Me from ME

I just love hearing about other coffee connoisseurs. At one time I would buy raw beans  roast them in an air corn popper, grind them, and do a Melitta drip cone. The air press needs a little experimentation regarding the optimal heat of the water as well as steeping time but you can't beat it for portability and ease of cleaning up after use. It ejects a compressed wafer of coffee grounds. (Too bad we can't take immersion heaters on board.)

Moriah, I share your disdain of the coffee that is from the "coffee machine" (read concentrated coffee with hot water added to give it some warmth).  Thanks for the ideas everyone. I'll bring my air press which I take camping. It's plastic and smaller than a water bottle. YAY! Another problem solved.

It has been quite a while since my former husband and I spent the day in LeHavre. He was feeling quite poorly but we were able to walk around a bit. One of the highlights was discovering the alleyways and steps leading up the bluff. Memorable because it was only a pedestrian way and there were doors leading to people's houses and gardens along the way. Next time I am in port I look forward to showing them to my b.f. My search of GoogleMaps isn't helping. Thanks for any elucidation you can offer.

I would like to thank you as well. I am seriously contemplating a fairly long voyage and not sure whether to leave the lines to which I have allegiance or to try MSC. The buffet seems to have a low ceiling from other pictures I have seen. Is that your experience? Does it seem claustrophobic with all the other people milling around?

Thanks for your prompt reply. Now that I think about it it makes sense since there is a butler involved to show YC passengers to their area.

I received a status match to Black and have never sailed MSC before. Do those having Black status have a separate place to check in (similar to what those in YC have?) One of the benefits listed for us is priority embarkation , disembarkation and tendering. Do we use the same as that for YC?

I recently applied for a status match and wondering how to go about arranging for the automatic 5% discount when booking online with one of the large discounters. Is it enough to indicate that I am a "past passenger" even though this will be the first time on MSC?

Does my travelling companion receive any benefits for his loyalty match if he is on the same ticket as I? I think there might be some OBC.

There are some things I think I will like about this line but a few do concern me so I am trying to gather as much information as I can before deciding.

Thanks

When that happens to me, even if my plate is empty if my so is still eating I just tell the table steward that I would like to keep my plate. It make the person aware that there are other ways of clearing the tables, perhaps even elicit a conversation behind scenes. But then, I miss silver service in the mdr as well.

Thank you again for those who were on the sailing and posted their experience.

Thank you for your reply JAFranklin129. I had been contemplating the same cruise so when hers was announced I compared those with what I could book independently. No surprise, the Inside cabins were $400 more expensive per person to attend her activities.

I had been following on sm and it appeared that there were some large group activities having onlookers. Sorry that your friend wasn't able to catch a glimpse.

On a different line we were put on the Naughty Mat and not allowed to board until headquarters were contacted and someone made an executive decision - our crime? Wanting to take a large piece of luggage that was only 3 inches larger than what would be considered oversize on an airplane. The bag weighed only 28 pounds so it wasn't overweight by any stretch of the imagination. The problem was that there was visible lettering that said "kayak" and the regs say that boats may not be taken onboard. After that little dust up the rules were changed and we have taken our trusty folding watercraft with us ever since.

Simply because I was wondering if anyone had noticed anything rather than looking for something. I have started asking myself if I found myself onboard with certain "celebrities" if I would cancel and rebook.

There is a large group of fans of a reality tv show "personality" who are sailing with you. Said person tends to be a bit of an exhibitionist and I was wondering if any of you are aware of this group and their activities? Has it been disruptive in any way? Or, is the Oasis large enough that they are meeting in private function rooms?

I sailed the Explorer of the Seas when group of Goths was on board and although I don't share their fashion preferences they didn't negatively affect my experience. In fact, they enhanced it. They mingled with us, a few came to the CC M&G but sometimes there were venues that they had booked for themselves so it was off limits to the rest of us.

some of my best dinners have been in the room, or on our balcony.

I couldn't agree more. We thoroughly enjoyed dining on our balcony last year every day we were in port. This year we not only did that but the night we sailed out of Hamilton. Since there were no interactive tvs in our Stateroom I went down to the MDR and took a picture of the menu each day.

Knowing the size of the portions as well as the fact that we were very active during the day and were famished every night I usually ordered multiples so there was quite a stack of plates. The first time we ordered soup as an appetizer we didn't recognize that the broth was in a separate pitcher so we wondered what the tiny amount of shrimp was in the bottom of a large bowl. :D (I did mention that we were tired every night didn't I?) I tipped the room service steward very well.

Thank you to those of you who answered my original question. The additional knowledge made it so much more enjoyable.

I've always wondered about the logistics when someone is left behind and can't catch up at the next port. Not only making last minute reservations for a flight and hotel but having someone pack up all my belongings and the valuables that were left in the safe. That last bit alone keeps me on schedule that last day.

