Help/Advice

[Itsbeentoolong]

Firstly is it weird if me and my wife share a room with my mother in law? is an Inside cabin to small for 3 adults?

 

So basically its my Mother-in-Laws 50th next year and my wife(to be) promised her her first cruise as a present(10 years ago but she hasn't forgot haha) but as we have our wedding in Paphos in Sept and Honeymoon on Azura over Xmas/New year we need to find a cheap cruise for Apr/May hence sharing the room.

 

So as the 2016 cruises are not out yet I've been looking at this year hoping they will be similar and i've found 2, one on Oceana around Europe, Early Saver Rate for 1540 total or MSC Divina for 1700. My questions are...

 

1) The Early Saver deal, are we likely to get Freedom dining and could we do without the P&O coaches in port? is it like the Caribbean where you can walk out of port and find cabs or book your own Excursions?

 

2) Has anyone been on MSC? boats look amazing but i don't see many signatures with MSC cruises in them, are they not really for the English?

 

Thanks for your help

 

Dean

Edited March 22, 2015 by Itsbeentoolong

[jeanlyon]

Well here goes, I think as you are getting married and might want some time alone? it would be a bit weird. If you were our age, 68 & 76 and a mother in law was still alive, it might be OK, but there's not that much room really.

[Itsbeentoolong]

hahaha its not our wedding/honeymoon...its a cruise for her, we've lived together for 4 years so time alone is not the problem...the money at that point, is :)

[Mysticalmother]

I can't speak from personal experience about MSC, but friends of ours went on an MSC cruise, said it was a lovely ship etc but....it was totally geared up for Italians. Announcements were made in four languages - English last, and the food and entertainment was very Italian styled and wasn't really to their taste.

 

They still had an enjoyable time, but did say they wouldn't choose MSC again for those reasons.

 

Ports - well it depends which ports you are going to, but you can usually DIY a lot of them. If it's just shuttle buses you are concerned with , they don't cost much anyway.

 

Cabin - if I am honest, not sure I would want an inside for 3 adults.....especially as the third berth would probably be a "bunk" style berth (I think they call them "upper Pullman " ) especially on Oceana. The cabins are often quite small and with a saver fare you wouldn't even be able to chose it.

 

I'm not going to comment on whether it's weird to share with your MIL :D

[the english lady]

Not weird really, but I think it would come down to "personal space".

As has been stated the cabin will not be that big, and as a 3 berth ,one of the beds would be a Pullman, probably from the ceiling. Which one of you would sleep up there?

Next thing would be wardrobe space, with 2 ladies and yourself, you might just be able to fit 1 pair of speedos in!!

 

I would either go for shorter cruise, so you could go for a larger cabin...deluxe balcony ones usually have a settee that convert to a double bed, so much more comfortable, plus on some ships there is a curtain between the bed and settee, so more privacy.

 

Your wife and mother go on a cruise on their own? So in a 2 berth cabin ,there will only be the 2 of them, and they each have a bed.

Final option delay booking any cruise until you can afford a grade of cabin that allows 3 adults in comfort.

As you can see I personally think the "personal space" issue would come into it quite a lot.

Would you go on a caravan holiday with your MIL for a week, where the caravan was only a 2 berth , and the 3rd bed was converted from something else. If you don't think you could manage that then I would say the 3 of you would not enjoy any cruise in an inside cabin.

[Host Sharon]

I can't answer about MSC - perhaps you need to ask that on their boards - but I have cruised with two friends in an inside cabin and it was fine. BUT, bear in mind one bed may be an upper pulman berth so can one of you climb the ladder!

 

I shared on Oriana so storage space wasn't a problem. You just need to be very organised regarding bathroom times.

 

Last time I was in the Caribbean I prebooked private tours via the internet. They were brilliant. Between four and eight of us in people carriers or minibuses. Great value and lots seen (I am not a beach person).

Edited March 23, 2015 by Host Sharon

[john watson]

If it were me, I should look at Ventura or Azura. The difference is on these ships there is a walk in wardrobe which is where you can stand and change your clothes much more privately behind the wall. Oceana has smaller cabins where this would be a problem. If you were going down the Oceana route the "Mini-Suite" would probably be better but I am not sure if these accept three passengers? On Azura/Ventura a deluxe balcony stateroom would be good as they were thinking of a curtain divider system but not sure if they are yet in service. At these levels two cabins might be better for closer to the price.

