scampi
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We found the MSC staff to be very personable & helpful. Hopefully, we'll run into several of them in February when we board the MSC Orchestra again for our Dubai to Freemantle cruise. The ship was spotless with cleaning, polishing & vacuuming going on nonstop. We took out the Alegrissimo package & felt it was great value. Enjoyed new cocktails & wonderful gelatto & specialty coffees.
Our meals for breakfast & lunch were at the buffet. We had no trouble there with lines... we just took the advice of other Cruise Critic people & went to the aft area where there were fewer people lined up and more tables available. We loved the fresh pasta & pizza, the salads & fresh fruit but found most of the other food just o.k. We had the best dining experience nightly with a wonderful group of British/Scottish/Moroccan passengers who also spoke English & the food was very good.
The entertainment was great...enjoyed the diversity of many cultures on our cruise...made hopefully some lasting friendships & we're looking forward to boarding the MSC Orchestra once again on Feb. 21st.
scampi (Santa & Bob)
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We were on the MSC Orchestra sailing just before yours & absolutely loved our cruise! but not the embarkation process!!
I understand how upset you probably were with embarkation out of Venice but the main problem was mainly with Venice's security. When we were dropped off in front of the cruise terminal, a MSC staff member spotted me with a cane & directed us to the priority line but from there
on we didn't know what to do with our check in luggage & we felt that our luggage should have been taken from us at that point (that certainly would have improved the process & it was difficult maneuvering our way to where you handed the check in luggage to the Venice porters to be sent through the screening machine downstairs.). Upstairs was bedlam!! & the fault lies with Venice Security itself. You would have thought you were going through airport security. They had videos overhead directing all of us to take out 3 oz liquids & to remove belts, etc. to put in trays. One elderly lady's jeans fell down in front of us as she tried to pass through security. The Venice security agents didn't assist us in giving us the trays & people were fighting for them.
2 weeks later we left on the Regal Princess again out of Venice & embarkation wasn't much better. But again I blame the Venice security for a horrible embarkation process. However, Princess employees were better prepared at taking our check in luggage from us as soon as we arrived near the docks. It was upstairs again that bedlam broke out.
I must add that MSC's disembarkation process was the BEST process we have ever experienced. Our colored tags were numbered. The same numbered tab of each luggage tag was able to be glued on to our Cruise cards. I appreciated how a staff member led our group off the ship waving a colored flag. Thankfully we were done with Venice security at that point & easily made our way to our luggage & out of the Venice cruise terminal.
Santa
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I appreciate everyone's help. I kept abreast of the situation with Air France. The minute they extended the strike to include my travel date I called Delta. They were able to change my ticket to a KLM flight. I had to repurchase my economy comfort seat through KLM. At least the seats were available for purchase and we will get there on time. I still can not believe that my cruise insurance would not cover this if we didn't get there on time. It makes me rethink the purchase of travel insurance. Once again, thank you for all your suggestions.
We did the same. As soon as the AF strike was extended to our date, Sept. 30th, & continually seeing one or both of our AF flights cancelled, we managed to find a flight with Emirates leaving Sept. 29 & Alaska Air was kind enough to rebook our rewards flight to Venice, Italy. It was too nerve wrenching waiting to see if the strike would end for our flight as we were too close to missing our cruise.
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Yes it's quite apparent that journalist got the information incorrect.
Caroline Spencer Brown, editor in chief of our own Cruise Critic :) was selected and fulfilled the roll of Madrina, Godmother for the float-Out ceremony of the Regal Princess on March 26, 2013. I believe the Regal's first sailing with passengers will be this upcoming May 20th out of Venice, Italy. Will there be another official Christening ceremony before that date?? Will Ms. Brown be the official Madrina of the Regal???
scampi
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For those on the next cruise, for my daughter & her family who might be reading this & for rtlk, the news, according to a Princess rep via phone a few minutes ago is that there has now been a decline to something like 85 cases from 137 cases and that there will be a 4 hour marathon of continued deep cleaning before the oncoming passengers board.
Santa
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This is a management problem!! .... Don't get me wrong, we have cruised 20 times with Princess, we were really looking forward to having the Crown here on the West Coast, now were not so sure.!!!
