NightWoman

I think you might need to phone your TA if you have one or contact MSC if you booked direct to do this.

As other members have mentioned its a health and safety issue. If you take a blow up paddling pool for the children to splash about in, it will save embarrassment when asked to vacate the main pools 😊

We've only been on Ambition and I would agree with your views, especially the plumbing it's not acceptable and an obvious problem which needs sorted. We enjoyed the ship and will be cruising again with Ambassador in October next year sailing from Dundee as it's close to us but we definitely wouldn't make the effort to travel to any English ports to sail with this cruise line.

The upgrade offers are handled by a 3rd party partner and not MSC and are random, not everyone gets one. They are linked to your marketing preferences in your online account, if you ticked the box to receive marketing from MSC then you may or may not get an email inviting you to bid.

Because it was always part of the cruise experience and when cruising restarted after COVID it was a good reason for cruise lines to stop it, get the cabin stewards doing extra duties at night so no need to employ more crew. Why do I like it; we aren't hard to please and always have a tidy cabin but it was nice to come in after your night out, clean towels bed turned down and next days paper left in the cabin. I understand why people don't want it as quotes like " your cabin steward works hard" yes they always have done but now they take longer doing cabins during the day, short break then go onto other duties at night, bar or waiting staff etc., I think they would prefer dealing with the cabins. Before, cabin steward's would start at 8am work until 12, or 1pm at the latest have a break, restart at 6pm and finish between 9pm and 10pm, personally speaking and what I have seen they are now working longer hours. Over the years cruise lines have steadily been removing or cutting back on perks and services but it's only my opinion and others will no doubt have their own views 😊

Yes you can have breakfast and lunch in the Buckingham restaurant and it's a combination of self service and waiter service. I tried to be as objective as possible and the public areas are nice however this a ship that's over 20 years old and the infrastructure is not as good as the newer ships and I agree they should have made a point of refurbishing certain areas especially the Borough Market, after all Ambassador made a fortune from the Scottish Government. There isn't anything that would prevent me cruising on Ambition again but I would only cruise if the ship was sailing from a Scottish port. I'm sure if you decide to cruise on Ambition you'll enjoy it.

