DutchBunny

Day 4:

Muscat, the capital of Oman. This is a lovely city. We heard that it is not allowed to build higher than 8 stories and there can only be used 2 colors for the buildings, cream or white. Because we had not made any arrangements for an excursion we just hopped on the Big Bus and had a tour around Muscat. Stopped at 2 locations for coffee & pictures and got back on. It was easy and we did see some nice things along the way. We got off the bus at the soukh and walked around for a while. Followed by lunch at a local restaurant where I had some falafel. Theme for tonight was white. So no problem with our outfits for this night. A white dress for me and white jeans with a white shirt for my husband.

Day 3:

Khor al Fakkan. There is not much to say about this port. I think MSC offers some excursions and you probably can book tours with local operators. We did not do any of these, just got of the ship. Had the shuttle to the port entrance and walked a little bit around this small town. It is a typical Arabic town and we visited a local supermarket just to check out the things they sell. That is always fun to do in other countries and here it was the same. A lot of products are very familiar; the only difference being the Arabic script on it. We had lunch on the ship in the buffet restaurant and after lunch we went up to deck 16. In the late afternoon we had a nice Balinese massage; this is included in the Aurea package. We did not use the Spa doctor and the Solarium; these are also included in the Aurea package.

Tonight the theme was Italian night (green, red & white). This is a festive night; all the waiters have the 3 colors on their cumber bands. As we did not have dinner in the MDR I do not know if there was any Tiramisu parade. We had dinner in the Kaito Sushi bar. After dinner we had our after dinner drink in the Enoteca.

Day 2:

Day at sea. We ordered breakfast in our cabin the night before. So at 8:00 we got coffee and croissants which we had on our balcony. Because we were still tired we went back to bed and got out around noon. By this time al sunbeds at the pool were taken but we at the top 16 deck it was no problem so we spend the afternoon at deck 16. There were some children which we did not mind because I think that if you have booked the Aurea experience as a family it is weird that your kids cannot go up. The kids up at deck 16 behave nicely so no issues there. It is a nice area and you have your own bar and they also come by with fruits and cold towels. We spend most of our free time here. Spa access is also included so we also visited the steam room and the hot tubs for an hour or so.

Because it was a sea day it was also gala night. We always love it to dress up so this is one of our favorite evenings. Our pre dinner drinks were again in the Blue Velvet Lounge and there were a lot of people who looked really nice. I think it was 50/50 with the dressing up. We did not see many tuxedos. (My husband doesn’t have one either but always has some jackets with him). On this 2nd night we also had some after dinner drinks at the Enoteca. They offer a wine tasting with 3 different (half) glasses of wine for only € 8,- p.p. This includes also some cheeses and olives. You can choose the wines you like to taste. This is really good. We did this and one of the wines was very nice so we ordered a bottle which we had the next night.

Day 1:

Upon arrival at Abu Dhabi airport (after a night flight) we easily found the MSC representatives and they showed us where the busses were. There was a short queue to get into the busses but everything went very smoothly; luggage into the busses with the tags on it. Unfortunately the weather was not so good, temperature was nice but it drizzled and upon arrival the cruise port it was really raining so we had to run from the bus to the entrance. Once inside we quickly walked to the priority check in and found out that it is not clear to everybody that the Aurea balcony cabins also have priority check in but the guy let us in first and then checked with a colleague and came back with an apology. He did not know that not only the suites but also the Aurea balconies have priority check in. Check in was very quick so after 10 minutes or so we were ready to board. As we forgot to get some local currency (AED) at the airport we saw that there is an ATM in the cruise terminal as well so got some money there. Luckily the heavy rain had stopped and we could walk to the ship without getting wet. We were welcomed on the ship and told that breakfast was ready in the buffet restaurant. First we went to our cabin, 14005 on deck 14 to drop our hand luggage. Cabin was ready (it was 10.00 in the morning) and looked very nice. Our cabin steward, Agus, did a great job during our cruise and kept it very clean and supplied us with enough towels both for the shower as well as for swimming. We went up for breakfast at the buffet and had some breakfast. Also made use of our drinks package and ordered an espresso. The regular coffee is not too great but the coffee you can order at the bars is perfect. After breakfast we did a short tour on the ship. Our previous trip with MSC was on the Splendida and the Musica is a little smaller but we liked her a lot. Because we had not been sleeping very well at the plane we went back to the cabin to get a sleep before taking a taxi to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The taxis are very cheap compared to European prices. We paid approximately € 25,- roundtrip from the port to the mosque. Taxis have meters so no need to negotiate a price.

The Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque is really an amazing building. Especially the materials they used on the inside. It is definitely worth a visit. Please note that they have a dress code for both men as women. It can be found on their website http://www.szgmc.ae/en/ At this moment there is only one location where you can have a drink but they are constructing a whole new area with restaurants just next to the mosque. A taxi back is no problem; there are enough taxis driving around the mosque.

We were back at the ship in time for the safety drill which was a quick one because most passengers embarked in Dubai the day before and had the drill already had. The first night for dinner it said theme: 60’s, 70’s, 80’s so we dressed up casually and had some pre-dinner drinks at the Blue Velvet bar. We liked this bar because a lot of people pass this bar to go to the theatre. Our dining time for the 1st night was 19.00 hrs. This was not our choice and that was actually the only real issue we had during our cruise. Because most people embark in Dubai and we came on the ship a day later; the times for my choice dining are already set. Most people pick the same time for every night. So the 1st night we could only go at 19.00 hrs. The 2nd was the same but luckily after that it was 20.00 hrs. which suited us much better. Looking at our dining times, it is easy to figure out that we did not visit any shows.

Day 1: Abu Dhabi

Day 2: At sea

Day 3: Khor al Fakkan

Day 4: Muscat

Day 5: Khasab

Day 6: Dubai

Day 7: Dubai

Day 8: Abu Dhabi

Background:

We are a couple, just turned 50, no kids and love to travel. This is our 3rd cruise, 2nd with MSC. We prefer land trips as our main holiday, such as camping in Europe, touring Asia or Africa and city trips. Cruising is for us a 2nd holiday and at this moment we prefer the shorter cruises.

Booking:

Our 1st two cruises where in an inside cabin in the Med in the winter. This time we booked an Aurea balcony cabin as we knew that the weather would be great and we could enjoy the balcony. The Aurea package we booked because we do not like the fixed dining times. The early one is too early and the late one is too late. So the option for my choice dining was great including the Allegrissimo package, spa package and preferred boarding. During our cruise we also found out that the access to the top 16 deck is a great addition to this experience because you don’t have to hunt for a sunbed at one of the lower decks. They also checked before going up if you had the right credentials to be at deck 16.

We booked a fly cruise package directly via the Dutch MSC website and everything did go very smoothly with the booking process, payment, online check in and booking additional services. We booked a photography package for € 59,-. This was for 10 pictures including a cd with the files on it. This was a very good offer. On the ship the minimum we heard was € 99,-for 10 pictures, without the cd and this was exclusive the 15% svc.

The fly cruise package was including Etihad flights from Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi v.v. and the transfers from the airport to the cruise port v.v. Flying with Etihad was ok, not special.

We were on a Splendida sailing in March 2013 and even though it was only a 6 day cruise I brought some nice dresses with me. As shoes take up most weight and size I brought only 1 pair of black heels which went very well with every evening outfit I brought with me.

My husband and I always love dressing up and jeans is not part of that. As it is definitely not cold in the MDR or other public areas a dress is not too cold. If you take some nice scarves you can use a dress twice, just with a different scarve, which could also help if it gets a little chilly.

To me it looks like a case of

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysophobia

I assume you knew which time your flight back was. And probably also the time you have to leave the ship. So with a little calculation I think you could have known this. As Nice airport is within walking distance of the city I would have left my luggage at a locker and walked to the city.

This is just my opinion.

In January we will also have a fly cruise but as we will fly to/from Abu Dhabi we will have none of this problem because our flight home will be in the morning.

My point was that our 2 Omani ports were sandwiched between our UAE ports where you visited a UAE between your Omani ports and an Omani port between your UAE ports so yes you should get entry / exit stamps at each port - for us I thought we would have entered in Muscat and exited at Khasab rather than an exit / entry at both as we visited no other country in between!