It is not fair to flame rtlk. He is voicing his concerns for his family. My family is boarding the same day as rtlk. Our large group includes 4 infants/toddlers & DH & I are joining them 4/26 in a Bon Voyage Day to see them off. My family is also very concerned due to the news reports. I have been busy assuring them that all is in control on the ship. That opinion of mine is based on the much appreciated "live" posts from those cruise critic passengers on the Crown & from those others giving informative links about the situation. These posts have helped me to feel that all the procedures of protocol are being handled dilligently and that my family will have a wonderful safe cruise. Those links have included information that the number of Noro cases are declining (something the news reports haven't included). It's a pity that the news sources are inflaming the public - reporting facts is one thing, but leaving out important information or embellishing is another thing....
scampi
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Bret,
Do you have information on the MSC Orchestra?
B3 15026 ?
B2 10063 ?
Thank you,
scampi
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Hello scampi,
There are 4 of of us on the same sailing as yourself and we are comfortable waiting to see how this plays out over the next few months. My concern will grow as we get closer to the final payment date mid July. I think Odessa should be fine if the situation does not escalate so if anything, I would prefer to see just Yalta changed. Even then, we still would rather go to Yalta if it is safe. Time will tell.
We also want to start planning our stops and this makes it difficult. As Russia requires a Visa, or excursion, it will change our trip as we do not usually book the ship options.
We were really looking forward to this cruise, and we got ourselves a great deal on it. Now all this uncertainty...
I hope you get some answers shortly, and happy cruising.
Rob
Thank you Rob,
I think you're on the cruise when we get off. Only one other person has posted on our roll call and they're on the September cruise before our Oct. 3rd cruise. The OP cancelled & booked another cruise. Why don't you join us on our thread or do you have your own roll call thread? If our itinerary remains the same, we'll definitely use Yalta as a Sea Day & not exit the ship. No way can we support what has happened to Crimea. Odessa is very tentative although 2 cruise staff members from the Ukraine a couple of weeks ago on one of our sailings advised us strongly not to disembark in their country. There's a lot of fear and uncertainty and stress regarding ongoing events happening within their country.
To us, Bulgaria or another port in Greece sounds like a great alternative.
Santa
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IMO, I think the OP was saying they had a great time on their first cruise & found cruising & Carnival to be a good fit for their teenage children. But this time just the two of them are cruising & they are trying Princess because they have probably heard that it is geared more to adults. ( I don't know what a la carte means either). Likewise, we find Carnival, with the theme, having FUN & Fast to the Fun, & all the other activities geared to "fun", & the "fun" ships, a wonderful choice for the many family cruises we have taken on Carnival with our adult children, grand and great grandchildren. We have found that there is a much younger group of passengers on Carnival & our grand children make tons of friends.
On the other hand when cruising by ourselves or with our Cruising friends, we enjoy Princess immensely especially because of their superb loyalty program. But the OP really wanted suggestions for the Ruby. IMO, the Ruby Princess, is a classy gorgeous ship, well laid out with a well trained staff that will make you feel special.
Scampi
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Some of us with booked MSC cruises in September & October are wondering when MSC will notify us of itinerary changes due to what has happened in the Crimean Peninsula and the events threatening other areas in the Ukraine.
We are booked on the October 3rd MSC Orchestra out of Venice. Two of our scheduled ports are Odessa & Yalta. We'd like to have the itinerary changes as soon as possible so that we feel comfortable about our upcoming cruise and so that we have time to plan our activities in the "new" ports. We have noted that the MSC office has already substituted a port in Greece and a port in Bulgaria for Odessa & Yalta for the April & May sailings. We hope they soon will make a similar change for us before final payment.
Thank you,
Scampi on Cruise Critic (Santa)
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May I ask why you not comfartable with Odessa?
I mentioned Odessa to some crew members who were from the Ukraine on our cruise a week ago & they each recommended avoiding Odessa, also. That was enough for me...They were visibly upset with what was happening in their country, the turmoil, being far away from their family, feeling helpless,, the uncertainty of recent events that appeared to be escalating with Russia's actions and various factions in their country.
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Perhaps - but that is not a Catholic Mass....and a Catholic Mass for holy days is what was assured by the former policy.