Long review of Ambition 8 night Fjord Cruise from Dundee 27th May - 4th June. We've cruised numerous times with many cruise lines however this was the first with Ambassador and the reason we chose this line was purely because it was sailing from Dundee so there was no flying and only an hours drive from Fife. I think Ambassador will do well in the Scottish market as so few cruise lines embark/disembark from Scotland, it's convenient and cost effective, let's face airports are not a joy. What I will say about Dundee Cruise Terminal is that it's not very well sign posted and depending on which direction you come from the signage doesn't always allow you to turn onto the road you need but we got there in the end. A marquee is the check-in area so it's not a permanant feature due to the limited number of cruises leaving from Dundee. You have to navigate some less than smooth surfaces however the porters were very efficient and friendly helping anyone who needed assistance. Unlike Southampton your luggage is with you when you complete the check-in then taken from you to be scanned allowing you to then board. The check-in at Dundee was very quick, from arrival to embarking took about 15 minutes and we were on board by 12:30, we went straight to our cabin to drop off our hand luggage. Our main luggage arrived not long after and we were unpacked and organised well before the boat drill at 15:30, this was a proper muster drill where all passengers go to their muster station on deck, listen to the safety briefing and watchthe crew put on their life jackets. We had a window cabin on deck 8 for 2 passengers, it was set up as a double but clearly space was limited so we asked the cabin steward to set then up as singles which allowed us more space, the bed was very comfortable. The cabin itself, there were quite a few marks on the carpet so in my opinion it hadn't undergone a deep clean, the edges of the furniture were quite damaged as well. There was plenty of wardrobe space with about 30 good wooden hangers, lots of drawer space, and a flat screen TV, hairdryer which wasn't fixed was in the dressing table cupboard and was actually quite powerful, the safe was in a cupboard above the TV. There is plenty of room under the bed for storing cases, we had 2 large hard shell cases which we put under unopened and 2 smaller cases with space to spare. The bathroom is very compact and could be a tight space for anyone who is of larger proportions especially between the toilet and the shower, on the plus side it was a shower screen rather than a curtain, plenty of hot water and there was sufficient space for toiletries on both sides of the wash-hand basin. There is no turn down service but Adie left us 4 bath towels every day, he was very pleasant and did a good job, not that we were high maintenance. The ship isn't large and is easy to navigate if you are looking for entertainment or bars. The Clifton, Angel, Pendennis, Purple Turtle and The Cavern bars were always popular and the entertainment in each venue was very good and seats filled up very quickly, there was always plenty of staff serving and we were usually served very quickly especially when the staff got to know you and your drink of choice. A lot of people like having a few nuts or crisps when having a drink and if I was being critical there were no nuts or crisps on offer in any of the bars. The Palladium Theatre is nice and well laid out. The cruise director was very good and The Palladium Theatre group were excellent, they put on several shows and these were very popular, some guests leaving the restaurant and sitting in the theatre for over an hour. Martin Daniels put on two shows but to be honest the content was the same as the shows he did about 10 years ago on P&O but he entertained the audience. There was also an acting group on board who did some small plays, again very entertaining and something different to watch in the afternoon or evening. The guest speaker was very informative, the lectures were about Stevie Wonder and the history of Motown. There was also the Captain and Officers question and answers however this was clearly staged and only certain generic questions were asked, there was no roving mike as is usual at these events, keeping the Captain from answering awkward questions I think. Food and dining is always subjective what one person enjoys another dislikes. The Borough Market buffet at breakfast and lunch was always busy sometimes manic because unlike larger ships where food is available more or less all day on Ambition breakfast was from 7am - 10am and lunch 12pm - 14:30 so it was a short window but we always found a seat further away from the buffet. This area had obviously not had any alterations done in it as it's very badly laid out and is very congested, people walking in all directions, not paying attention to where they are going or who was behind them, especially at the hot drinks dispenser, which was more like a corridor far too narrow with guests trying to pour hot drinks while people struggled to get passed including the buffet staff with trolleys. Don't expect the selection or variety of food you get on larger ships, we didn't think there was a massive choice but we always managed to find something to eat, the alfresco grill offered 2 types of pizza everyday, hot dogs and sometimes burgers. Although there are sinks and hand gel at the entrance to the buffet a lot of passengers didn't feel hand washing applied to them and there were no staff on duty to encourage people to do this, although you shouldn't have to remind people to do this and considering