tomvet

Our kids are not yet teens but Costa does have a teen programme. I don't rate their kids programme - unless you speak German or Italian, you do appear to be at a loss! While all the staff speak English very well, they don't tend to use it that much when interacting with the kids!

If I was to guess, as Anglophones, your kids will hate it!

How does the European McDonald's, Kentucky and Subway compare with the American product?

Exactly the same! Even the Big Mac in New Delhi tastes the same and they don't eat beef in India! :eek:

Going on the NeoRomantica in december, a little confused regarding the restaurants. Still buffet on the Neo ships for dinner?? If I understood my travel agent correct there are open dining on the Neo ships, no early/ late dining, we can as premium guests just order a table for whatever time that suits us that day. Could anyone confirm it works this way?

 

Are the breakfast buffet could food Only? no chance for pancakes, croissants and bacon?

having never sailed on a Neo ship I cannot answer that part.

This is how breakfast is on their none ships!

The breakfast buffet is now dubbed 'Italian Breakfast' essentially continental - you will get croissants but cold but no pancakes or bacon! :(

If you want hot breakfast head to the MDR and you can have American pancakes, Belgian waffles, Mexican Huevos, Spanish omelette, Full English etc etc - dubbed International Breakfast :rolleyes:

Wow! I am from the Netherlands and am planning a cruise with Costa. I am definitely going to ask for the sticker for 'free' water in de MDR. Quite ridiculous that Europeans should pay for tap water.

If you booked through a US agent you will automatically get it. If you haven't then don't waste your breath - you won't get it! While I don't agree with the policy, you are not entitled to it and they were the T&Cs you booked under! Suck it up!

I tend to favour Costa. I find MSC's shore side customer service to be despicable. Costa's is far from perfect but they do listen.

I do prefer MSC's décor but Costa's cabins are bigger.

MSC shade it on entertainment and a big plus for them is that their buffet is open in the evening allowing a more flexible dining option.

I don't like Costa's policy on no tea / coffee outside breakfast and afternoon tea time.

Both have the dreadful - not jugs of water at dinner policy.

Costa do have better rates if travelling with kids!

We landed in DXB at 0600 from a KLM flight from Amsterdam. We sorted ourselves out and had a coffee at Costa and then left our luggage at the airport and took a taxi to the Burj Khalifa and Dubai mall for the day. Remember there is no Metro on a Friday until 1300h. We returned on the Metro at about 1600 collected the luggage and took a taxi to the ship. Checked in at 1700ish and were on the ship in 5 mins. Cabins were not ready until 2000. I think Costa UK are confusing boarding time with cabin availability time!

I think going from Airport ----> Ship to drop luggage ------> Downtown Dubai ---------> Ship is about the same as going from

Airport ---------> Downtown --------> Airport --------> Ship

At least in the airport, you are guaranteed to have your luggage stored when you want. Not clear if they do or when they store luggage at the cruise terminal.

You can read my review here

http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=266&t=9610

Interesting review.

I am off to Gulf in Jan 16. Can you tell me do you need to change money into local currency or can you get by in € and $s.

You will need AEDs for Dubai and Abu Dhabi and OMRs for Oman. Taxis, entrance fees particularly museums, the metro and abra all need local currency. Money changers are ubiquitous in UAE but much less so in Oman. Our driver / guide in Muscat 'loaned' us some OMRs to pay entrance to the Opera House which we paid back once we found a money changer back at the Souk.

If you visit Burj Khalifa remember to book from home. We used credit card to pay our bills at the Emirate Palace Hotel and the AL Bustan Palace. You will need little OMRs unless you wish to do a lot of shopping.

Also our first time with MSC. We'll be getting on in Dubai on 9th Jan!

 

Has anybody out there cruised with MSC around the Emirates???

 

Any tips/advice? :)

Not cruised MSC ex Dubai but I have with Costa.

You may get some idea of the ports from this review

http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=266&t=9610

Wow, that would be approx. $31 - $46 in U.S. currency. The cruise models that we've purchased on the other cruise lines, usually cost $25.00 ea. Thanks for the info though. I appreciate it. :)

20€ is approximately 23USD

30€ is approximately 34USD

So not too far off what you have been paying all along.

No idea why anyone would collect such dust collectors! :p

No kid's water zone...only the small,, shallow pool.

