janny444

We are just back off the Spirit and we had an inside cabin on deck 2...686. I wouldn't have liked a cabin further down especially around the lift/stairwell. The lift/stairwell is the least of the noise problem it is the noise from the engines...as someone commented "sounds like the big end is going" I have never heard anything like it on any cruise ship....I would presume that cabins on deck 1 would have the same noise problem....aft cabins definitely to be avoided. We had an inside cabin but from what I saw of the outside cabins on that deck they only had small portholes....bit like a washing machine.

Our friends had a suite up on deck 7 so they had a window but it was of no use to them as the window was so dirty they couldn't see out. I would consider a balcony cabin especially the area you are sailing to.

I can only comment on what I drank which was a G&T...but all basic spirits were priced the same. I think for a Gordon's gin including tonic is £3.90. I had the "house" G&T....didn't taste much different....that is £3.30 including mixer...it also states on the bar menu that the measures are 40ml.....mmmm...not too sure about that.

Hi..we too have just returned from this cruise and agree with jennand in that it was a lovely cruise. As you can see we have usually sailed with bigger cruise companies and much larger ships but I have to say that the standard of entertainment...especially the evening show was far better than what we have seen before. The standard of singing and dancing was high and the show on the last night took my breath away...fantastic! Also a mention for the trio who played out on Lido deck and up in horizons every evening...once again a first class act with a very high standard of performance....well done!

We love the cruises round Britain...ok you can't guarantee the weather but we certainly have some very interesting POC on our doorstep.

Hi sidari...just noticed your location info...Accrington?....my neck of the woods :))

Thank you sidari for the info... That means that we can come and go as we please... so much easier. I just assumed that both ships docked at the same place...

From what I understand it's not a shuttle bus, it's sold as an excursion, so I'd imagine there's a specific time your bus returns instead of buses going back and forth all day. The website says it's €29.

Now I am wondering if it is better to do an organised excursion with MSC instead of "piecemealing" it ourselves. So from what I understand then if we want to spend the evening in Amsterdam....we dock over night...then we would have to book 2 "excursions" to go back after dinner unless we want to spend a day and an evening in Amsterdam...which we won't want to do.

Can anyone say what the MSC shuttle bus charge is from port to drop off point and return. Also at drop off point is that where you pick up the HOHO bus.

Thank you once again Skier52...most informative. I'm taking a guess here but I think that may mean an extra 4ft in length in the balcony cabins plus of course the balcony...mmm...that could be a consideration as we do prefer a "roomier" cabin. I think we may stick with the cruise we have booked...itinerary on both are good and the main POC for us is Le Havre...we want to visit the war cemetery there.

Hi...has anyone been to the St Marie Cemetery at Le Havre. We will be in Le Havre in September and want to visit a war grave in the cemetery...my husband's uncle who died the day after Armistice. I have done some searching but can't find anything definite that gives us info on visiting the cemetery..such as opening times...public transport....is it within walking distance of the cruise docks.

Thank you for your helpful reply skier52....at the moment we are booked to go on the Magnifica but we are considering changing it to the 10 night Opera cruise on the same date. Never been with MSC so I don't know if there will be any difference between the two ships....apart from passenger size.

Hi...can someone please tell me the dining times in the MDR on the Opera out of Southampton.

Also how many formal evenings will there be on a 10 night cruise.

Do the majority of people observe the formal evenings or do people like to dress more casual.

On a cruise last year Liverpool was one of our POC and we thought we would take a look at the Adelphi with a view to returning to Liverpool at a future date and perhaps staying at the Adelphi....so glad that we had taken a look....it is shabby without any chic...well past its "sell by date"...look elsewhere for an elegant Afternoon Tea

Wow...what a speedy reply...thank you Ray66...I will take a look now

Hi...this will be our first cruise with Cunard and we are considering an obstructed view cabin on deck 5. It says the obstruction is caused by lifeboat mechanism...can anyone please tell me how intrusive the obstruction is and also what is the difference between a CA and a CB cabin on deck 5...both with the obstructed view..just wondering why one is classed an higher grade and of course higher price. Thank you

Looks like you were given 20% discount of the original 4 day cruise price...not as you thought that it would be 20% off any future cruise.

On our last cruise with P&O last October on the Ventura they had just introduced the ready plated meals....wasn't too sure if it was just on the Ventura or if had just been a temporary measure but it sounds like it is permanent and all through the fleet

Just inquired with P&O for a cruise in Sept 2015...inside/balcony cabin....offered £55 pp for both grades OR coach transfers/parking....able to choose cabin number...when they go on sale....dining option...included port shuttles. Not sure if it is select fare so that if the price went down we got extra OBC

mmm...no drink allowed at all....I am trying to decide if the Drink Package would be worth it for us...we are not "big" drinkers but we do like an occasional "tipple" on the balcony so I was thinking the couple of bottles we brought on board would suffice....may have to have a rethink about the drink package.

Hi...what alcoholic drink are you allowed to bring on board at Embarkation....previous cruise companies have allowed 1 bottle of wine pp.... apart from P&O who are more flexible.

Thank you for replies...Skier52 just tried what you have said....and success...did try that yesterday but just took me to the passport detail page and I couldn't get any further with it...so why it should work day.....mmm....a mystery :confused:

Hi....can anyone please tell me how to access Excursions/drinks packages on my online account. I have put in my booking ref and details...filled in my passport details but how/where do you find links to book excursions/drinks etc....I keep looking and looking but there doesn't appear to be a links :confused:

Hi....we have done a few cruises now....on different cruise lines...including Celebrity which for us we found the best.

We have always wanted to try MSC and because MSC after this year are no longer sailing from the UK...we can't fly any more...we decided to give them a try.

The itinerary and price are right so if we keep that in mind I am hoping that overcomes any "shortfalls" that MSC may have.

If you can do the same then I would give them a try even though it is only your second cruise.

On our last cruise which was with P&O that was a major disappointment so who knows..we may be pleasantly surprised.

We are also trying a Thomson cruise this year...I wouldn't think they are in the same league as to what we used to but once again itinerary and price are right and we will bear that in mind when we make our overall judgement.

Hi...has anyone a recent...possibly up to 12 months...bar price list for any MSC cruise ship sailing from Southampton. I have a bar list from another ship but it is in dollars and I want in in Euros

cheers!

Hi....we are sailing with MSC for the first time in September from Southampton. Can anyone say which currency it will be in as I am a little confused. I have been told that gratuities will be in Euros but when I have looked on another thread about bar prices they are in dollars....$7.25 for a G&T....$3 for a coffee...$25 for a bottle of wine.

1. Is the 15% gratuity on top of

2. Are those prices about right and will they be in dollars.

Just unsure what currency to take for extra tipping of cabin staff and then waiters

Having sailed on both cruise lines I would say Celebrity is better than Princess by a small margin On the Princess threads there is a similar question regarding Princess v P&O and I would say Princess is better than P&O by a large margin