First timer with MSC in July round the Mediterranean

[SweetRocket77]

Hi,

 

My boyfriend and I have booked to go on a cruise for the first time in July. We are going on the MSC Orchestra, going from Venice. I am a bit of a worrier and was hoping someone could put my mind at ease.

 

So far we have booked and paid for the trip but haven't had any finer details. I've booked our own flights as they didn't have ones to suit us in the package.

 

Checking in

So I'm panicking a little about this. We are unable to fly to Venice the night before due to my boyfriend's work so we are getting the earliest flight on the day of our cruise (06:20), we have a lay over of 5 hours in Amsterdam before coming into Venice (if no delays) at 13:15. We have been told our departure time is 17:00 and I've seen on the website that check-in closes at 15:30. I'm really worried about not making check in. Does anyone know roughly how long it takes to collect your bags and get from Marco Polo airport to the port? If the flights all take off and land on time do you think we have enough time without having to rush and stress? What will happen if we get there later than the check in closing time (say 16:00)? Will they still let us check in? If we check-in online does this cancel out the possible problem or is the web check-in totally different to the port check-in?

 

Excursions

I've been told by a few people to not book the excursions that the ship is offering as there will be taxi's waiting at the port to take us to wherever we want. My worry is what if our taxi doesn't wait for us or we can't find it to come back to the ship? I know I don't pay until we return to the ship but what if it's so busy I can't find them to get back or if they bugger off without us? Has anyone had a bad experience of doing their own excursions? Also if anyone has had any good ones in any of the following places please do let me know: Santorini, Athens, Bari, Corfu, Kotor.

 

Disembark

Could someone please let me know how long (roughly) it takes to get off the ship, get your case and get back to the airport? We should be back in port at 9am and our flight isn't until 17:00 so I'm not too worried about this but I would like to know just a rough estimate of how long it could take in the worst case scenario.

 

I think that's all my questions for now. I do hope someone can help put my mind at rest.

 

Thanks in advance :)

[Floridiana]

Welcome to cruise critic!

 

Checking in: Do you think you could just go with a piece of carry-on luggage each? That would eliminate the waiting time for your suitcases at the airport.

 

Excursions: Look at the destination forums here to get more information on the ports. Some towns might be really close to where the ship docks and you can just walk around on your own. Personally, I would take a ship's excursion in Athens where the port is too far from the points of interest for my level of comfort. I also worry about getting back in time.

 

Disembark: Sorry, I don't know. But there is certainly so much time that you can even do a walk through Venice, especially if you self-disembark. That is if you take your carry-ons off the ship yourself and have no large suitcases.

[SweetRocket77]

Welcome to cruise critic!

 

Checking in: Do you think you could just go with a piece of carry-on luggage each? That would eliminate the waiting time for your suitcases at the airport.

 

Excursions: Look at the destination forums here to get more information on the ports. Some towns might be really close to where the ship docks and you can just walk around on your own. Personally, I would take a ship's excursion in Athens where the port is too far from the points of interest for my level of comfort. I also worry about getting back in time.

 

Disembark: Sorry, I don't know. But there is certainly so much time that you can even do a walk through Venice, especially if you self-disembark. That is if you take your carry-ons off the ship yourself and have no large suitcases.

 

 

Thanks for your reply. I definitely will need a suitcase, I'm a complete girl and will be packing for every occasion possible hahaha! I'm just hoping the flights are all on schedule and everything goes smoothly. Fingers crossed :)

[Clarea]

Thanks for your reply. I definitely will need a suitcase, I'm a complete girl and will be packing for every occasion possible hahaha! I'm just hoping the flights are all on schedule and everything goes smoothly. Fingers crossed :)

You might also want to post in the MSC forum for info on disembarkation:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=80

[Essiesmom]

I haven't sailed MSC in the Med. but I have sailed from Venice twice. I gather that you are flying from a local airport? Last time we had a non-stop from Gatwick that was really cheap and got us to Venice in a couple of hours.

Kotor is a tender port. The tender will leave you right at the old walled city, and you really don't need a tour, very walkable. Get a copy of the Lonely Planet guide that covers that area. Santorini is also a tender port. The city of Fira is at the top of the cliff. If you do a cruise line excursion, they will tender you to a different port to board buses. But they will drop you off at Fira after the tour, to make your way back to the ship. The big wait there is for the cable car to the top. Eat a leisurely breakfast, then make your way to the tender. If there is a long line for the cable car, browse the shops by the quay while the line dissipates. Remember to leave penty of time to stand in line for the cable car back down.

 

Corfu is a bit of a distance from the pier. Our line had a shuttle for a modest cost that dropped you off right in tow. We just wandered around and it was enough for us. Bari is an industrial port, but you could walk to town if you are young and energetic. And if it is not July/August and beastly hot. We did the most basic overview tour. EM

[John Bull]

There are two airports for Venice.

Marco Polo (IATA code on your itinerary / tickets will be VCE) is a 15 to 20 minute taxi ride to the cruise terminals. But double-check your airport, a lot of budget airlines use Treviso (IATA code is TSF) & that's a good 35 to 40 minutes.

