mousefan73

Oh Dear God. We booked our first MSC, departing Hamburg on the 8th.. Got a good deal, just to get away knowing the time of year and itineray IMO is horrible. So there are that many people willing to sail western/northern europe in late fall???? I hope I dont regret booking this. We were covid spoiled with half empty ships..

I called them this week and asked.. She said if we are fully vaxxed just bring documentation with and we dont need a test. One more newbie question from me: We are Disney cruisers and love their drinkn station. Where soda machines, coffee and tea are avail bascially all day. Most cruisers bring their own Tevis or re-usable cups.. I know on MSC soda is not free, but are there water, coffee and hot water ( tea) stations available to fill up my own cup with? I like a big cup of coffee to carry around and tea at times. thnx!

Any tips on DIY Honfleur? googling and not finding updated specifics.. Public transport? thx

Hello! I am new to MSC, we booked our first cruise for Nov 8th. We have really only sailed Disney and have Gold there. I read the doc and see there is a gold match for MSC.. Can anyone comment if I have enought time to process a match for my cruise and what are the benefits for Gold at MSC?? thanks

Was this shuttle price RT and did one have to register before or are they just waiting there for pax? I am googling trying to find this bus, or is it cruise line organized? thanks!

As somebody who lives in the EU, you couldn't pay me to see Paris or Rome as a one day port excursion. But for maybe a non-EU person where this might be their only time to see Paris, then do it to say you have been there. Pick maybe one or two major highlights and do them. IMO, and just an opinion, if Paris was only a one day thing, I would rather hang out at the base of the Tower or from across the Seine with a better photo shot, save that 1 to 2 hours going to the top and see other sights. in an afternoon with a mix of metro you can walk along the seine ( outside of Louvre is also nice) and walk towards Notra Dame and have a coffee over there. or take the metro to the Arch de triomphe... I mean the view is nice from the top, but you see things from a far distance. Le Havre is tricky as unless you are into Normandy WW2 stuff, that area is not really interesting from with that point Paris might be the best option. I definately would do a boat sponsered tour as with those distances and traffic, you never know.

Hi! In November will be arrive Southampton on the Virtuosa and are looking at two excursions. I am trying to find MSC specific reviews on these. Need your input on which one we should book. 1. Bath: SOU24 for 7 hours. It says 2 hours drive to get there. City tour and a walkabout with guide for Pulteney Bridge. States enough time to explore on your own for lunch. I assume another 2 hours back. Leaving actually only 3 hrs for Bath?!?. 2. Windsor: SOU19 for 8 hours It says after an 1.5 hour drive you arrive at the Castle. With a tour of the State roooms and St. George's Chapel. After the tour you head to the city ( I assume the bus takes you there from the Castle to town?? if not how far of a walk?) where you have time to shop and check out the gregorian streets. Has anyone taken these tours.. We need to decide which one. Bath seems so hectic compared to Windsor doesn it? longer drive, is it? and shorter stay. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and am worried, there is more single things to see there spread out vs Windsor. Windsor is a single location and the town just a town.. I think in bath i would be trying to run about trying to take in the Crescent, Roman Baths, Jane Austen stuff. KWIM? Any insights on these? thanks! Plus my mom is mobile but elderly, which one is least exhausting. She can walk but is Slooooow and needs a sitdown here and there.

Unfortunately it will be dark. but we are familiar with Hamburg, there are some VERY expensive neighborhoods that line the way into port. We just booked this now about 2 hrs ago. so looking forward to just relaxing on a ship.. thx!

Thanks for the great insight.. Yes weather is meh.. Which we are aware of. We are a German-American family and as long as we dont have a german culture feeling we are good. So bring dolce Vita on. that is why we dont do Aida/Meinschiff. We are regular disne customers so we definately need to manage our expectations on what to expect.. Will definatley be a different vibe without all that "Magic" lol.. We are making a decision this weekend, but if we do I will get back on some tips on Southampton. I need to check that spa area out. thanks Last year we did a last minute Dec. cruse from Miami on Disne weather was perfect. But one of the main drives is simply getting in an ICE train day of to port and we both really want the sail out experience from Hamburg.. We had looked at the Queen Mary oneway from there to Southampton, but the timing was never right. this cruise is RT so even better.

Hello, I have an opportunity to do a 6 night round trip from Hamburg to Southhamptonon on the MSC Virtuosa. We have never sailed MSC. Itinerary is Hamburg, Zeebrugge, Le Havre Southampton and back. 2 sea days. Sailing is Nov 8th... Ok I am not a fan of the itinerary except Southampton, maybe Zeebrugge and the experience of sailing from Hamburg ( a short 3 hr train ride from our house). The timing is also, eh a bit crapper as November in Northern EU sucks. The reason is I have to take vacation this week, it's easy to get to, We can try another cruiseline, and it's soooooo cheap.... I am just wondering what sailing in November is gonna be like? It's my mom and I. It's really just get away easy and cheap... Any tips on what to do in ports for EU folks, where these destinations honestly as a european are very non-exciting. Le Havre ( no we will NOT go to Paris) I hear, Brugge is nice. We are not active, mom has mobility issues, so we just walk it slow and take park bench rests, cafes and a bit of people watching, seeing etc.. Thanks!

Thanks everyone! great help

The min connecting time in MUC for Lufthansa/UA flights I believe is actually only 45 minutes in the system and doable. Even a line at pass control, I dont see it being an issue. The train that connect the two terminals takes 5 minutes for the whole process. MUC T2 is a great airport to connect through. And another inside thing is that MUC security is still hired by the state. Not outsourced like other airports in Germany. German airports have had their issues like all airpots, but MUC has the least issue due to the Bavarian state doing things their own way. I also work for an airline group where MUC is on of the hubs 😉

Hello! Our family of 5 ( one who is mobile, but slow Grandma) booked today the Disney Magic for this August. We will have a stop in Alesund from 7-2:30pm. All cruise port adventures are sold out. What can we do? Can anyone comment on my questions? thanks so much. 1. Is the cruise port really that close to the city center? So no stress there? 2. Is the hike up to Fjellstua Viewpoint worth it? I figure that is a free and easy thing to do. 3. Now where i am confused is are there boat tours that run in that time in the Gierangerfjord? I would think Gieranger itself is too far. but do some boats go in a bit from Alesund to give a bit of a fjord tour experience? is this possible in our time frame? I have been looking at some websites, but I am a bit nervous seeing our limited time and google maps is dangerous to plan out how long it takes to get from A to B. any other tips would be great! Either we just do the town and hike up or see about a boat tour.. WWYD??

Hello ! German local here. Anyone traveling June-August with the German Rail need to keep in mind Germany has a special 9 euro monthly fare going on right now. Yes you heard me correctly. 9 euros will get you all you can ride on all trains and most public transport systems. ( buses, tram, subway) EXCLUDED are the ICE or IC or fast city trains.. if you searh for trains look for RE/RB. NOW!!!! keeping this in mind. Trains from anywhere in Germany, including Berlin to any sea side, mountain can be HELL on earth or not.. Depends on how full the trains are and there are school holidays.. I am not sure how long the warnemunde to Berlin RE train is, but 9 euros will get you there and back. Just check when you plan to travel- could be crowded.

Good news, I dont know if it's luck but I got just now 2 tickets for May 2nd. and could chose almost all day any time. My question is what else do we need? We got the online USS Arizona direct from recreation.gov.. It says show up one hour before. but do we need any other general entrance? It's so hard to get real infos as it seems so many 3rd parties make websites that seem official to make money off of local tours. Also our tour is at 11:30 we will get there just after 10.. does anyone know if parking is an issue? thanks