Maria63

My DH & I are in our early 60s, and our favorite lines are Celebrity & RCI (due to loyalty benefits), but we have also cruised with Viking, Azamara, Cunard, HAL, Princess, Costa, and MSC (both YC and non-YC). To be blunt, I would recommend that you do a thorough research before booking, and you need to be aware that the YC-reviews and experiences do in no way reflect the experience on the rest of the ship. MSC is a very different product than Celebrity, and generally much more lively, noisy, and crowded. On the newer MSC-ships with the Galeria-design (for instance World Europa) you will struggle to find a quiet lounge, and as the YC takes up most of the front of the ship, there is nothing like an observation lounge in the front for non-YC. However, if the itinerary is port-intensive and you plan to do lots of excursions, MSC can be a very sensible choice budget-wise, as the experience on the ship itself might then be a secondary consideration. In the Mediterranean MSC allows you to embark in most ports along the itinerary, so you have lots of flexibility and choices in how you plan your flights and pre- & post-cruise travels

I´m no expert on the monsoon patterns by far, but if I´ve got it right it is somewhat complicated. For instance, in Thailand, Phuket on the west coast is usually fine in late December, while Koh Samui on the east coast gets rains and high winds until around February. Singapore also has more or less daily showers until at least February.

I would say it depends on your embarkation port. At least in Barcelona, on embarkation day your carryons are scanned by port security, and they do not (in our experience) enforce cruise line -specific regulations about bringing alcoholic- or non-alcoholic drinks onboard. Besides, after the security-scan at the terminal, there is a duty-free where you can buy soft drinks, wine & spirits, and bring them onboard without any interrogation or further checking of bags on embarkation day.

One thing to keep in mind is that December is in the middle of the rainy season in much of Indonesia, so it´s a less-than-ideal time to visit for instance Bali. The scenery in the interior is absolutely breath taking, but when shrouded in clouds & rain you don´t get to see any of it.

DH & I did the Indonesian Discovery in 2023 on Westerdam, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in history & culture as it takes you to places you would not normally get to visit on a holiday trip to the region. In Jakarta we took a private tour with a local guide, and had ample time at the Jakarta History Museum and the Old Town. The cultural tour of Lombok was also fascinating, to name just a few of the interesting places. Komodo dragons on the other hand are perhaps somewhat overrated, but the scenery in these parts is very beautiful.

It´s true that rude and inconsiderate people exist in all cultures. But as for the "who is the last one?" -system, I had it explained to me by my native Spanish language teacher when I lived there. I then also experienced it in real life for instance in the post offices in Spain.

DH & I went through the Suez the first week of this December on Costa Toscana and did not notice any unusual security arrangements. Later on, some 2 weeks ago, we witnessed NCL Dawn being grandly welcomed into Doha, Qatar, with water cannon salutations. We are currently in Dubai and tourism is in full swing, though there appears to be significantly fewer American or Western European visitors than before.

There´s no need for a taxi or other form of transport if you just want to have lunch in town. There are very good food courts within easy walking distance from the cruise pier.

If your embarkation is at the Marina cruise terminal, there are duty free shops that sell both wine and spirits, so taking alcohol onboard is not an issue for the local authorities. Dubai is nowadays not very restrictive regarding alcohol, you are for instance allowed to bring some 4 liters into the country for personal use and the law that allowed drinking only at licenced venues (not for instance in private apartments) has also been dropped for now. On embarkation day, cruise ships do not usually scan your bags when you enter the ship itself, but the scanning is handled by port security. I would recommend you carry the alcohol in its original bottle in your hand luggage. If the cruise ship does not allow it, they will confiscate it and give it back to you at the end of the cruise.

No, only for sushi.

We were on World Europa in November as diamond. The complimentary dinner only includes Hola Tacos, Butcher´s Cut and the Sushi place, but not Chef´s Garden or the fish restaurant. We did Chef´s Garden as part of the dinner package and had the limited menu, and found it to be a bit overly fussy and only so-so taste wise. Our preferred choice would still be Butcher´s Cut.

My DH & I have during the past 15 yrs crused a lot with RC (our preferred line due to the loyalty benefits) & Celebrity, but also with everything from Viking, Azamara and Cunard to the older MSC and Costa ships. Last November we did a b2b on World Europa and were actually pleasantly surprised regarding the food. In our opinion MSC is steadily improving food-wise, though crowd management is still something of an issue. If you do book Aurea you get to dine in a more peaceful MDR-environment, but if not, speciality dining is worth considering if you want a more upscale feel to the dining. We had a dining package and did Hola, Chef´s Garden, Sushi and Butcher´s Cut and enjoyed them all. The package-menu in Butcher´s Cut is limited but this was not an issue in our opinion and we were quite happy with what was included in the package. We found it to be at least as good as Chops on RC. One thing worth noting if you want a good table inside and not in the rather noisy Galeria, is to book a time as soon as they open at 18.30 and be there a few minutes before opening time. They don´t do reservations for specific tables but operate on a first come, first serve -basis. Chef´s Garden is the most upscale experience in our opinion, but we found it to be a bit overly fussy regarding the food presentation, though the taste of the food was fine. In Chef´s Garden the limitation of the package-menu is also more noticable than in Butcher´s Cut.

