Freeman3030

Thanks for all the info guys 😁

Hello,

I am about to book a cruise from Marseille on the MSC Meravigilla for a week.

We've found flights for a good price, but just wondering how easy it is to get from Marseille airport to the cruise terminal. I prefer using the train rather than getting a bus as we can use the ticket machines to purchase tickets and take our time as my french isn't that good. But I can't find if its a bus or train from the airport to cruise terminal. Does anyone know?

Also, with regards to what to pack. Having never sailed with MSC, what are their attire requirements for dinner? When we've been with P&O in the past they have a couple of black tie nights which adds weight to your luggage for extra shoes, tux etc.

Many thanks,

J

Hi,

My partner and I have been on 2 P&O cruises and have enjoyed them however we would like to try a different company to see how they compare. My partner is 30 next year and I'm planning on suprising him with a cruise. I have seen what I think is a good deal with MSC on the seaview that departs from barcelona and spending in the Med, which I think will be nice. They've currently got an offer of a balcony room for the price of an inside room which I would love to try as we've always has an inside room to keep the cost of the cruise to a minimum. However, having never tried MSC i've got a few questions.

1) With regards to dinner, can we request a table for 2 as we prefer to eat alone or are you seated on a table with others? I can imagine this is something that is remedied by paying more for one of their packages? e.g. bella/fantastica/auora

2) If we have to opt for a top package, how expensive are the paid for restaurants in order to get a table for two?

2) Are tips inclded or are these added onto your bill automatically? If so, how much are they typically when visiting the Med

3) What are the drinks prices like?

4) How efficient is disembarcation? Only that I plan to booking the flighs seperatly and need to choose a flight that is possible to make. The only reason I plan on booking the flights seperatly is because I plan on spending 3 nights in barcelona prior to the cruise.

If anyone can help, it would be much appreciated.

Many thanks!

Hi all,

I'm mid planning our Canary Island cruise and I'd really like to hire a car and drive to Mount Teide and just see where else the day takes us. I've read that 'Cicar' seem to be fairly reputable and also competitively priced. However, I can't find their location near the cruise terminal and having contacted them, the response I received was that their office is located at the same port. I've looked on Google maps and whilst it shows 'Cicar' as a location near the cruise terminal, when I look on street view, there's nothing to indicated where it is. I'd like to have a good idea before I go rather than getting there and not knowing where to go. Does anyone have any experience with hiring a car from them and are they easily accessible from the ship?

Many thanks in advance

Thank you for all the wonderful replies. We are visiting Madiera so I'll be sure to look into the Jeep Safari. Unfortunately we are not visiting Gomera. I'm so excited, April can't come soon enough!

I'm glad you think it's worth it and will certainly visit it! Having pondered on it a bit since posting, I've thought about trying to hire a car to drive there and it'll also give us some flexibility to have a look around the island by car which would be quite nice! The next problem i'm faced with is finding a reliable car hire company.

Hi all,

I'm going on cruise B809 which goes to the Canary Islands in April. Having never been, I was wondering if anyone has any 'must do' excursions whilst visiting the islands?

I quite like the look of the cable car ride up Mount Teide in Tenerife, but its £108 for two people which seems rather expensive. That said, its probably quite nice, so I'd imagine its worth it.

Any advise much appreciated.

Thanks for the replies, that sounds great! Will go ahead and book, I just cant wait!

Hi all,

We did our first cruise last year to the Caribbean and booked a Saver fare we were allocated the 8:30pm sitting. The saver fare was excellent value for money, however I'm currently trying to book cruise (B809) for our next cruise and I'm struggling with selecting a dining option.

When we went to the Caribbean, we had to share a table with another couple in the main dining restaurant (I understand this is the deal with saver fares - we couldn't choose our table size). Our dining companions were pleasant enough but there were a couple of occasions where we might eat our evening meal in the buffet restaurant because we wanted to dine earlier/or were hungry early and the husband would crack a joke at our expense about not being good enough to eat with every night. I would laugh, but it actually made me feel uncomfortable. Having eaten with strangers, its actually highlighted that when eating, I would rather just have the company of my partner.

