!" Oh and don't be timid about saying it. No need to shout but reasonable volume and a bit of assertion does the trick, slight forward movements also helps.

My only other bits of advice is not to even attempt to impose US (& British) queuing practices (sorry standing in line) on cultures that just don't. Herding cats comes to mind and you'll only get annoyed. Adopt the Italian philosophy and go wit la vita dolce!

You've missed the most important phrase if you want to be able to get out of a lift at the floor you want to, or basically just get past a crowd anywhere.."Permesso per favore!" Oh and don't be timid about saying it. No need to shout but reasonable volume and a bit of assertion does the trick, slight forward movements also helps.

Thanks for that suggestion. I will add it to my cheat sheet!

My only other bits of advice is not to even attempt to impose US (& British) queuing practices (sorry standing in line) on cultures that just don't. Herding cats comes to mind and you'll only get annoyed. Adopt the Italian philosophy and go wit la vita dolce!

Excellent advice! I actually find waiting on buffet lines agonizing. I've never pushed or shoved but I have been known to take advantage of gaps in line to grab an item or two! I think with some mental preparation I will enjoy putting my elbows to work! ;)

If you ask a bartender for a coffee, he will likely give you the European small expresso version, so, if you want the American style coffe, just ask for an "Americano" and they will be more than happy to please!... :)

With my first "tentative" MSC cruise coming up in September through Europe, this makes me fear cruising on MSC....

Quando sei a Roma, fai come i Romani.

When in Rome, do as Romans do.

But remember that MSC Mediterranean cruises carry not just Italians but loads of Germans, French, Spanish and Brits. If you're in the lift with a bunch of Brits, saying "permesso" may not get you out (lol). Really though, most of the passengers regardless of nationality soon become accllimatised internationally and will react to "please" spoken in any language.

We cruised the Mediterranean on the Splendida. We are American, and save two years of French which are mostly forgotten, we did fine communicating both on and off the ship. We tried to be polite with everyone we encountered, and that seemed to go along way. There were a few rude folks, but the encounters were brief and inconsequential to our overall experience. Most passengers, regardless of nationality were polite and tried to accommodate the various cultural differences. I found the cultural differences interesting and remembered I was not on a U.S. cruise ship. We would definitely cruise MSC again in Europe.

If you ask a bartender for a coffee, he will likely give you the European small expresso version, so, if you want the American style coffe, just ask for an "Americano" and they will be more than happy to please!... :)

You are right! Ordering coffee around the world can get complicated. Order cafe con crema in Venezuela and you will be given a cup of coffee topped with whipped cream. Order the same thing in Costa Rica and you will be met with a puzzled look and told no - cafe con leche(coffee with milk) only and then you are asked whether you want the milk hot or cold. In Poland I was too embarrassed to ask what cafe americano was so I just drank cappuccino, and only because the Polish word for cappuccino is.....cappuccino.

With my first "tentative" MSC cruise coming up in September through Europe, this makes me fear cruising on MSC....

No, don't be fearful...be brave! Just be knowledgable about what to expect and figure out ahead of time how you plan to react to unfamiliar or unwelcome situations. And as Amomondo and vicocala said: just "go with la vita dolce" and "Quando sei a Roma, fai come i Romani"

With my first "tentative" MSC cruise coming up in September through Europe, this makes me fear cruising on MSC....

No need to be fearful at all. This is all tongue in cheek or at least I hope it is!

I did a crash course in Italian for 3 months leading up,to the cruise only to discover a lot of the crew were Eastern Ruropean or something else and more fluent in English than Italian. I was rather disappointed when a Romanian bwaiter said my Italian was quite good but would I mind just using Enflish - he'd shared a room for ages with a bloke from Dundee so was well used to listening to English with a Scottish accent.

Learning hello, thanks, please in a few languages is a nice thing to do and people appreciate that. Trouble with more complex sentences is you have to also know where to put them emphasis and pronounce each word and even if you get that all correct, Chances are you aren't going to have a clue what the answer is! (My flawless rendition of "please could you help us, we're lost and need to get to the train station" in Danish springs to mind - still it gave my nephew and the Danishman I accosted a good laugh!)

