Zephyr173

Hi dear MSC forum friends.

We have a nice booking, a TA from Genoa to Miami, November 2019.  Some excursions are included, but I know that I would prefer another in Lisboa.

Is it possible to drop, and recover the value of an included excursion?  I'm sure I can book something else or even get a private tour, yet I would like to recover the value of a tour we will not use.

Specifically, MSC Divina will be docked at Cascais, and we favour a stint to Sintra rather than the included Lisboa city tour.

They are queen. 

It's a requirement by U.S. Customs that the ship be emptied of Pax, then embarkation can begin.  Even B2B YC Pax must get off, the re-embark.  Therefore, you cannot stay very late in the TSL.

As Bea points out, it's different in the Med.  In August '18, we vacated the stateroom around 9, and set up camp at TSL lounge until around 11:30, which was the latest we could and still catch our train.  I suspect that we could have stayed longer.  We were then on Preziosa, in Kiel.

We feel trains are the way to go.  Both stations you mention are important (not major) so are quite well served.  Quick and reliable.  It would be different, say, from La Spezzia to Siena where the bus becomes the best option.

La Spezzia is the gateway to Cinque Terre, so it becomes important.  Pisa station serves the airport, so quite important.  Thus both train stations are well travelled and served.

Hi John,

Preziosa is a nice ship, and we were in the Yacht Club.  Service was excellent. 

MSC was fine in the Baltic. We did the ship’s excursions in Copenhagen and Stockholm, and both were very interesting and worth the money.

We used other tour operators in Tallinn and St-P. 

Hi John,

It is quite a short ride in Kiel.  Around 5 minutes, 10Euros including tip for the luggage.  In fact, even with luggage it is close enough to walk, and the sidewalks along the water are nice and even.

It is simple to get from Hamburg Hbf to the airport, with  the S1 line of the U-Bahn.  However, I Don't know exactly how to effect that trip, as we were in Hamburg before our cruise, but went to Berlin after it.  In that direction, the S1 line splits at Olhsdorf; one arm goes to the airport , the other to Poppenbüttel😩.

Patrick

I used the train.  I find it more comfortable than the bus.

Also, at the train station in Kiel, MSC sets up a kiosk and baggage drop-off.  Can't really miss it.  It's on the right, immediately at the end of the platforms, of which there are only a few at Kiel.

Get a picture of your ship, print it on a sheet of paper with the words:

Per favore, il terminal crociere.

Nave MSC (name of your ship).

Grazie

I do the same for different languages I may encounter in different ports of call.

For my part, I can understand and speak some Italian and Spanish, so I know my translations are OK.  For arabic, I asked a trusted friend write my note.  This is my little insurance along with enough cash for a cab in my "what if kit".

You will make it!  There is only 1 cruise terminal in Genoa, and if I recall only 2 or 3 berths, close together, for cruise ships.

Italian trains are very nice, fast and quite reliable.  That would be our preferred choice.  What does rome2rio.com suggest?

It's best to convert CAD, GBP, EUR or AUD.  USD does Indeed get nailed with a % and a fee.  Don't forget that all US-issued credit cards are refused, so are travellers' cheques.

We received one prior to sailing on Preziosa in August 2018. Cute touch.

I once followed a person back to ship, who had vodka in a plastic commercial bottle of water. The security person shook the bottle and opined that water does not bubble the same way as vodka.  So the person saw the bottle confiscated.

I have told this on another thread, and another fellow CC member replied that she had no problem getting wine on board.

My experience is consistent with the terms of the contract with MSC, that is no personal alcohol to be brought on board. Any, including that which you purchase on the ship, are to be held by the ship and returned to you the evening before you disembark. 

On our very first tender (we have only cruised 4 times), we were in YC and learned that exiting early was a 1 hour ordeal. But from YC, a  butler takes you out by hijacking the elevator, and ushering you through otherwise inaccessible doors. You end up at the front of the queue. From there, the butler used hand gestures to signal the crew that a few YC Pax’s were there.  From TopSail to tender in under 10 minutes. 