As I said, for this cruise - what's done is done. I can't in good conscience plan future holiday cruises. That's really too bad because Christmas is the one time I can guarantee my husband can do a long cruise, and fully disengage from his job.
Maddle
Maddle,
This isn't helpful for your upcoming cruise but you might be interested in reading this review of a Christmas time sailing on Holland America for any future plans you make. The OP post by Infi on Jan. 5th, 2014 is quite informative & interesting. Sorry: It didn't work. I'll try to post the link again.
http:// http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?=1965695&highlight=catholic+mass&page=2
scampi
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1965695&highlight=catholic+mass
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The Vista Lounge was almost packed every time I attended.:)
I can affirm what Sea Gypsies said. We were both on the same 28 day cruise. The Vista Lounge was packed every Sea Day when services were being held. We were also fortunate to have a Deacon onboard from Canada who volunteered and assisted Father Gold. Many who attended not only the services, but also his lectures, were of various faiths. I'd like to add that having a religious on board is most helpful not only for the crew and staff but in those cases it is most helpful when there is an emergency because of major illness or death of a crew member or passenger. Besides Holland America, that has Catholic clergy on every sailing, both Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have Catholic clergy on sailings from time to time.
Regarding the Hanukkah services (as reprinted in my last post), from attending these, I can affirm that Princess does a superb job of providing all the amenities including printing out the prayers and songs for those leading the nightly services. And again, others than the Jewish faith also are welcome & do attend.
Santa "scampi"
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We respect our passengers' religious beliefs and invite them to practice on their own or with their fellow passengers. Passengers who wish to lead religious services may volunteer by contacting the Passenger Services desk or a member of the Cruise Staff. In some cases, our shipboard staff will lead services. However, Princess Cruises does not place clergy on board our vessels.
Clergy traveling as Passengers onboard our vessels are welcome to conduct services while sailing. They should leave their name, cabin number, and services offered at the Passenger Services Desk and they will be contacted by a member of the Cruise Director's Staff. Approval of services will be made based on schedule suitability, appropriate onboard supplies, etc. Please bring your Letter of Celebret or Letter of Good Standing with you to provide to the onboard staff.
Please note that during Passover, there will be a Seder service (including Passover meal) held onboard. For Hanukkah, services are available and will be passenger-led with wine, Challah bread, prayers and an electric Menorah (no candles or live flames) provided by Princess. Supplies are present and available for anyone who wants to lead the service at 5:30 PM on Friday evenings.
If you would like to bring on your own Menorah, you may. However, since candles are prohibited onboard all Princess ships, it must be electric (no live flame).
Security Guide
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What about the upcoming MSC Orchestra Black Sea cruises in October? We are booked already on the Oct. 3rd cruise. We purposely cancelled our ship tour to Yalta. We do not feel comfortable planning anything for Odessa. We would appreciate being given a new itinerary in advance.
scampi
Still waiting for a reply from 2 e-mails sent to MSC US Offices. Other cruisers on Cruise Critic have also voiced their concerns regarding these escalating events. The August - October cruises are still showing stops in the Ukraine including Crimean Peninsula Yalta which is now under Russian control. Hopefully MSC will notify us soon of substitute ports (ex. Varna, Bulgaria; Volos, Greece or similar ports) so those of us on these sailings can begin to pre plan for our days in those ports.
Santa "scampi"
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I just e-mailed MSC Cruises US office stating that we cancelled our pre booked ship excursion for Yalta, that we had no intention of getting off the ship for any of the scheduled Ukraine or Russian controlled ports & we were requesting their proposed itinerary changes as soon as possible due to how uncomfortable we felt regarding our October 3rd sailing and the recent events that were escalating. Also, we wished to preplan for the new scheduled ports.
Just want to mention something not being discussed... but on the recent cruise we took a week ago, there were several crew/staff members from the Ukraine on our sailing. They expressed how difficult/stressful all of this has been for them. They are far away; they have family in the affected areas and there's the uncertainty of the outcome of all these events.
scampi
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The safety and peace of mind of all our travelers and crew remains our utmost priority at all times. Therefore, following the recent developments in Ukraine, MSC Cruises decided to amend MSC Sinfonia’s itinerary and change the calls in the Black Sea scheduled in April and May 2014.
