Katgoesonholiday

Anyone else call on this and anyone else left feeling like "what the heck is going on in this companies minds?"

 

I'm glad you posted this. I looked at them too and couldn't figure out how 2 for 1 cost the same as 2 for 2. It makes sense now that someone has pointed out it's from the brochure price.

But yeah - big disappointment! :(

Actually, facetious replies aside, the first time I travelled internationally I had a complete meltdown in a hotel in Rome when I found our room didn't have a kettle. The only redeeming factor was that I only cried gales of tears at my husband - I didn't abuse any hotel staff. In my defense, I had flown 12 hours from NZ to Los Angeles then another 12 hours to London then six hours to Rome via Brussels. I was jet lagged and completely exhausted!

My husband took years to let me forget that immature outburst and I was very ashamed of myself and will never ever do that again. I travel knowing things are going to be very different to what I'm used to and that I may spend quite a bit of time outside my comfort zone - and this has become a facet of travel that I most look forward to!

I'm soooooo keen to try the yacht club! We are sailing in July next year and have an aft balcony cabin which apparently has a VERY small balcony. The yacht club is double what we have paid for this cabin and I'm having trouble talking MrKat into it as he get sharp pains in his wallet when I start talking about it. I, on the other hand, think it's money well spent and I have no trouble at all swanning around in exclusive luxury whilst those who have opted not to spend the extra are 'slumming' it!

We are from NZ so we aren't familiar with tipping, except when travelling, and we aren't fussed about bottled water. I never use washcloths and if they were that critical to my happiness I'd bring my own.

However if I can't get a decent cup of tea when I wake up there will be gnashing and wailing of teeth! :p

I'm baffled by the fixation on bottled water and how every review specifically mentions whether it was available.

I've chosen MSC for our first cruise next year because we love authentic Italian food and the whole tipping culture encountered in America confuses and intimidates me. Plus the Italians do REALLY good coffee!

We are going on an eastern med cruise on her in July. I can't wait.

I was recently at a Mediterranean cruise with the MSc Poesia. It was in October and it was full of kids all ages. I am not sure if they were school hollidays or not but in Germany for example school hollidays are in a different date depending on where you live. This means Berlin has different dates for school hollidays than Bayern for example.

I think that it is unrealistic to cruise with MSC, which is very family oriented and kids cruise free, and expect not to have lots of children on board. I would just accept the fact and look for places in which I can be on my own for example my balcony or inside venues. If you are very strong about not having too many children on board, then have you considered Celebrity Cruises? They are more oriented to older adults and do not have the offer of children cruising for free.

I appreciate your input. As you will recall from my original post, I'm not strong on not having too many children on board and I certainly do expect there to be plenty - I just want to know how well they are catered for on ship and to inquire whether there are any adult only areas so I can ensure I have realistic expectations. We have booked a balcony cabin at the aft and we enjoy relaxing in bars so I don't think we will have any difficulty finding child free venues.

I've booked so fingers crossed it won't be too bad! We can't do a cruise later in the year as we host two international students and they will be going home to their respective countries for two weeks in July - it's too much to ask family to look after our three kids plus two more!

Next year is a landmark year for my husband and I - its our 15th wedding anniversary and we both turn 40 over the course of the year. So we are treating ourselves to two weeks away from our darling children, travelling to the other side of the world from NZ to Europe, and are planning to take our first cruise! Its very very exciting!

We have talked about the Yacht Club and it appeals massively to us from the perspective of not having fixed meal times, having more quiet facilities (sailing during summer holiday break) and just the general top quality of it all (my husband travels a lot for his job and is used to all the top tier treatment as part of his elite status on airlines and hotels and I am very willing to get used to a bit of luxury).

However, I have to admit to feeling a little intimidated by it. We watched the promo video with its polished and glittering couples swanning through in designer wear. Then we watched another which had actual travellers in the yacht club and there was a plethora of suits and jewellery and very very dressy dresses.

We are just an ordinary couple with a taste for fine things. I am a full time mother of three young boys and have two other boys who live with us for schooling. Whilst I make a point of always dressing nicely, most of my wardrobe is reflective of this fact and heavily features shorts, slacks, skirts and t-shirts and blouses. I've only got a handful of dresses and only two of those could be classed as particularly 'smart'. I don't want to spend the extra on the Yacht Club and then feel like I need to go out and spend more so I don't look like the poor cousin who snuck in the back door.

What are peoples experiences of this?

And as a bonus question, do you think MSC will be re-offering the recent upgrade to Yacht Club for suite passengers for that period? *waits for members to pull out their crystal balls*

Thank you very much for that very reasonable and balanced review. :) That's excellent advice about the sail club and the later meal sitting.

It's good to get our expectations in line before we go so there are no surprises. We generally have five boys in close proximity (ages 5-17) so I have a fairly high tolerance for noise and fuss - especially if I don't have to deal with it! :eek:

My husband and I are planning a 7 night Mediterranean cruise next July - right during the European summer holidays. We are thinking about travelling on the MSC Preziosa and noticed that they are advertising that kids travel free.

Don't get me wrong - I like kids and have three boys of my own plus two more boys who live with me - but I'm hoping for a bit of relaxed time with my beloved and don't want to be overrun with other people's kids who are bored and misbehaving.

I'd love to hear if anyone has experience of travelling on an MSC cruise in this region during the summer holidays. Are the kids well catered for? Is there plenty of areas that we can relax without kid related noise and ruckus?