how important personal hygiene is but particularly on a cruise ship I feel this should be taken more seriously. Our dining time was 1st sitting at 17:30, and we requested a table for 2 when booking which we got and we were allocated The Holyrood Restuarant, table number 100, we had 2 attentive waiters who made sure our wine glasses were topped up, the food wasn't the best we've experienced but certainly not the worst, we always found something we liked however a lot of the food was over salted. One big complaint for us and many others we spoke to is that 17:30 is far too early for dinner, most people were finished by 19:00 and I can see no reason why 1st sitting can't be at 18:15 this still gives the waiters ample time to re set the tables for 2nd sitting at 20:15. During our cruise the restaurant was never at any time running at full capacity, there were a lot of empty seats, tables for 6 with only 2 people at it for the full cruise. As this was a more traditional ship it was nice to see some passengers made an effort on the formal nights with gents in dinner jackets and bow ties and the ladies in lovely dresses however it's disappointing that some thought jeans and a T shirt was appropriate it certainly doesn't add to the ambience on the ship but that's just my opinion. We did not like some areas of the pool deck, old and stained sun beds and the round wooden seating areas were in need to maintance, it certainly wouldn't entice me sit there however at one end of the deck and at the side of the pool deck there was a nicer area with decent seating and tables on both sides. Even though we've been to the Fjords several times the scenery is always different and Fjords are quite spectacular, the weather was reasonable we had some rain, sun and it was chilly. The less positive experience was our cabin thermostat even at high was cold, it was like this the day we embarked and on the sea day which we reported to Adie our cabin steward and reported it at reception, the public areas were cold and it was particularly cold in the theatre, it improved after it was reported so I'm not sure what the issue was. It doesn't matter how many times there were anouncements over the tannoy and in the daily paper about the vacumn system on We've cruised numerous times with many cruise lines however this was the first with Ambassador and the reason we chose this line was purely because it was sailing from Dundee so there was no flying and only an hours drive from Fife. What I will say about Dundee Cruise Terminal is that it's not very well sign posted and depending on which direction you come from the signage doesn't always allow you to turn onto the road you need but we got there in the end. A marquee is the check-in area so it's not a permanant feature due to the limited number of cruisesleaving from Dundee. You have to navigate some less than smooth surfaces however the porters were very efficient and friendly helping anyone who needed assistance. Unlike Southampton your luggage is with you when you complete the check-in then taken from you to be scanned allowing you to then board. The check-in at Dundee was very quick, from arrival to embarking took about 15 minutes and we were on board by 12:30, we went straight to our cabin to drop off our hand luggage. Our main luggage arrived not long after and we were unpacked and organised well before the boat drill at 15:30, this was a proper muster drill where all passengers go to their muster stationon deck and listening to the safety briefing and watching the crew put on their life jackets. We had a window cabin on deck 8 for 2 passengers, it was set up as a double but clearly space was limited so we asked the cabin steward to set then up as singles which allowed us more space, the bed was very comfortable. The cabin itself, there were quite a few marks on the carpet so in my opinion it hadn't undergone a deep clean, the edges of the furniture were quite damaged as well. There was plenty of wardrobe space with about 30 good wooden hangers, lots of drawer space, and a flat screen TV, hairdryer which wasn't fixed was in the dressing table cupboard and was actually quite powerful, the safe was in a cupboard above the TV. There is plenty of room under the bed for storing cases, we had 2 large hard shell cases which we put under unopened and 2 smaller cases with space to spare. The bathroom; very compact and could be a tight space for anyone who is of larger proportions especially between the toilet and the shower, on the plus side it was a shower screen rather than a curtain, plenty of hot water and there was sufficient space for toiletries on both sides of the wash-hand basin. There is no turn down service but Adie left us 4 bath towels every day, he was very pleasant and did a good job, not that we were high maintenance. The ship isn't large and is easy to navigate if you are looking for entertainment or bars. The Clifton, Angel, Pendennis, Purple Turtle and The Cavern bars were always popular and the entertainment in each venue was very good and seats filled up very quickly, there was always plenty of staff serving and we were usually served very quickly especially when the staff got to know you and your drink of choice. A lot of people like having a few nuts or crisps when having a drink and if I was being critical there were no nuts or crisps on offer in any of the bars. The Paladium Theatre is nice and well laid out. The cruise director was very good and The Paladium Theatre group were excellent, they put on several shows and these were very popular, some guests leaving the restaurant and sitting