The calls at the ports of Odessa and Yalta will be cancelled and replaced with calls in Volos, Greece and Varna, Bulgaria. Volos is the perfect gateway to see the famous monasteries of Meteora – these world renowned monasteries perched on seemingly inaccessible rock pinnacles. The second additional port of call, Varna, Bulgaria, is a seaside resort boasting beautiful sandy beaches and centuries of history, adding an entirely new country to discover during this MSC voyage.
These changes will be implemented on two 13 day-12 night cruises. The first one starting from Tuesday 8 April, as MSC Sinfonia will depart from Genoa on an itinerary that will bring her to Civitavecchia, Istanbul, Varna, Constanta, Volos, Piraeus and Naples before coming back to Genoa. MSC Sinfonia’s second cruise that will be affected will depart on Friday 02 May from Genoa as well and will follow the same itinerary as previously mentioned.
Please contact your local MSC Cruises office or travel agent if you have any additional questions.
What about the upcoming MSC Orchestra Black Sea cruises in October? We are booked already on the Oct. 3rd cruise. We purposely cancelled our ship tour to Yalta. We do not feel comfortable planning anything for Odessa. We would appreciate being given a new itinerary in advance.
scampi
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Hi everyone,
Hope this will help. Have a look at this web site (click on the web link). It is the latest information about all Black sea ports, all about their history, their places of interest etc. It is so interesting and you will possibly know where the cruiseline may stop. Read about the places at: On this map the dots of the places are all clickable - http://www.olkas.net/map/
Thank you for this link!
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that its wise for any ports in Ukraine,or Russia a good idea for quite awhile till all this settles down.
I would also cancel any upcoming cruise,prior to final payment.
Just not worth the risk.
Sad,but true.How much can you enjoy yourself when worried about personal safetly,right?:confused:
We have no plans to cancel our Black Sea cruise since all the other ports on our sailing in Turkey, Romania and Greece are just fine and we have never been to Istanbul and we are looking forward to it. I'm sure other ports or overnights (maybe even in Istanbul or Greece :)) will be substituted for the Ukranian ports. But I can understand why others might cancel such as "noraloui".
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I have been twice on a Black sea cruise with differnet cruiselines. There are always new places to see. I don’t think they know from now what the situation will be in 7 month. Maybe they will know at the start of your cruise in Istanbul. Anyway, port substitutes will be made, I know from my personal experience so far, why not in Constantsa for 2 days (and then the capital Bucharest can be visited if you stay longer there), or maybe calling for 2 days in Bulgaria (and then Varna can also be visited and it worth it believe me with its museum with the gold treasure, I mean not only Nessebar or Burgas will be seen) or any other port substitutes they decide eventually. Do not take it too deeply… Just leave it and it will go the way it should do…..Hi I have been wondering which ports they might substitute as well,.... Did they not get the memo that this is my big 5-0 birthday cruise :D
"theborders," your last comment had me laughing non stop... :)
"Elaine667", thank you for all that information and positive thinking...
Hopefully, you'll continue to pop in to this thread to give us some of your backround information regarding whatever ports we end up in... For now we know we definitely still have Istanbul, Katakolon & Gythion in Greece; & Constanta in Romania. That leaves Odessa & Yalta in the Ukraine that are now iffy!!
"Scampi"
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I know it's way to early to predict, but I'm curious if there are any folks out there that might have an educated opinion on what might happen to Black Sea cruises this year that call on Yalta and Sevastopol in light of the unrest in Ukraine.
I guess my question is have past periods of unrest in Ukraine spread to these cities?
Also where does Odessa stand during this time? Is it considered part of the Russian leaning eastern part of the country or do it's citizens tend to align themselves with the western leaning factions?
Our October itinerary includes Yalta, Odessa, Costanta and Nessebar on the Black Sea (as well as Athens, Volos, Istanbul, Koper and Venice). If Yalta and/or Odessa were to be scrapped from the itinerary and there was enough time to replace them, what are potential ports? I would think possibly Sochi, however that wouldn't thrill me.
I hope this post doesn't offend anyone. That is not my intent. I'm simply trying to get an idea what might happen to our cruise should events warrant a change.