 

Ufyellowfin, the kid's program on Divina is second to none. We have become personal friends with the co-directors, Josh and Wes, over our past 4 sailings and 4 upcoming sailings on Divina. There are no words to describe how wonderful their program is...lots and lots of love, attention, games, activities, shows, cooking, language classes, etc. All the Kid's Club personnel are superb! Can't wait to be back on for New Year's!

The MasterChef kids class is available to Fantastica cabin holders which we are on our upcoming Opera cruise- do you have to book that before you go! Just concerned that it may be all 'sold out' and DD will have to attend the language classes instead!

Hoping it won't be the neoRiviera!

 

Last time Intried to do a repo via the Duez (with MDC) it git completely moved to the Canaries. Second attempt to get transit the Siez next year.

 

I do share your view TomVet, with all these changing plans, by cruise lines, it makes me somewhT nervous about booking a lot in advance. Then again, if I hang off to close to the time, who's to say if there will be availability.

 

China does appear to be getting a lot more focus recently, yet there are now doubts about the growth there.

I can't help thinking China will be a 'one hit wonder' and ships will return to the Med and Caribbean with over capacity! Well I can live in hope but I am hopeful! All across the board whether it is food, cruises, oil - China has yet to prove it is the goldmine that everyone thought / thinks it is going to be!

Where is she going?

I would love to go there - this is somewhere I have always wanted to visit having visited a lot if the WW2 sites in Normandy & taken an interest in the history of the Dardanellles - doesn't look like Fred are operating a trip there so would have to be DIY; any pointers?

You can easily travel by train. When you disembark in Zeebrugge take the Kusttram to Blankenberge. Train from their to Brugge, change for train to Kortrijk and another change for Ypres. The journey will take 1hour and 50 mins. IEPER train station is about 10 mins from the Cathedral and Flanders Field Museum all located on the main Square. A cemetery is just 5 mins walk out of town (there are larger ones out of town!) - then if you walk along the city ramparts you come to the Menin Gate - then it is 2 mins walk back to the main train station. The Last Post is played at 8pm so it might be a late return to the ship. IF dinner onboard or the show is important to you - this is not a DIY tour for you!

The train journey will cost €35 approx. but if there are more than 2 and not more than 5 of you then the €76 for 10 journeys anywhere in Belgium is worth the money - works out at €15.20 for the return trip.

I posted some pictures here.

http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=6159&hilit=ypres

and a friend here

http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=280&t=6431&p=103301&hilit=ypres#p103301

Thanks Bea. I would never have found that and l went back to December in Pete's posts. I did sign up to Shutterfly as it's the only one not blocked at work. Successfully uploaded all my pics. Just need to master posting them to CC. Ken

Should you not have been working!! :p

This Italian (in Buffet) and International (MDR) breakfast started back in June actually mid cruise our Favolosa cruise which is 'officially' CPH to CPH, however we embarked in Warnemunde the previous day so had one day of the 'old' arrangement and then on the second day everything had changed. Most notably:

No hot buffet as has been described

No butter with bread at dinner (unless you ask!)

No tea / coffee outside breakfast and afternoon tea time (from 1530 - 1730ish).

Accordin g to this article

 

http://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/news-headlines/economy-buoys-carnivals-n-american-brands-europe-a-mixed-picture.html

 

Costa is planning to have six ships in China in 2016 up from 4 now.

 

Currently, Atlantica, Victoria, Serena and shortly Fortuna.

 

Wonder what other two ships will move?

 

This will then only leave 9 ships to cover, Mediterranen, Northern Europe,

Caribbbean - USA, Caribbean - Dom Rep, South America, Dubai, Indian Ocean and World cruises. Wonder what regions will loose out?

As the 2016 cruises are already published and bookable - if the move 2 ships there are going to be folk disappointed to have their cruise cancelled - they already did this by shifting Fascinosa to South America this coming winter and moving Mediterranea to the West Med. MSC did the same with Lirica (to Shanghai) and Opera (to Cuba!). Makes one cautious about booking!

Could we see Diadema moving?

It is not often that a ship o/nights in Zeebrugge - have you considered going on the first day to Ypres / Ieper. As you are not under any pressure to get back on board on the first evening it would allow you to stay there to see the last post being played at the Menin Gate.

Just something different to do ex Zeebrugge than the usual foray into Brugge which in my opinion is overrated when compared to Brussels, Ghent or Antwerp.

They can be seen on MSC's German and Italian websites! In other words these markets get first dibs on the best cabins! :p

Hmmmm. I'm on the Favolosa in October. That does not sound very good!