in the theatre for over an hour. Martin Daniels put on two shows but to be honest the content was the same as the shows he did about 10 years ago on P&O but he entertained the audience. There was also an acting group on board who did some small plays, again very entertaining and something different to watch in the afternoon or evening. The guest speaker was very informative, the lectures were about Stevie Wonder and the history of Motown. There was also the Captain and Officers question and answers however this was clearly staged and only certain generic questions were asked, there was no roving mike as is usual at these events, keeping the Captain from answering awkward questions I think. Food and dining is always subjective what one person enjoys another dislikes. The Borough Market buffet, always busy sometimes manic but we always found a seat. This area had obviously not had any alterations done in it, it is badly laid out and is very congested, people walking in all directions, not paying attention to where they are going or who was behind them, especially at the hot drinks dispenser, which was more like a corridor far too narrow with guests trying to pour hot drinks while people struggled to get passed including the buffet staff with trolleys. Don't expect the selection or variety of food you get on larger ships, we didn't think there wasn't a massive choice but we always managed to find something to eat, the alfresco grill offered 2 types of pizza everyday, hot dogs and sometimes burgers. Although there are sinks and hand gel at the entrance to the buffet a lot of passengers didn't feel hand washing applied to them and there were no staff on duty to encourage people to do this, although you shouldn't have to remind people to do this and considering how important personal hygiene is but particularly on a cruise ship I feel this should be taken more seriously Our dining time was 1st sitting at 17:30, and we requested a table for 2 when booking which we got and we were allocated The Holyrood Restuarant, table number 100, we had 2 attentive waiters who made sure our wine glasses were topped up, the food wasn't the best we've experienced but certainly not the worst, we always found something we liked. One big complaint for us and many others we spoke to is that 17:30 is far too early for dinner, most people were finished by 19:00 and I can see no reason why 1st sitting can't be at 18:15 this still gives the waiters ample time to re set the tables for 2nd sitting at 20:15. During our cruise the restaurant was never at any time running at full capacity, there were a lot of empty seats, tables for 6 with only 2 people at it for the full cruise. As this was a more traditional ship it was nice to see some passengers made an effort on the formal nights with gents in dinner jackets and bow ties and the ladies in lovely dresses however it's disappointing that some thought jeans and a T shirt was appropriate it certainly doesn't add to the ambience on the ship but that's just my opinion. We did not like some areas of the pool deck, old and stained sun beds and the round wooden seating areas were in need to maintance, it certainly wouldn't entice me sit there however at the side of the pool deck there was a nicer area with decent seating and tables on both sides. Even though we've been to the Fjords several times the scenery is always different and Fjords are quite spectacular, the weather was reasonable we had some rain, sun and cold. The less positive experience was our cabin thermostat even at high was cold, it was like this the day we embarked and on the sea day which we reported to Adie our cabin steward and reported it at reception, the public areas were cold and it was particularly cold in the theatre, it improved after it was reported so I'm not sure what the issue was. It doesn't matter how many times there were anouncements over the tannoy and in the daily paper about the vacumn system on the ship and not to put anything other than toilet paper in the toilets. We had an issue with the toilets not flushing on deck 8, we've no idea when the problem started as they weren't working when we got up at 7am and we reported it straight away to reception and it was about lunch time before they were working again, it's very inconvenient having to go down 2 decks to use a toilet. We also know Deck 9 had no toilets or water for over 2 days as we overhead passengers complaining at reception which is totally unacceptable. I know in other reviews some people had problems with waiting for drinks however we didn't experience this at any time in fact new staff came on in Newcastle and again in Dundee as we watched them boarding. The pros: Leaving from Dundee Adult only Reasonable priced drinks although we did have the Expedition Drinks Package and made good use of it. The staff were first class, very friendly and helpful Good entertainment Traditional cruising The cons: It's an old ship so in constant need of maintenance and not having toilets and water is unacceptable Tired bathrooms 1st sitting for dinner is far too early Overall we had a good time and we would book on Ambition again but only if its sailing from a port near us Dundee or Leith, we wouldn't make the effort to get to Tilbury for example. Want to cruise smarter? 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Yes you can take them no problem, this same question appears on various groups just about every day with ladies panicking that they are going to have a bad hair day everday on the cruise 💇‍♀️ MSC need to update their website to confirm that you can take them 😊

