TER777

I asked. Room service only delivers food to your suite. During MarketPlace hours, the pool area deck stewards can get food for you from MP. Note, I asked this question at the pool just outside the restaurant. I don’t know that it applies to pools further away- I would guess not.

Turnaround day today in Hamburg. About 500 got off and 500 on so we’ll continue at ~750. I find the quality of the entertainment excellent. However, variety is missing.

I didn’t receive my email ticket for the Symphony inaugural. I did find the ticket in my account when I logged in and looked for it. I did receive the email ticket from Crystal for the third sailing.

There was trivia today, sea day: “Let’s Get Quizzical”.

Somewhere was the question as to whether there are guest entertainers. Yes, there are. This evening for instance is Kayleigh Stephenson from the West End. So far musical every evening. No comedians, magicians or the like. I heard the headcount increases tomorrow for the 3 days from Hamburg to Southampton.

I’ve not encountered any lines since early on on the cruise but the restaurants are on multiple floors so it may just be happenstance. There is no MDR. In the Emporium MarketPlace, you seat yourself. There are several different seating areas giving the feel of comfortably sized spaces with the food stations in the middle. No one has mentioned having a difficulty in finding a table. There are a few media types on board but overall I think most everyone is a paying passenger. I don’t have any inside info re however.

Port day

The reason they are shellacked is because kids used to randomly turn them the opposite direction and enjoy the chaos that resulted.

All the restaurants are currently opening 18:30 (6:30pm). At the start of the journey, Med Yacht was 7pm (19:00) but it was adjusted due to the increased numbers on board. It’s also open for lunch on sea days; Sakura on both port and sea days.

If you’re seated very near a particular food station, the chef might bring it over, but no, there is no one to carry to the other side, nor front, nor back. That’s not the point of the venue.

It’s not intended to be table service. The Med Yacht opening time has been adjusted this cruise to 18:30 due to 750 guests on board. I forget to list earlier the gelato/crepes venue.

Nunagoras’ description of MarketPlace in post #7 is accurate. The food across the ship is very good. Besides MP, there are the 4 other restaurants, the 2 smaller of which require reservations, the 2 larger don’t take reservations. There is also the Le Crema Cafe, coffeehouse with snacks, afternoon teatime with served treats, and Anthology, the extra price rotating chef tasting menu with optional wine pairing. Reservations required for Anthology. Oh, and there is a no reservation sushi bar in Sakura as well. And of course room service. And there are bars everywhere. Service across the ship has been uniformly friendly and well done.

In case anyone wants to know when the laundry is open, 24 hours. Decks 9 and 10. 2 washer/dryers each. +1 ironing board. 2 comfy seats for those choosing to wait. Note: the machines speak European, not North American. North Americans may need an interpreter. Shorter people may need the assistance of a taller person for the dryer controls. Soap pellets are in the basket on the shelf. Instruction manuals for the machines are in the back of the lowest shelf in the cabinet. Be very cautious if you bend down to get one, as not everyone entering the laundry room looks through the window in the door to check for bodies. Left handed ironers might also find themselves blocking the doorway.

I haven’t seen any signs of enforcement.

Correction. Ask your Suite Host.

Correct

Perhaps they are for different length bookings.

Yes, they said when I asked. There is a pillow menu. Just ask your room host for it.

I don’t know about the pillows other than my bed has 4, 2 quite firm and 2 what I’d describe as medium. The products look to be private label. Mandala Blue by EJ. On the back label 2 brands listed: EJ and Culti Milano.

Makes it even trickier for solos as there are so few solo rooms.

No worries. Lots of meat and poultry available as well as fish.

Those with registered food allergies receive the relevant day’s menus the evening before and are asked to indicate their choices and hand the menu in by 10am the next morning. If you have a restaurant reservation, that is the menu you receive. Otherwise you get both Med Yacht and Fil Rouge. I did encounter a hiccup yesterday when I pre ordered for Med but then couldn’t get in. As to MarketPlace, calling it a buffet doesn’t do it justice. It’s a series of cooked to order stations plus many composed cold items pre-bowled. Others are assembled such as a green salad as you order.

It will eventually be fixed, but supposedly currently if you book excursions online you will pay for them at that time, that is you cannot use your shipboard credits to pay for them. Separately, was told today make sure you only have one booking number. If you have more than one, the onboard credits cannot carry over even though you are still onboard. Cannot not yet make restaurant reservations online. Just call.

Will he be on the Symphony inaugural too?

Since my above post, he got his September 1 ticket.