3. The speed of the connection depends on how many users are using the bandwidth at the same time. This is a satellite connection, so it will be nowhere near what you can expect at home. Still, the connection is usually good enough to do FaceTime, and certainly good enough to download the newspaper. 

The connection is always satellite, even in port.  So there is no difference between being at sea or in port. 

4 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

I'm debating whether to go to the terminal early or late on the 20th (it's a Monday) if the debarkation process is slower than usual. I think it'd be better to enjoy a bit of shopping in Bayside in the morning and have lunch before heading down to the port (if the hotel allows us to store our luggage 'til we're ready to collect it).

We stayed in the area prior to a cruise. Excellent hotel  (Intercontinental).  We preferred to stay at the hotel rather than walk around the neighborhood.  We did not feel unsafe in the area, but I was very watchful, as city blocks are a bit long, and not very busy when we went (Saturday evening, Sunday morning if I recall). 

Then... I could see Divina from my lounger on the hotel pool deck. 11AM and I decided that was it!!!  Get the luggage, hire a taxi and off to YC for lunch (I find Miami restaurants expensive for nothing, with much food going to waste as well). 

Hmmm.  The waves do seem familiar, but I don’t recognize the flooring. 

Last August, we ended up at the Piano Bar.

If I recall correctly, they use first rate Illy brand coffee.  That’s good stuff☕️

Caffe Italia on Deck 7, overlooking the reception area is your best option. Our early morning routine involves caffe corretto, which obviously doesn't happen at home, before going to work.

There are also espresso machines at Piazza Del Doge's pastry shop on deck 6 and, if that's your chosen experience, in the Top Sail Lounge.  If I recall, there is also an espresso machine at the Garden Bar, deck 15 aft and outdoors - that's not really a place for coffee so I wonder if they even care to warm it up.

Unfortunately, you cannot know in advance the planning for all those parties.  On our last trip, we galloped from the CC M&G, then onto the Yacht Club party, all between 10AM and noon.  Just before dinner, we (oh dear!) had the Welcome Back toast.

Can't complain!

Caffe Italia on Deck 7, overlooking the reception area is your best option. Our early morning routine involves caffe corretto, which obviously doesn't happen at home, before going to work.

There are also espresso machines at Piazza Del Doge's pastry shop on deck 6 and, if that's your chosen experience, in the Top Sail Lounge.

Hi Molly,

You will find the TV choices in the cabin to be rather slim.  As there are several cultural expectations to cater, there are many channels but each culture only enjoys slim pickings.

Your sailing will be in the Caribbean, so I would think that the sports bar will cater to more American flavours, and thus probably show NFL games.  I saw some football when in the Caribbean and in the Baltic Sea... Just not the same football.

Coffee is fine in the buffet, but did not see it made.

Again, Bea is a fountain of knowledge. We are only on our 5th cruise in November 2019, but I look forward to mischievously missing the first muster drill. Then again... day 2 o that cruise is also an embarkation day.

You would get double Voyager’s Club points, but that is rather useless if you are already black,

You get 200USD OU EUR OBC. 

You can ask the concierge to set up an appointment with the future cruises attendant, and that person will come and meet you at the YC concierge area. Otherwise, get ready for lengthy wait times at the futures’ desk. 

I have booked on board twice and am. It impressed with what was offered. However, I am partly responsible for that, as I had not done any research before summoning the futures’ person.  For example, I booked a cruise 2 days before disembarking ; back on land, I found the same for 10% less. It the end of the world, but perhaps if I had researched while in the ship, I could have done better.

in any event, my TA (who is my sister) feels she would do a better job if I would just leave the future cruise people alone...

I used FaceTime with the premium package (I think that’s the surfer package) and it worked decently. I also used mail and iMessages.