Thanks,
We have the same concerns as you as we are booked on an October 3rd Black Sea sailing & Odessa & Yalta are two of our Ukranian ports. We're especially concerned since there are today Russian troops in the Crimean peninsula where Yalta, one of our Black Sea scheduled ports lies. I guess we have to just wait & see...
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We are so excited to be going on the Coral Princess to Alaska. We chose the Coral over the Crown because the Coral has more outdoor viewing areas. I have been reading a lot of reviews on the Coral and a lot of people on Cruise Critic have mentioned how great the rear decks are for viewing. I was reading another cruise board and one review of the Coral from Jan 2014 said Princess was charging passengers to use the rear decks. Is this true? We have an inside and we were planning on using the rear decks as our "balcony". When we sailed HAL to Alaska we spent a lot of time on their rear decks even though we had a balcony. Has anyone heard of this?
I think what they were talking about is the Sanctuary area on Lido deck, deck 14 of the Coral Princess at the very stern that has a cover charge. But all the other open decks on the various levels are "free" and great for viewing Alaska whether you are viewing from the bow or stern or anywhere on Promenade Deck 7 of the ship. Or they may have been talking about the more expensive "Premium balconies" on other Princess ships where the these specific balcony cabins are at the stern & have larger balconies & are popular because of viewing the ship's wake. However I don't see any of these in the deck plans for the Coral.
Scampi
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I was wondering if we are considered Golden Shellbacks having traveled to the South Pacific and crossed both the Equator and the International Dateline or do you have to do them at the same time or same day, on the Star Princess last month. I also understand that since we crossed the International Dateline that we would be considered Golden Dragons, nothing was mentioned about this designation. Thanks for any responses.
Love the certificate that the Cruise Critic group Roll Call prepared for us all, the ones from the ship were very pale and it is not easy to scan them or copy them unfortunately, the CC ones are beautiful, thanks Scampi (Santa)
Dan and Phyllis
You're welcome! Glad you liked the certificate! :) I'd like to know, too, how one earns Golden Dragon "status."
Scampi (Santa)
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Scampi: Will you please let us ALL know what happens with your cruise plans.
It's not always easy to go into strange places with our service dogs however, that being said, it's still YOUR RIGHT to go!...
If you want, you can contact the attorney at CCI, I'm sure he'd love to take on Carnival Cruise Lines! Wow! They certainly wouldn't want this negative advertising......Not in this economy!
Sorry, here's a follow-up. Katie is our grandson's service dog. Our large family cruise is in 2010. I'm the group leader and I initially was calling about a family member with another access need. During the conversation I brought up the information that there was a possibility that our grandson might bring his service dog and I wanted to know about the arrangements they had for service animals. That's when the person went off on "only seeing eye dogs" were allowed. She even spoke to her supervisor who agreed with her. I was very angry and asked for them to send me the written policy. Of course it never arrived. Our grandson's mom, our DIL, had pretty much decided that Katie would have a vacation at the CCI facility in San Diego while we are on the Carnival Spirit out of that port. San Diego is where they went through their initial training with Canine Companions for Independence almost two years ago and where they have follow-up training. They have a lot of time to make a decision about whether our grandson's service dog comes on the ship or not. Their main concern is mostly not exposing Katie to the ports in Mexico where there is a lack of a leash law. Wizard of Roz, I gave my DIL a copy of your summaries of the arrangements they make for service animals on various cruise lines. She sure appreciated it. Don't worry about the outcome. Our DIL, an attorney, in a different field of law, has used attorneys in the past to obtain the appropriate programs that our grandson required. I'm sure she will follow up on this.
something to do while in Civitivecchia
in MSC Cruises
Posted
We have used Stefano Costantini's Rome Cabs for tours to the Etruscan countryside & just last month to Rome once again. His Etruscan Mystery tour in the countryside is wonderful. You are picked up right at the ship in Civitavecchia & returned to the ship in plenty of time to board. You can adjust their schedule & even the itinerary. We have used Rome Cabs for the past 8 years & they are fantastic, so reliable & so economical especially if you are able to get others to join you. No deposit is required & your payment is made at the END of the tour.
Here is their website: www.stefanorometours.com Select Civitavecchia Cruise Port & you'll see the various tours offered. You can e-mail them with any questions.
Santa "scampi"