Check You Tube, there's lots of cabin information and blogs and you may be lucky in finding information on your cabin.

It happened on Azura a couple of weeks ago. Two male passengers, came into the buffet in robes and slippers and the Manager promptly told them they should be dressed appropriately, the man was going to argue the point but the Manager did the right thing and told them to leave and they did.

I understand the size of the wine and the 15 drinks. But we'll wait until we board to see exactly what's included as the T&C state all drinks up to £6.95 no restrictions on what drinks you can have as long as it's not over £6.95, unless there's a different menu for the anyone with the package!!

What sort of numerous restrictions? On other lines drinks packages are usually included in the price and we would normally make use of them but we haven't sailed with P&O for a few years and we were considering the drinks package on our next cruise and I am interested to know what is actually included in the package. I did manage to find a few menus and there appeared to be quite a lot of drinks cocktails, spirits, wine and even a prosecco at £6.95 or under, so am I missing something?

If you have a Bella or Fantastica cabin there's no extras that includes tissues and cotton wool. Diamond level or in the YC you will have them, not sure what's provided in the suites.

Unfortunately you have to pay the full amount not the difference 😕

Hi Cruiseforever11, Approx 50 guests in YC from the UK, France, Germany and Belgium. From a selfish point of view it would have been a much smoother process for us if they had an officer in the YC and what I mean by that we wouldn't have had to walk by all the angry passengers to get our passports checked. There were more than 2 border force officers in the area but only 2 people checking passports they were very disorganised and they were not particularly pleasant, shouting at passengers and the MSC crew.

It varied due to passengers embarking and disembarking at various ports but between 2200 - 2600. A lot of people embarked in Hamburg as this was the home port.

Thank-you. Tried to edit the title but wasn't able to.

This was our 3rd cruise with MSC. In the past this was not a cruise line we would have sailed with but when cruising resumed in 2021 this line embarked passengers in Greenock so we took the opportunity to sail on Virtuosa. Truthfully, last year we were not impressed not the fault of MSC more the passenger demographic and what I mean by this is a lot of the passengers had never been on a ship and treated it as a booze cruise, leaving children unsupervised and left to their own devices and not treating the staff well. However it wasn't a typical cruise so we decided to give MSC another chance and cruised around the UAE in March of this year and enjoyed it far better. We decided to do a last minute cruise and booked for the Northern Pearls cruise leaving on the 4th November from Southampton, this was an 8 night cruise. Our previous 2 MSC cruises were in a Fantastica Balcony cabin, this time we decided to book a Yacht Club Suite to see what the difference was. From the time we checked in a the YC tent about 10:15am the service was amazing, we were escorted past the queues to a seperate security area and taken to the YC area where we were warmly welcomed by Chris the YC director, our butler Glen also introduced himself and offered us champagne Unfortunately the MSC systems were being updated from GBP to Euros on board so there was a slight delay in embarking however it wasn't an issue as we were well looked after. Check-in is also done in this area for YC guests. We were escorted by our butler onto the ship and taken to the YC Top Deck Lounge on deck 16 where we were welcomed on board by the Top Sail Lounge staff who were all friendly, helpful and impecabley dressed, we were offered more champagne then shortly after our butler escorted us to our suite. Our suite was on deck 15, it was large and well appointed, a large comfortable bed and pillows, plenty of wardrobe and drawer space, bathrobes and slippers.coffee machine and a kettle, there was also a mini bar. The bathroom was a great size with a large walk-in shower and lovely towels. Canapes were delivered late afternoon as well as ice for drinks. Our cabin steward Tojo was friendly unobtrusive and was there if we needed him. The outside grill wasn't open everyday due to the weather but this would a great area when the ship is sailing in a warmer climate. The Top Sail Lounge was great in the evening, quiet with a nice atmosphere as there were only about 50 guests, the entertainment at night could have been better, there was a violinist and pianist played before dinner and after there was piona player/singer on after who was excellent. Our waiter Jayson and his assistant were great, very attentive and gave excellent service but the food in YC was a disappointment, we expected better options however it seemed to be the same menu as the MDR's and we had the same menu repeated after 4 days, so we weren't impressed. The butler always escorted us to the theatre shows where there was an area set aside for YC guests so we were always guaranteed a good seat. The shows were worth seeing, good singers and dancers, storyline sometimes a bit random but entertaining for 35mins. We also went to one of the paid shows in the Carousel Lounge, Adjerez that was excellent. We spent a lot of our time enjoying the YC Top Sail Lounge but we also enjoyed the Champagne Bar after the theatre and during the day Masters of The Sea Pub. The Market Place Buffet was also good, when we went there was no shortgage of seating and there were plenty of food choices to suit everyone. The parties in the Galleria didn't interest us so can't comment on what they were like. The ship was kept spotlessly clean and all the staff were friendly, helpful and work very hard to ensure everyone had a good experience on board. There was only one formal night out of the eight which was disappointing and it was nice to see some guests had made the effort to dress elegantly. As we had visited the ports before we didn't get off the ship. The reason for the 4* was due to absolute fiasco on the day of disembarkation. Border Force were undertaking face to face checks for everyone on board. We were asked to go the YC Lounge at 8am, we turned up thinking this would be where we would be checked however this wasn't the case. The butler collected us and took us down to deck 6 when we came out of the lift the queue was from the theatre all the way to Carousel Lounge, many people were taking off their own luggage so this was causing an obstruction as well as people coming out of the lifts with large cases. Being YC we were taken to the front of the queue but had to endure the angry and agressive people shouting and commenting on the fact that we had priority. The face to face check took 10 seconds, then we had to get a sticker to prove we had been checked. On returning to the YC Lounge we waited until it was time for leaving and again the butler escorted us to deck 6, this time it was even worse as the queue snaked again from the theatre to the reception and back again. The butler and ourselves were again shouted at, abused and intimdated by fellow passengers because we had priority, it was highly unpleasant and quite frightning being in such an unpleasant crowd. We've had face to face checks by immigration before whilst on a ship but never on disembarkation day, Border Force usually come on the ship the day before (in this instance they could have embarked in Le Havre) and arrange the checks by deck and passengers given a time to attend but this was very badly organised and from a safety point of view it was also dangerous as the area was far too congestated, there were 2600 passengers on board and I dread to think what this would have been like with a full ship. I hope MSC and Border Force get this better organised in the future as it was unaccpatable. Apart from disembarkation we enjoyed ourselves. This was our first experience of the YC and we get what they mean when they say YC is a ship within a ship, food aside, the ambience, service and the suites were much better than what some 5* cruise lines offer. We've been spoilt and we would cruise with MSC again but only if it's in the Yacht Club.