So, allowing for an hour between landing & clearing airport formalities, you only have wiggle-room of less than an hour for delays in order to get to the ship by 3.30pm. A very high probability that you'll make it, but really you could do with better than a "high probability".

That long layover at Schipol is a real pain. If your flight tickets are amendable, it would make sense to look at alternatives - even if that means flying from somewhere like Birmingham or Cardiff or Exeter. But assuming they're non-amendable you can only keep your fingers crossed that you're not unlucky with a flight delay.

Don't be alarmed about this, but .............. where's your first port-of-call? It would make sense to know how to get to that port from Venice. Just in case.......... ;)

 

Most exploration at Med ports can be done without using ship's tours. That's particularly important with MSC (and Costa) because due to low numbers of English speakers taking their excursions, ship's English-speaking excursions are often combined with another language.

 

But "taxis waiting at the ports" very definitely isn't the way to do it in the vast majority of Med. ports, it's not like the Caribbean etc. Think of hailing a taxi in Bristol and taking a tour with it - it'd cost a fortune. And pot-luck in Europe whether the driver speaks half-understandable English and whether he gives a damn. It's much the same elsewhere in Europe.

Taking a taxi on-spec for a reasonably short A-to-B drive (for instance ship to city centre or ship to rail station) is fine. In some cases, asking the driver to return for you at an agreed time works too - though yes, do have a Plan B . But for A-to-B and then later in the day back from B-to-A the driver will want you to pay when you get to B. Fair enough, if you go back some other way he'd have been stiffed for that first fare.

But if you want a car for a tour you need to book in advance, using operators recommended here on Cruise Critic or elsewhere on the 'net.

 

Better than that ......................

 

- browse the ports-of-call pages

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=603

& elsewhere on the 'net for places of interest & how to get to them. In some cases it can be done on shanks's, in most cases it can be done using local buses, or hop-on tourist buses or trains or ferries.

 

Santorini is a tender port. Tenders take you to a jetty at the foot of the cliff below the town of Fira. Donkeys up the zig-zag path or use the cable car. O take the local boat from the tender pier to Oia, where the road comes down to the sea. Usually long queues for the cable car back down at the end of the day, or a tolerably easy 25 minute walk down the zig-zag path.

Athens - from the port of Piraeus to Athens there's a cheap Express bus or taxis (sharing the cost with others there at the same time is usual) or hop-on buses or walk to the metro station or ship's over-priced "Athens on your own" shuttle. Journey time about 20 - 25 minutes. Go to the Acropolis FIRST, to avoid the worst of the crowds & the heat.

Corfu - if you just want to go into town there's a frequent (every 10 mins or thereabouts) local bus from the port gate, costs a couple of euros for the ten minute ride.

 

- check on your ship's RollCall to see whether anyone's looking for fellow-cruisers to share a private tour. RollCalls are big on US ships, not very well-subscribed on Italian or even Brit ships, but worth checking out.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=975

(they're not in date order - scroll though looking for your sailing date)

 

You're going to have time to see Venice on your disembarkation day - which is handy cos you'll see nothing of it on your first day, other than the sail-out past the Grand Canal & St Marks (so make sure you're on-deck for that).

For that last day you'll need to stash your luggage somewhere for the day so that you can explore Venice. Can't help you with that, so find out about luggage storage in Venice before you go. Mebbe by asking on the Italian Ports-of-Call page.

 

Bear in mind that MSC is Italian - very Italian. So for instance lots of pasta, dinner is lots of little courses, & not followed by coffee. Announcements will be in multiple languages, including English. A lot of your ship-mates will be Italian or other southern Europeans - very noisy & excitable. And they have no concept of queuing.

If you're expecting a Brit or American experience you'll be sorely disappointed.

But if you go with the flow you'll have a ball. :)

And MSC has the youngest & most stylish ships in the business.

 

JB :)

Edited April 15, 2016 by John Bull

[SweetRocket77]

I haven't sailed MSC in the Med. but I have sailed from Venice twice. I gather that you are flying from a local airport? Last time we had a non-stop from Gatwick that was really cheap and got us to Venice in a couple of hours.

Kotor is a tender port. The tender will leave you right at the old walled city, and you really don't need a tour, very walkable. Get a copy of the Lonely Planet guide that covers that area. Santorini is also a tender port. The city of Fira is at the top of the cliff. If you do a cruise line excursion, they will tender you to a different port to board buses. But they will drop you off at Fira after the tour, to make your way back to the ship. The big wait there is for the cable car to the top. Eat a leisurely breakfast, then make your way to the tender. If there is a long line for the cable car, browse the shops by the quay while the line dissipates. Remember to leave penty of time to stand in line for the cable car back down.

 

Corfu is a bit of a distance from the pier. Our line had a shuttle for a modest cost that dropped you off right in tow. We just wandered around and it was enough for us. Bari is an industrial port, but you could walk to town if you are young and energetic. And if it is not July/August and beastly hot. We did the most basic overview tour. EM

 

 

 

Wow, thanks for your reply. I'll definitely get a lonely planets book to have a nosey at Kotor. We were thinking of using Bari stop as our day on the ship if there isn't anything in particular that anyone says "you MUST see that..."

