JeanieC,Aston

Hi…sorry it’s clear as mud but I suspect it’s for speciality dining. The MDR’s say ‘No Booking Req’. It says…….. As your safety and well-being is our top priority, we have enhanced measures in place, including reduced capacity online dining reservations.You will be able to make dining reservations fro 28th January.

There is nowhere on the online booking where you can buy DP using OBC. A phone call resulted in being told I can do it when on board,,another complication is the loyalty discount,,for me 7.5%.,,I have £300 OBC. It was explained the OBC would be taken off first then the 7.5% taken off the cost that remains. ie7 nt DP=£559 less £300 OBC=£259 less 7.5 = £240 to pay.I think that’s correct.🤞 Has anyone experience of doing this?

I was on Britannia in November and I got cans for my Vodka & Slimline. To answer another post above the V&T counts as one drink. As for beers I found every beer drink on the ship was included as was the spirits. I found only cocktails was restricted on choice. I never saw one beer that was over the £6.95 limit,,,,indeed a pint of Peroni was £5.20. My wife only drinks Prosecco,,,,at £6.25 a glass without pop or coffees or water she only needed x2 before dinner,x2 during dinner and x2 after dinner and it was quids in,and you don’t even reach half of your 15 drinks a day. Dont forget you knock off loyalty discount,,so Atlantic at 7.5% means your DP is only about £36.50 pd.

I am on Iona from 11th Feb,,,booking for dining opens on 28th Jan.

Anyone thinking of booking MSC for a Med cruise really needs to read the reviews. MSC do round trips in the Med,,,embarkation and disembarkation happens at every port of call. Cruises from Southampton are better,,but cruises from Med ports are bedlam,some who book YC never leave the YC area. Public areas are just noise noise and noise,,pushing and shoving the norm. I should imagine cruises from Miami are totally different to a cruise from Barcelona or Genoa.

I read a report that Tilapia is the 4th most popular fish in the US so someone must eat it.

Looking at the Planner for my upcoming cruise on Iona the sample menu for MDR still shows Atlantic Prawn cocktail as an always available starter.

Maybe!! I’ve at times been called ‘mad’.😉 There is another saying “If at first you don’t succeed try try again” Thats what I’m doing,,,,but only once.

I know it wasn’t all Celebrities fault,,but filling the ship to the max knowing they dint have the staff to service them was,,,,sailing from the UK with no Guinness and Boddingtons was Celebrities fault when there was no shortages on other ships sailing from Southampton. I agree about COVID my wife and myself tested positive the dat after disembarking. The shambles was getting a bleeper at 19:30 and actually sitting down to dinner at past 22:00. But eh oh!! These things happen and that’s why I’m giving them another chance. Btw,I’m not a one cruise line person,,,,last year I sailed Celebrity,FO x2 and P&O. Up to now I’ve P&O,Celebrity,FO and Marella (ex Celebrity Mercury) booked,,,,so I can compare.

Reading some posts regarding cheerleaders,,here’s a question. I sailed Silhouette last April from Southampton,,,first UK sailing after TA. It was a shambles with lack of crew,shortages or absence of certain drinks like Guinness and Boddies and other failures,I introduced 6 friends with us,,they said never again Celebrity. Now I have booked Silhouette in May from Southampton,exact same itinerary.same ship,same time. Am I a Cheerleader,an Optimist or a Fool? JC

And that’s the famous Swarovski crystal staircase,a feature on all MSC ships.

Looking at the menus on the App for our Silhouette cruise in May and I know these things can change,,it shows Prime Rib for dinner on Day 4. It only shows the menu for 7 of the 10 nights but Talipia is only on for one night,,,it shows different fish dishes every night plus Lobster tail.

Rather sit in the OVC eating Fish Fingers saying ‘Yeh! This is the fine dining we paid $x000 for.