Unfortunately not, it doesn't matter how close you are to the next level, you need to have completed the cruise then your points will be added 😊

Hope so as well, we always book outwith school holidays especially with a cruise line like MSC 🥂

Good question, I wondered that myself and if there are no bids from YC inside how do they choose who to upgrade from YC inside to a YC balcony. One of lifes cruising mysteries.

Good Morning HikingPete, I know what you mean and from what I've read in previous CC posts and MSC groups, MSC will confiscate your bottle (if they find it) and you will get it back at the end of the cruise, all luggage is scanned before going on the ship but you might be lucky 🍾😏

Yes, we now have a confirmed YCI cabin, our TA made the changes and we use a TA who has a lot of experience with MSC and can make all the amendments quickly. Having looked this morning there is still 1 YCI cabin on deck 14 😊

I agree. We are on the same cruise and originally booked a fantastica balcony cabin on deck 9. We've cruised a lot and an inside cabin has never been on our radar however when I looked at the cost of the so called upgrade offer and calculating the difference between the balcony we had booked and the YCI it was a no brainer however before I changed I did ask the members on CC and our TA if it was worth sacrificing the balcony for the YCI and it was a unanimous yes so we changed to YCI. Looking forward to the YC experience and hopefully we get on okay with the inside cabin.

We have been considering the YC however it would be an inside cabin which we have never had before. Looking at the You Tube videos space looks really tight for 2 people. What is the opinion of people who have booked an inside cabin, is it worth compromising on space for the privilege of being in the YC?