 

Still a job for an Omani civil servant!

It makes sense because you are leaving the country. Because the trip from Muscat to Khasab could be through international waters and not Omani. And if not, the authorities have no control about the ships travel. So if for some reason they would not go to Khasab you still would be in Oman.

DB, We have traveled fairly extensively, but not always on cruise ships. I am quite aware that cultural norms are not consistent from country to country. IMHO, Smoking underneath a no smoking sign, by the kids pool and in a food line up is not a "cultural issue", its ignorant. Having staff that either cant do the job they are assigned to, or don't care about doing the job they are assigned to is not cultural, but a matter of poor training or poor management or possibly both.

I cant see myself on another MSC boat when there are so many more to choose from.

 

That is strictly my opinion of course...your mileage may vary.

I agree on this but your comments about basic etiquette were about the queing and not about the rest.

Our complaint was not with MSC but the total lack of manners and courtesy shown by a good number of passengers. Basic etiquette such as lining up for a meal, at the bar for a drink or anywhere really, seemed to be an unknown quantity for alot of passengers.

I think that etiquette is a cultural thing. So for you lining up is the proper way. For Italians this is not. The same with Chinese. They love to burp during meals. For us Western people this sounds disgusting and is not done but in Chinese etiquette this is the proper way to enjoy dinner. "Unfortunately" the rest of the world is not the same as Nort America, it differs and that is also with etiquette.

If it was only 10 min...I can deal with that too. Were the streets ok and was it a winding road based on the map posted, it looks like it was.

I am sorry, do not remember. I only know it was an easy walk. We are in our late forties and my husband just ran a marathon that week and I run myself as well. So we are both quit fit. So I do not how easy it is for you to do the walk, for us it was.

We arrived in Genoa with the Splendid and walked from the ship with our luggage to the train station. It is a short walk and I thought it was easy to do. Especially if you have only one suitcase each. For us it was not worth it to take a taxi. I think it was just a 10 minute walk.

 

I think it is possible to over-research a holiday.

 

Enjoy

 

Annie

Totally agree. If you plan and research everything the fun of a holiday is gone for me. I love it when things just go with the flow. Especially in not Western countries, planning can be a pain in the ... Because it never goes the way you think it has to go. If this bothers you, than it can ruin your holiday. For me it is part of my holiday.

Not I :)

 

I may be an exception. I never sought any advice but I generally don't when it comes to holidays. I know my own mind.

 

I saw the cruise, liked the itinerary and booked it.

 

Annie

Neither did we. Our first cruise was with NCL and only based on the great bargain we got. 10 Days from Barcelona to Madeira & Canary Islands for only €500 incl. return ticket from Amsterdam to Barcelona. We thought that for that amount we should give it a try and see if we liked cruising. And we do like it. Not to do it every year because we like landbased trips as well.

So my advise is to go with an open mind, it is a holiday! You are away, you get pampered and you do not have to do the cooking yourself!

Okay, now you've piqued my curiosity. Do Europeans only drink bottled water? Is your tap water not generally safe? Or is it that you prefer mineral, (sparkling), water vs. flat water in a bottle? Or do you usually drink tea, coffee, wine, beer, etc. with your meals?

 

We in the U.S. drink tap water with tap water ice pretty much with all of our meals and the water tastes fine and is certified safe. If we are traveling, or going to the gym, we'll take flat bottled water with us.

 

All the cruise ships that sail within U.S. waters must maintain certain water quality levels. They have very high-end filtering and/or osmosis systems that typically provide some of the finest drinking water available...both in the restaurants and in the buffets.

 

What do I need to be prepared for when I sail in Europe???

 

BTW, I booked a cruise on Divina in the YC for this Dec. at a fabulous price, so I'm not so sure about that U.S vs. European pricing scenario. ;)

 

I mean no insult to anyone in this query.....I'm just confused. :confused:

I think that water is drinkable in every European country. Only the taste is sometimes not that great. In some Southern countries the water is chlorized (I hope this is proper English). That means that the water is ok for cooking, coffee & tea but not to drink. I think that taste is the main reason a lot of European people drink bottled water. For instance, here in the Netherlands, the water taste different in the various regions. When I go to my parents I don't like the tap water but at my own place it is fine.