Another option if you don’t want to pack a tray, is to take the tray from under your ice bucket in the cabin.

Great idea!

When I found out that the trays had gone I bought myself a lightweight Lucite tray that also serves nicely as a suitcase divider. It came in especially handy to transport coffee and juice back to our cabin. It did elicit several positive comments from fellow passengers as well as Lido staff.

We always have embarcation lunch in the MDR while awaiting our luggage. We especially enjoy meeting other people when we first are on the ship. That said, the portions are small and the menu is limited and the service is usually slow and sometimes the table stewards get the orders incorrect. We don't mind since we usually top up at the Lido afterwards.

I'm glad I put in my comments that docking in Hamilton was one of my favorite things and that I would be looking for and alternative since Veendam has been reassigned.

kacurl,

I'm happy to hear that your journal was returned in fairly good condition. Good to know that Guest Services took care of an issue for which they were not to blame.

Years ago DH and I boarded a Cunard ship for a transatlantic. We planned to bicycle for several weeks and return on the same ship. At the last minute we let our packed bicycle panniers go with the rest of our suitcases. We hadn't planned on it and had left a tube of sunscreen in one of the pockets.

We passed a uniformed staff member holding one of our panniers in her white gloved hands at arm's length with a look of extreme distaste. Not only had the sunscreen exploded but the panniers had been ripped. The Purser arranged for it to be laundered and sent it to the ship's tailor. The first task was well done, the second part left a bit to be desired.

Yes, the Veendam to Front Street is one of those trips I could do many more times.

kacurl,

Was your original journal returned in acceptable condition? I have got to say that your experience was shocking. I had heard stories of the longshoreman in NY "accidentally" dropping a suitcase in to the East River in retaliation for not receiving a tip but thought it was confabulation. The idea of suitcases falling out of the cages is sobering.

If I had the space in my schedule I would book Veendam to Hamilton in a heartbeat. I didn't mind the age of the ship and her various issues e.g. our toilet was broken (not just not working) when we embarked but it was fixed in short order. The hand soap wasn't in place The safe malfunctioned but that too was put right when the guest services representative could come up to reset it.

I've lost track of the number of ships I have sailed on but it is substantial. I have travelled in both inside cabins as well as the most expensive suites and the cabin stewards always introduce themselves within an hour or two of boarding...except this time. By Sunday morning we wondered if we would ever see our cabin steward and his assistant or, just communicate by notes. I understand they may have been over worked or under trained but this did stand out. They also seemed to disregard the "Please Service Room" tab or, they never learned our schedules. We are early risers and went to breakfast early and the room had never been made up upon our return. I also had an issue with guest services and our Mariner society. It was very poorly handled and barely to my satisfaction at that.

Perhaps I have more sensitive hearing but the bar near the aft end of the ship on Front Street was very loud. Our Vista Suite was forward. Our door was closed but the drapes were open a few inches. Closing them one night did make things quieter. The almost constant din of car horns and motor bike engines (which were very evident when we were on our balcony) was not as relaxing as I would have liked.

Even with the negatives being docked on Front Street for four days is a unique and wonderful experience which can't be done on any other ship that I know of.

Last week there were both pre-made as well as custom built sandwiches in the Lido on Veendam. I liked the interesting combinations available in the premade sandwich section. Brie and Pear anyone?

As far as trays go, I brought my own. It not only makes a nice suitcase divider but is a great way to transport 2 juices and 2 cups of coffee back to the stateroom to start the day.

I lost count of the number of people who asked me where I got my tray.

Disembarked the Veendam a few hours ago. This was my third time sailing her to Bermuda and I will be sorry to not be doing it any more. Last year we were in an aft Vista suite which I simply adored. This year we were starboard and therefore looking out over Front Street. If I were to redo anything about this trip it would be to be on the Port side since the noise from the bars was very much in evidence and lasted until the early hours of the morning.

There are very few activities on board (which is fine with us since we don't require being entertained.) Most activities are obviously revenue producing. The Fitness Center is very good with ample machines.

We took a ferry back to Hamilton from the Dockyard one day at about 5pm and there were 700 people waiting to board. We all made it on but the time it took to load was longer than normal.

I had read this thread about the difficulties printing boarding passes and I was slightly concerned about getting to the check in without one since opinions varied on if it was possible. I asked Terry to print our luggage tags and boarding passes and he also encountered some issues but eventually got everything done.

This is how he did it: reload the page and as soon as the button for the boarding pass appears and click it. Then the little "Working" symbol spins. If the symbol disappears reload and do it again. When the timing is just right the box for printing finally appears and loads. His took 5 or 6 tries but mine took over 20 tries.

Hope this helps someone.