I would say yes, because Hambantota is not very densly populated but the roads are still surprisingly well developed in this part of the country. There is much less traffic than if you start your trip from Colombo. However, I would advise you to discuss your plans in detail with a local tour operator and ask their opinion.

This is very good & sound advice. Personally, having once had my shoulder handbag snatched from me in Spain (won´t go into details, but I was lucky to get it back with the help of some young, alert, and fit locals who caught the perpetrator) I always carry a PacSafe bag and wear it across my body. I also try not to come across as an attractive target by avoiding wearing expensive-looking clothing & accessories while sightseeing and city touring. Other than pickpockets and petty thieves though, I can´t see that there are any other safety issues to be concerned about in Europe if you travel as a cruise tourist.

My DH & I had CO on Westerdam last February. The dining arrangement for us worked more or less like this: At the entrance to the MDR there was a separate CO-concierge and a separate line. We got a very nice window table for 2 and had the same table every night. My impression was that this area in the MDR was designated for CO, but I can´t be sure whether non-CO guests also at times dined in the same area as it did not matter to us. We were very pleased with the dining experience and happy that we had the CO as the MDR generally could get rather noisy and crowded.

Sorry, I have never visited Sri Lanka on a cruise, though my DH & I have stayed there for extended periods of time during the past 20 years. If you mean Cinnamon Island on Koggala Lake in the very south, it is quite a long drive to get there and back, and the traffic in Colombo and its outskirts (if your cruise stops in Colombo and not in Hambantota) can be pretty horrendous, frankly. If you stay overnight in a reputable hotel or B&B, I can´t see that there would be any exceptional safety issues to worry about. But this is of course a very personal matter and not something someone else can decide for you.

Currently on Toscana. The lunch in MDR is until 13.30 and in the buffet on port days/embarkation day until 16.00.

I don´t recall any stairs either. The wait to get back on the tenders was very long though and required standing in the sun without any shade. My recommendation would be to be prepared with an umbrella against the sun and a water bottle.

On the Westerdam Indonesia cruise in February 2023, you had to be part of an organized tour to go ashore, but it did not have to be a HAL excursion.

As I haven´t done a B2B on HAL to/from Ft Lauderdale I´m speculating here, but it seems to me that HAL indeed has itineraries that are sold as one longer cruise, for instance 15 days, but this itinerary does one shorter 7-day itinerary in the Caribbean and then returns to Port Everglades, and then does another round of 8 days on the other side of the Caribbean. If you book the whole longer cruise, it probably counts as only one cruise and not technically a B2B, which means that the ship does not have to be cleared between the segments, you don´t need a new cruise card, and so on. However, you can also book only one of the shorter segments so it could certainly be said to consist of two separate cruises. For instance Rotterdam does these kinds of itineraries. I don´t mean to argue, I was just confused but think I now may understand the circumstances.🙂

I have never experienced that any guest was allowed to stay onboard in Port Everglades either. One time (not HAL but Viking) I noticed that even the resident lecturer and the wife of one of the officers had to do the "leave ship - go to terminal for passport check - return to ship" -procedure, and this was a cruise that began as a TA to Ft Lauderdale and then continued onwards to the Caribbean, ie not the same round twice.

As for CO breakfast, on our Westerdam cruise last February, we did not get to have it in the suite restaurant. However, as CO we got an expanded room service breakfast that we enjoyed very much. I think it is the same as for the suite class as it includes complimentary freshly squeezed orange juice, mimosas, eggs benedict, and so on.

Sorry, I don´t have personal experience of how it works if you want to go outside. There are always separate instructions for those who want to leave, so you will be able to go out for sure, but I can´t say about the timing or the specific procedure.

We´ve done several B2Bs, in Ft Lauderdale and elsewhere, though not on HAL, but the procedure appears to be very similar on all major lines. As others have said, you will get written instructions to your cabin beforehand. If you keep the same cabin, you don´t need to pack at all. If you change your cabin, you need to pack everything you have in the drawers but can leave what you have on hangers. You don´t need to put your suitcases out the night before but keep them in your cabin, and during the morning on turnaround day, your cabin steward will move your stuff for you. We usually notify our steward beforehand if we are to change cabins, just to make sure he is aware of it and of the new cabin we are to move into. In US ports, the B2Bers are usually instructed to collect as a group at a certain time, around 9.30-10 a.m., in one of the lounges, and then escorted together to the terminal building. You are given a new cruise card and "ping out" with the old card when you leave the ship. The B2B group is usually seated in the terminal building to wait to have their passports checked, and are then escorted as a group back to the ship. You are then free to enjoy the ship, which is virtually empty until the new guests start arriving onboard.😀 Even though the cabins are not officially yet ready, we have always been able to get either to our old cabin if we stayed in the same one, or to our new cabin if we changed - though the stewards will, of course, need to be given time to clean your cabin so better let them do their job undisturbed.

We had CO on Westerdam´s Indonesia cruise Feb 23 (our first HAL cruise) and found it to be worth the cost. In the MDR we had a separate area and got a nice & quiet window table for 2, the same table every night. The extra item on the menu was however nothing very special, though no complaints either. CO also had a separate queue at guest services, which turned out very convenient on this cruise as there were quite a few things to sort out that required frequent trips to GS and the queues were often very long indeed.