 

Regards John

Edited March 23, 2015 by john watson

[Itsbeentoolong]

Thanks, some great advice!

 

I was looking to do a 4 nighter on Azura/Ventura instead so we could get a Deluxe Balcony but I'm just thinking its going to be my last holiday for a while as my OH wants to start saving for a baby...hence why we can wait until we have more money or why they arent going on their own hahah i need a last one too :)

 

Its not so much personal space, i've already said i'd go back early and get ready then go and wait in a bar whilst they go back and get ready :D and i like to be up early so i'd be out letting them get up and ready without me.

 

My MIL has only left the country twice and a cruise is a dream so Bruge/Amsterdam with a nice room or Venice/Monaco/Corfu/Rome for a week with a not so nice room....i know what i'd prefer...so hard :confused:

 

Thanks

[Scorpio41]

We are on Britannia in May and have a balcony cabin with a sofa. The sofa pulls out into a third bed. There would be no dividing curtain but at least none of you would have to climb a ladder to bed.

 

Might be worth considering.

 

 

.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Scorpio41

[ormy]

We did our first cruise with MSC - lovely ship the Poesia. They certainly do cater for many nationalities, and the language is a problem - all announcements in many languages together with the CD every night. Entertainment mainly just visual, magic, mime, dancing, acrobats. The food and service was just fine and their ships are magnificent. We have used RCI, Thomson, P&O and Celebrity, but if the itenerary suited we would use MSC again

[Wiz201]

maybe another option is to go on Ventura and your Mother in Law has a single inside cabin? Okay you won't be together all the time but you'll only be separate whilst sleeping really. No reason why she couldn't spend all evening with you whilst dining and socialising.

[Itsbeentoolong]

Thanks, I thought of the single cabins but I guessed they all got snapped up straight away and as im only the lowest loyalty tier I thought they'd all be gone buy the time i could book. Plus i really want a week fly cruise in the med, only seems to be Oceana doing that

 

Dean

[kruzseeka]

Thanks, I thought of the single cabins but I guessed they all got snapped up straight away and as im only the lowest loyalty tier I thought they'd all be gone buy the time i could book. Plus i really want a week fly cruise in the med, only seems to be Oceana doing that

 

Dean

 

Well I'd say 'Go for it'! You've obviously thought it through, have a number of calls on your finances and provided all three of you are happy with the arrangement you might just as well go for a week. After all it's the experiences, ports of call, entertainment, food etc you will be getting pleasure from. Clearly whilst you may prefer a balcony cabin, you're happy to run with an inside so that's not your priority and if that allows you to do the cruise you want, it's the compromise you're prepared to make. And you've come up with a plan to timetable shower/changing times and apart from that what else are you using the cabin for? Only sleeping and presumably you'd be prepared to use the bunk.

 

As a family with parents in tow, we caravanned for many years in much more restricted space and coped. We once met a group of three elderly ladies sharing a four berth inside cabin and they were having a whale of a time (and one of them must have been in an upper bunk!) They wanted to travel, didn't have unlimited resources - so why not?

 

Happy Cruising whatever you eventually decide.

[Itsbeentoolong]

yeaaaah thanks I think I will, watch P&O change everything now and throw all my plans up in the air!

 

can't wait until they announce next years so I can look

 

Cheers

[Triplalot]

Once on a cruise with NCL we shared a table for dinner with a young couple who we're traveling with the ladies Mother who was about ages with your MIL. They were sharing an inside cabin and appeared to be getting along famously even at the end of the 12 night cruise.

 

An option you have is to use the showers in the Spa area to free up the bathroom for your companions that way you can shower at leisure and get a degree of privacy, especially on formal nights.

 

We are staying in an indoor cabin on Oceana this July in the Med, albeit only the 2 of us and I will be happy to answer any questions you have about the cabins and ship when I get back.

 

Good luck with your planning :)

[the english lady]

yeaaaah thanks I think I will, watch P&O change everything now and throw all my plans up in the air!

 

can't wait until they announce next years so I can look

 

Cheers

 

Just just add I was just looking on you tube and someone had posted on there a video of their outside 4 berth cabin made up with the bunks down from the ceiling to give you an idea of what it would be like, on Oceana.

Might be worth you having a watch