As we avoid the bun fight in the buffet anyway and breakfast in the MDR (we have 3 small kids!) it made little difference to us except that it was much busier than Pacifica or Serena was for us. The only downside is that the MDR closes at 9am and there is no point arriving at 0850 thinking you can stay til 0930 - 0945 as they take the food away (the buffet part) exactly at 0900!

However, we were very lucky that on 3 cruises on 3 different ships Salvatore was the Maitre D' in the MDR and he looked after us so well!

If you are interested in my Favolosa experience you can see it here:

http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=266&t=10245

Last April we booked a cruise on the Lirica for 5th May 2016, simply because the itinerary (Haifa and Alexandria) was one I particularly wanted to go on.

 

A week ago we had a phone call from our travel agent advising that the cruise had been cancelled due to "operational reasons".

 

No other explanation was forthcoming, so I searched online and found (not from MSC) that the Lirica would be in China in May......

 

I know in T&Cs itineraries are liable to change, and we accept this, but a change in Continent?????

 

We have had no communication at all from MSC - at least an apology would have been nice.

 

Sorry will not bother even looking at MSC again.

I had the same experience when the moved Opera from the Canary Islands to Cuba. Keep after them or your TA. I was offered an alternative Canary Isles cruise of 3 days longer. I got my flight costs refunded - cancellations and amendment costs and €100 OBC. But you have to persist, be firm and take no sh1+ from them. They are difficult to manage so be prepared for a fight. Like you though would be very wary of booking with them again! Don't expect a rapid or speedy response from them. Plague them on Facebook - they don't like it and will respond there before they will respond anywhere else.

I think it is a cheek to tell you the cancellation is for 'operational reasons' when it is clearly for 'commercial reasons'.

I sailed on Favolosa in June and this is the case. THe buffet now only serves Italian breakfast - which is essentially continental - breads, cheeses, cold cuts, pastries, fruits and yoghurts.

If you wish to have hot breakfast you must head to the MDR - this has resulted in the buffet getting somewhat quieter and the MDR getting more busy. In the MDR you can have International Breakfast - American Pancakes, Full English, Belgian waffles, Mexican huevos and they have a full range of 'eggy' dishes - Benedict, Omlettes etc.

But yes it us true since JUne 2015 - continental only in the buffet. Since June - no butter with bread for dinner unless you ask and no tea / coffee at the buffet at lunch time!

I have done this and would advise against a 1055 flight. I would book nothing earlier than 1255.

Certainly not on a daily basis, but, as it's on me, the passenger, to make sure my documents are effective for my trip, yes, I need to keep up on what the requirements are.

 

We recently took a river cruise in Europe. When we made the reservation, I checked the various countries we'd be visiting for passport/visa requirements. And I re-checked at least 2 other times in the 18 months prior to the trip, including a month before the trip, in case something had changed.

Unless your cruise took you into the Customs Union, you were sailing in a very stable part of the world in terms of Visas - Schengen covers most of them! Not exactly intricate. And what would happen if something changed inside the month where a Visa may take over 3 weeks to obtain!

VISAS

Certain countries require that you obtain official authorization

(called a visa) before entering the country, and some countries

require that you obtain a visa regardless of whether you plan to

go ashore in that particular port or not. Usually there is a fee

required. Guests are responsible for verifying and obtaining

any necessary travel documents for entry and exit to the

countries visited, as these requirements vary depending on

the specific port and nationality of the traveler. This includes

payment of all costs related to arrangements to obtain entry

to the countries you visit. Boarding may be denied or fines

levied against those guests arriving at the pier without the

proper documentation, and those guests will not be eligible

for a refund. Payment of any fines levied is the responsibility of

the individual guest. Please note that fees and visa requirements

are subject to change without notice.

What happens if the change occurs when you physically do not have time to make the application or you may be already travelling. How many of us travel for months on end - check everything before we go and things change while we are on the road. How many of us up date ourselves once travelling?

As regards it is one set of ground staff that check in one cruise - while this is true however, this information is most likely issued to each check in port from a central department. I cannot believe that each cruise port would operate autonomyinally (is that a word?). Remember the permutations for a checkin agent is 195 possible passports by the number of countries visited! So if Burundi passport holders suddenly need a visa for Dominica, this I believe would come to the checkin staff from a central department within HAL rather than the port sussing it out and running solo.

I still think the carrier could be more proactive with information.