[SweetRocket77]

There are two airports for Venice.

Marco Polo (IATA code on your itinerary / tickets will be VCE) is a 15 to 20 minute taxi ride to the cruise terminals. But double-check your airport, a lot of budget airlines use Treviso (IATA code is TSF) & that's a good 35 to 40 minutes.

So, allowing for an hour between landing & clearing airport formalities, you only have wiggle-room of less than an hour for delays in order to get to the ship by 3.30pm. A very high probability that you'll make it, but really you could do with better than a "high probability".

That long layover at Schipol is a real pain. If your flight tickets are amendable, it would make sense to look at alternatives - even if that means flying from somewhere like Birmingham or Cardiff or Exeter. But assuming they're non-amendable you can only keep your fingers crossed that you're not unlucky with a flight delay.

Don't be alarmed about this, but .............. where's your first port-of-call? It would make sense to know how to get to that port from Venice. Just in case.......... ;)

 

Most exploration at Med ports can be done without using ship's tours. That's particularly important with MSC (and Costa) because due to low numbers of English speakers taking their excursions, ship's English-speaking excursions are often combined with another language.

 

But "taxis waiting at the ports" very definitely isn't the way to do it in the vast majority of Med. ports, it's not like the Caribbean etc. Think of hailing a taxi in Bristol and taking a tour with it - it'd cost a fortune. And pot-luck in Europe whether the driver speaks half-understandable English and whether he gives a damn. It's much the same elsewhere in Europe.

Taking a taxi on-spec for a reasonably short A-to-B drive (for instance ship to city centre or ship to rail station) is fine. In some cases, asking the driver to return for you at an agreed time works too - though yes, do have a Plan B . But for A-to-B and then later in the day back from B-to-A the driver will want you to pay when you get to B. Fair enough, if you go back some other way he'd have been stiffed for that first fare.

But if you want a car for a tour you need to book in advance, using operators recommended here on Cruise Critic or elsewhere on the 'net.

 

Better than that ......................

 

- browse the ports-of-call pages

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=603

& elsewhere on the 'net for places of interest & how to get to them. In some cases it can be done on shanks's, in most cases it can be done using local buses, or hop-on tourist buses or trains or ferries.

 

Santorini is a tender port. Tenders take you to a jetty at the foot of the cliff below the town of Fira. Donkeys up the zig-zag path or use the cable car. O take the local boat from the tender pier to Oia, where the road comes down to the sea. Usually long queues for the cable car back down at the end of the day, or a tolerably easy 25 minute walk down the zig-zag path.

Athens - from the port of Piraeus to Athens there's a cheap Express bus or taxis (sharing the cost with others there at the same time is usual) or hop-on buses or walk to the metro station or ship's over-priced "Athens on your own" shuttle. Journey time about 20 - 25 minutes. Go to the Acropolis FIRST, to avoid the worst of the crowds & the heat.

Corfu - if you just want to go into town there's a frequent (every 10 mins or thereabouts) local bus from the port gate, costs a couple of euros for the ten minute ride.

 

- check on your ship's RollCall to see whether anyone's looking for fellow-cruisers to share a private tour. RollCalls are big on US ships, not very well-subscribed on Italian or even Brit ships, but worth checking out.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=975

(they're not in date order - scroll though looking for your sailing date)

 

You're going to have time to see Venice on your disembarkation day - which is handy cos you'll see nothing of it on your first day, other than the sail-out past the Grand Canal & St Marks (so make sure you're on-deck for that).

For that last day you'll need to stash your luggage somewhere for the day so that you can explore Venice. Can't help you with that, so find out about luggage storage in Venice before you go. Mebbe by asking on the Italian Ports-of-Call page.

 

Bear in mind that MSC is Italian - very Italian. So for instance lots of pasta, dinner is lots of little courses, & not followed by coffee. Announcements will be in multiple languages, including English. A lot of your ship-mates will be Italian or other southern Europeans - very noisy & excitable. And they have no concept of queuing.

If you're expecting a Brit or American experience you'll be sorely disappointed.

But if you go with the flow you'll have a ball. :)

And MSC has the youngest & most stylish ships in the business.

 

JB :)

 

Thanks so much JB for your advice. I've double checked the flights and they are definitely for Marco Polo airport. That makes me feel a bit more comfortable about the not very big wiggle room. I'm hoping I'm panicking about nothing but you're right, I need to have a plan B ready for how to get to Bari (first port of call) if the worst was to happen.

 

Thanks for confirming the walk down the zig-zag path in Santorini is 25 minutes. I can definitely manage that and will probably be better for my blood pressure if I don't have to stand in the heat in the queue with lots of queue jumpers haha!

 

I am a bit worried about the noisy & excitable passengers but will just try to go with the flow. I think we'll have to find the best times to go to the buffet, etc.

 

I'm definitely feeling a bit more relaxed about it now.