You leave Haddock alone it’s a staple food for us Brits.😉 In fact we went to the pub for lunch today….. Beer battered Haddock,chips and mushy peas…=£10. Washed down with a couple of pints of Boddies,,,lovely!! Talk of reduced menu,,on our last Celebrity cruise last year they served Irish Stew in the MDR dinner menu,,,,,,for us that’s a cheap meal,,,,slow cooking the cheapest cuts of meat.

I have booked Voyager for October. All Spanish ports plus Gib,,,I love Spain ports. I have done over 50 Thomson cruises,first on Topaz,,this is first since 2019. I have cruised Celebrity,P&O and FO since then so it’s back to my cruising roots.

Isn’t it great to sometimes read a post from someone who really knows what he is talking about. Thanks chengkp75.

OK,I also looked it up. Gastric Acid usually has a pH of between 1.5–3.5. Whichever way you look at it Coke is very acidic I believe. https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj6t_zY6ZD8AhVNQkEAHReBAhoQFnoECAwQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucsfhealth.org%2Fmedical-tests%2Fstomach-acid-test&usg=AOvVaw2MbzFM6pEgh48AYhm3tTK5

Thank for that I just played it. Why I don’t know,I am Elite and apart from one booked on the Silhouette next year I fear with the way prices are rising my retirement funds or my lack of seeing value dictate I will look elsewhere.

And I love mushy peas with Cod and chips with plenty of salt and vinegar over. But I hate stupid little garden peas.😉

Never seen those,,love them,especially the one were the little lad stands on the two cans to reach the Pepsi. ps…never understood the US love affair with Coca Cola. When someone showed me years ago how to bring an old penny look like new by dropping it into a class of Coke,,,I think what does it do to the inside of your stomach?

Just like Frank Sinatra songs. ”Here comes another one,just like the last one”😉

To follow on from my post above. ’Whats included’ in Classic in my Planner shows water,coffee,soda etc What's Included Vodkas: Absolut and flavors, New Amsterdam, Smirnoff, Tito’s Whiskeys: Canadian Club, Dewar’s White Label, Famous Grouse, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker Red, Monkey Shoulder, Seagram’s 7, Seagram’s VO Rums: Bacardi and flavors, , Captain Morgan’s, Kraken Black Spiced, Malibu, Myer’s, Wray & Nephew Tequilas: Cazadores Blanco, Don Julio Blanco Beers: Alaska Brewing beers on Alaska sailingsCoors Light, Corona, Corona Light, Franziskaner, Heineken, Kirin, Kirin Light, Miller Lite, Moretti, Newcastle Brown Ale, , Red Stripe, Sam Adams Rebel IPA, Strongbow hard ciders Gins: Beefeater, Bombay Dry, Gordon’s Non-Alcoholic: Nonpremium bottle water, Premium coffees, Juices, Sodas, Premium teas Cocktails: A large selection of classic cocktails made with Classic Beverage Package spirits Liqueurs and Cognacs: Campari, Galliano, Hennessy VS, Kahlua, Kirsch, Licor 43, , Ouzo, Romana Sambuca, Southern Comfort, Tia Maria A large selection of wines from various regions around the world, including California, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Chile and Australia.

Just went into my Cruise Planner for my April next cruise on Silhouette. The cost to include the Classic package showed as……I’m Elite. Classic Package Full Sailing - 10 Days From £79.96 GBP / per guest per day £87.87 GBP onboard (9% OFF )PRE-CRUISE SAVINGS £1600 for 10 days,,,I came off a P&O cruise in October and I paid £960 for x2 for 14 days.

Wouldn’t save any money with me. My mother always stopped me eating in my bedroom,I’m not starting on a cruise ship.

The talk re coastal cruises… Ive seen top to bottom of US,both East and West coast. We are used to Round Britain cruises here in UK (only a small island). I wonder how long a cruise around the US would take,,,say from Seattle to Boston.West to East coast through the Panama Canal. There could be some great cities/places to see on that trip. Unfortunately it would exceed my budget. Has any cruise line ever done it. Btw Jim,great blog again.