2. It appears from reading many of the reviews on these boards that the following sentences will also come in handy:

a. (It) “Cameriere , il mio cibo è freddo . Per favore mi porti una nuova piastra.” (Waiter, my food is cold, please bring me a new plate.)

b. (Fr) “Excusez-moi madame, cela est le côté non fumeur du navire.” (Excuse me madam, this is the non smoking side of the ship.

c. (Sp) “Hey amigo, al final de la línea de buffet es volver allí.” (Hey buddy, the end of the buffet line is back there.)

d. (It) “Signore, ti prego di portare un cuscino soffice.” (Sir, please bring me a fluffier pillow.)

e. (It) “Dove è il comico che racconta barzellette in cinque lingue diverse?” (Where is the comedian who tells jokes in five different languages?)

f. (It) “Barista, cre do io sono prossimo in linea !” (Bartender, I believe I am next in line!)

g. (It) “Guest Relations? Ho smarrito la mia lista attività. Potete dirmi a che ora le gare disimpegno dei bambini concludono?” (Guest Relations? I have misplaced my activities list. Can you tell me what time the children's hallway races conclude?)

 

Consider that most of the crew on MSC comes from poor countries like on any other cruise line, so they are not Italian and probably understand English better than Italian.

Some of the sentences you quoted sound very unusual or even wrong. In particular:

a. should be "Per favore, mi porti un nuovo piatto" ("piastra" referring to food is something you use to cook).

f. I would say: "Barista, ***** di essere il prossimo nella fila". ("linea" does not translate "line" in the sense of a queue).

g. I can't understand the meaning of this one. What is an "hallway race" (children running in the corridors...? pretty weird activity)? Anyway, your Italian translation makes no sense for an Italian :D.

Consider that most of the crew on MSC comes from poor countries like on any other cruise line, so they are not Italian and probably understand English better than Italian.

Some of the sentences you quoted sound very unusual or even wrong. In particular:

a. should be "Per favore, mi porti un nuovo piatto" ("piastra" referring to food is something you use to cook).

f. I would say: "Barista, ***** di essere il prossimo nella fila". ("linea" does not translate "line" in the sense of a queue).

g. I can't understand the meaning of this one. What is an "hallway race" (children running in the corridors...? pretty weird activity)? Anyway, your Italian translation makes no sense for an Italian :D.

Grazie LeoEdre! I am sure you are correct! I relied solely on google for my translations as I really didn't mean for anyone to actually use these sentences. I was just trying to gently acknowledge (and have a little fun with) people who are bothered by different things and suggest that knowing what "negatives" to expect and then ignoring them, accepting them or dealing with them politely will help us all have a happier cruise. And yes, hallway races refers to children running in the corridors. :D

Quando sei a Roma, fai come i Romani.

 

When in Rome, do as Romans do.

The Romans threw Christians to the lions. Are you suggesting doing the same just because the majority of a group/culture do it? Ethical relativism can lead to continuous bad outcomes. Maybe it would be better to set a "good" example.

I think itvis always a good idea to learn a few of the companies need phrases in the local language you are visiting. Also keep in mind that most europeans, especially those in tourism, speak English.

The most important things to remember is to smile, be polite, never rude.

Please don't think that italians are all rude. There are rude people in all nationalities.

....and talking louder doesn't mean someone will understand you better, when they just don't understand you!

Helaine

The Romans threw Christians to the lions. Are you suggesting doing the same just because the majority of a group/culture do it? Ethical relativism can lead to continuous bad outcomes. Maybe it would be better to set a "good" example.

Nice hyperbole :rolleyes:. It's a big jump from "not being too agitated with line cutters" to "feeding people to lions".

OP - I laughed as you went from "Hello" to complaining about food temperature. Thank you :)

Loved this and by my second cruise it was all good...

I got it....