Here in The Netherlands people drink milk with breakfast & lunch, even though that is changing. Soft drinks & juices (for lunch) are taking over. At dinner some drink milk, some water, beer is also frequently at the table. But also there it is also changing. More people drink wine during dinner. Both at home as well as in restaurants.

What also is new, that a lot of restaurants are offering free tap water. So it is changing and that mainly has to do with the plastic bottles in which so called spring water is bottled. These are not sustainable.

Your TA is getting complaints from everyone he has ever booked. Did you ask him what the complaints are? Because that is what I personally would like to know it my TA would tell me thus. Not that I am using a TA, I book my own trips because than I can only blame myself if something is not the way as I expected it.

I would like to add one more thing. If you look at the profile of the writers of most of the nagative reviews, you see that most of them have recently joined cc and that their only action on cc is writing a review. That could be some food for thought.

Try reading some good and even great reviews for some balance!

 

This is one forum where people don't get flamed (well, it's a rare occurrence) unlike on some of the others I've seen. Most on here will help as much as they can. Though, how to answer your particular issue is too subjective. Some love MSC and some hate it. Who's right? Who's wrong? Whose opinions do you favour over others? Because, at the end of the day, that's all our experience forms is an overall opinion.

 

My first cruise was on Carnival - I thought after that I'd never cruise again! I've since done 8 on MSC in a little over 3 years, with 5 more MSC booked! You won't read any of my reviews because I don't write them, but if I did, would they persuade you in the way the negative ones are putting you off? Why/why not?

 

I'm giving Celebrity a go in January to see what all the fuss is about. The negative reviews of MSC and the hype about X have left me wondering how much better than MSC can cruising be? Guess I'll have my answer next February, but it'll still only be my own opinion! In the end, if you do choose MSC, the same goes for you. No amount of ratings by anyone else on a scale of 1-10 matter. Only your own.

I like the way you describe this!!!

One more addition from my opinion. Some people will write a bad review, not only about a cruise but restaurants, hotels etc. if somebody stepped on their toes. I always take any review with a bucket load of salt. The people who say that it was the best .... (Fill in:Cruise, restaurant, hotel) I do not trust, because they probably have nothing to compare it with. And the people who shout, never again, are complainers by nature. So what works for me is to try and read between the lines to find out what the real reason is for a bad or great review. And indeed, what Bea says, nobody is the same. What works for me might not work for you, even without all the culture differences we have around the globe.

I am sorry to spoil this topic but the Dutch MSC office is very good. They reply to your e-mails, they pick up the phone and all is very well. So not all offices are bad on not responsive!!

Thanks for the info, was not sure about it. Just recently found out that it is not common everywhere.

Maybe a little weird question but I recently found out that not in all cultures/countries it is "normal" to be naked when you use the sauna.

So can anybody tell me if you need to wear a bathing suit in the sauna on MSC and specially on the Musica.

You can read my expreience of the Aurea Eperience in my review on the lnk below.

 

 

http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=270&t=9372

 

Pete

Hi Pete,

Will definite read it. But thanks already for the info.

With reading about all the benefits it is definite worth the extra money. I see that it also gives priority with boarding the ship. So we will for sure go for the Aurea. We will only wait a while with the booking because flights are not yet available and I also expect that there will be special offers for both flights and cruise in this particular time of the year.

Are there already more people who have expierence with the new expierences? And especially with the Aurea experiencet? We are thinking about the Aurea experience on a Middle East cruise on the Musica in January 2016.

So any recent info is welcome!

I think that if you stick to the Chef suggestion in the MDR you have an overall good experience. We love cooking and had a nice enough time, some dishes were soso, some others quite good. Just don't expect 3*michelin food and enjoy the italian dishes.

How many people on this forum are used eating 3* michelin food. And if so, I do not think you will get Michelin star food on most mass market cruise lines.

Plus, this is my own opinion, I would get bored, eating Michelan star food everyday. But eating nice kind like home cooked Italian (or Asian) food, that I can eat everyday. Sorry, this was just very OT but it triggered me.