So we're going to book a 'Select Fare' and try freedom dining as I would like the flexibility to eat when I fancy it and select a table of two. We would probably eat most evenings around 7PM (it depends whats on though), is it likely that we would get a table of 2? Also if a 2 isn't available, would they seat you on a larger table or can you go and have a drink and come back later?

Also, we're planning on selecting an inside room as we don't spend any time in our room except for sleeping/getting ready. Does anyone know any inside rooms that have 2 beds only? Our cabin on the Azura had 2 bunkbeds and I frequently hit my shoulder on it when squeezing through to get into bed.

Many thanks in advance!

Hi all,

I'm planning a 10 day trip in January with NCL. Having only been on one cruise before (P&O) I'm a bit confused. On their website it says 'Premium All Inclusive' and all of your drinks/gratuities are included etc.

But when booking, the advertised price is for a 'Just Cruise Inside' deal priced at £619 but it appears that to be a 'Premium All Inclusive" customer we will need to select an Inside Room priced at £939.

I personally don't drink alcohol, so wouldn't see the benefit in spending £310 more for it, where as my partner does.

What do NCL charge for gratuities? It's all a bit confusing! Also, with a 'Just Cruise Inside' room, are all of the meals included when eating in the main dining room?

If anyone can help clarify on how NCL works, it would be much appreciated.

Many thanks!

Hi John,

Thank you for the comprehensive reply. You've really helped to clarify a lot with regards to the rooms. In January we stayed on Deck 8 in room E104 (it was a room above the Playhouse I believe) we don't suffer from sea sickness - well we didn't earlier in the year. So I would hope to be able to sleep anywhere.

Just on a side note. We went on a saver fare as we booked really late, but as were booking so early I think it's called a select fare. Which allows us to choose our meal time or to select freedom dining. We've got a few family members joining us, if we all select freedom dining, is it likely that we can turn up to the restaurant together and eat as one group? Also will we be able to choose to all eat in the same restaurant or are we dictated to by P&O? I can't remember, but in January I think we were in the peninsula restaurant (but can't remember)

Many thanks

Hi all,

My partner and I are getting married onboard the Azura in May 2019. We've reserved our wedding slot which is being help until Monday. This allows us to book at some point this weekend.

We've only been on one cruise (on the Azura in January - inside room) we loved it, hence why we're doing it again for our wedding). Whilst we were perfectly happy with an inside room, we did have a bit of envy when we saw the cleaners in the outside rooms as they were filled with natural light. So we've decided to select an outside room for our wedding cruise.

We wont spend an awful lot of time in our room, but a window will be a nice addition.

Our options are:

*LF Outside P deck £2,718

*LC Outside P deck £2,798

*LE Outside E deck £2,798

*LB Outside E deck £2,898

What does LF, LC, LE and LB stand for? We would quite like a quiet location but in January we were at the very front of the ship and it was silent... but a very long walk to the midship!

Also, do any of these rooms NOT have the bunk beds on the side of the wall? They were annoying and I found them to be in the way a bit.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks

Thank you so much for the tips and advise. It really is much appreciated. I'm feeling much more reassured about dress codes and what to do in Barbados. Many thanks!

Hi all,

On Sunday my partner and I booked our very first cruise. Weve spoken for a few years about going on a cruise, but never really delved that much into it as we thought it would always be a future holiday. Anyhow, we just happened to look and saw a fly cruise with P&O on the Azura to the Carribean. We checked the dates and just booked it there and then. It was only £749 so thought it was a steal.

Having never done this before, I'm just wondering how easy it all as. We fly to Barbados and it says online that our luggage is transferred from the plane to the boat. Do we literally get off of the plane, get a transfer and head for the boat. Is it really that simple?

Also, I'm concerned about evening wear. There are 9 casual nights and 4 black tie nights. Are jeans and a shirt too casual for the casual evenings? And do you have to wear a black suit to the black tie nights?

I'm so excited, but nervous at the same time! Any tips for first timers would be much appreciated!