FTLcruisers

We have sailed the MSC Divina 2x - once in Caribbean and once on a TA. We bought the beverage package which is actually a book of 18 coupons. On the TA we bought 2 books and just used up one book of coupons before using the 2nd book. But on the Caribbean, we only bought 1 book and shared it. There did not seem to be a problem sharing the coupons since on our TA we often used coupons for drinks for friends that were with us.

Not sure about MSC ships that sail exclusively in Europe, but on our TA, we were served water in the MDR and it was available in the buffet - we did not have to purchase bottled water at all.

Marianne

My husband and I watched a couple left behind at the pier in St Lucia. The pilot boat brought them to the ship and passengers watched as they climbed up the rope ladder on the side of the ship!

Marianne

glad to hear this wasn't just a problem that I was experiencing. While I don't get the pop-ups, I do get a message from our anti-virus program that they have blocked attempts. This week was the first time I noticed such messages coming up while on CC

Marianne

we're only done it with Celebrity in Europe, but you can get off when you want and actually you don't even have to get back on until the next day if you don't want to. It allows you to go out and have a late dinner, party in a local bar until the wee hours or even stay over at a friend's home or hotel.

Marianne

although some folks are recommending you take the train that may not work since you will have your luggage with you. I'm sure there are places to leave it, but then that's extra money and time needed to retrieve it. As others have mentioned, you're not going to have as much time as you think to sight see - you might be better off just going directly to the ship.

Marianne

the local tour operators are well aware of the process of guests getting off the ships and will wait a reasonable time for you. They want your business and are not going to leave you behind.

Marianne

Princess offers the Bon Voyage Experience. It's only offered on some ships at some ports. Can roam the ship, have lunch and debarked before muster. IIRC available in San Pedro, CA. It's just under $40/pp, money is then used towards a cruise.

We have a friend that won't even come to these luncheons because of her fear!

any review is just one person's opinion - and those who aren't happy about something are more likely to post their opinion than those that enjoyed their experience. Remember that CCers make up a small percentage of those on board - so to have only 3 of them write a bad review, to me, doesn't mean much.

Marianne

I would definitely recommend a Med cruise if it's within your budget. The history, culture, and food are things I can't get enough of. I had never wanted to travel to Europe until I did - now I can't get there often enough.

Marianne

We've sailed MSC twice and you will be fine with trousers and collared shirts - that's what my husband wore as did the other men at our table.

Marianne

One of our best tables was one where there were language barriers - our initial reaction was that it was going to be a long silent dinner but it turned out to be one of the best tables we've ever sat at! One couple was from Venezuela - the husband spoke pretty good English, the wife not so much. One couple was from Montreal where the wife was the one with good English and the husband wasn't. The 3rd couple hardly came to dinner but both spoke perfect English. We have never laughed so much as we did at this table - trying to make them understand a word or them trying to figure out how to make us understand was at times hysterical. At one point we thought we should start bringing an easel to the dining room so we could draw the item we were trying to explain. Simple words (to us) like powder and carriage are harder to explain than you'd think! Even our waiter made a comment about our table and how much she enjoyed watching different cultures blend.

We always request large tables and after more than 60 cruises we can honestly say there have only been maybe 3 or 4 that we didn't enjoy - not bad experiences, just not great. Actually our worst table ever was a table for 4!

Marianne

you can also check on Trip Advisor which is a good source for all things travel-related.

Marianne

cruise lines make a lot of money on excursions - can't imagine any discounts. We've done most of our cruises on Royal and Celebrity so can't comment on Carnival.

My husband and I have over 60 cruises (we've actually lost count) with about 90% of those on either Royal or Celebrity. In January we went on a 5 day Caribbean Princess cruise and were pleasantly surprised. Yes, we did do some of the "they don't do that on Royal" but not in a bad way, just different. We did enjoy the movies under the stars, found the food in the MDR to be good, service was also good. I do remember we weren't crazy about the way the buffet area is set up but that's about the only thing I can remember that we didn't are for.

Since we enjoyed that cruise, we booked a 19 day TA on the Island Princess in November. I think we can really then compare the cruise lines and decide whether we'll become Princess converts.

Marianne

I definitely would also recommend 2 of those mentioned already --The Borghese Gallery and the Baths of Caracalla. Just make sure to make reservations for Borghese.

We did a food walking tour the last time we were in Rome and it was fabulous! It took us through the Jewish Quarter and stopped in about 7 places. Check them out at https://www.foodtoursofrome.com. Besides tasting some great food, we learned so much about that area of Rome which we had not visited before.

Marianne

Thank God we can import some meats, cheeses and wines from Europe. Life would be very sad without Brie and merlot. I found this link which might provide some helpful information from the CBP website:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82/~/travelers-bringing-food-into-the-u.s.-for-personal-use

Thanks = I had looked at that website but obviously didn't look hard enough. Can I assume that if we can bring cheese back to the US, there is no problem bringing it on the ship?

Marianne

traveling to Europe requires a little more research than going to the Caribbean. Just keep in mind that many of the ports you will be visiting will have numerous places that you might want to visit so your research will help - and, of course, CC will be a big help too! You just have to realize that you won't be able to see/do it all - especially when visiting someplace like Rome. We spent 5 days there - I had an excel spreadsheet for each day - plus we had been there before and we still have places we haven't visited yet. Depending on your itinerary, you might have some long days too. Often the ports are far away from the city you'll be visiting (i.e. Berlin was a 3 hour ride from the German port city at which we were docked). So, again, your research will help in knowing things like this.

I never wanted to go to Europe until I did - now I wish I could go more often. Actually this year for the first time we'll do 2 trips - we did a TA in May and will do another one in Nov.

Enjoy!

Marianne

When traveling in Europe, my husband and I often see vacuum packed food items (specifically meats and cheeses) that we would like to bring home with us. We are not sure whether they can be brought aboard the ship and even if they are, will they be allowed back through customs when we get home?

Marianne

we've done more than 20 cruises in the Caribbean (including those ports) and have never needed any type of inoculation documentation

Marianne

we were in Lisbon in May and were at the new dock which is just a short walk into town. We had arranged a private tour and our guide wasn't there when we got off the ship --- turns out he went to the old dock down by the bridge - but luckily we were able to reach the tour company and he reached us about 30 mins late. BTW we used Pancho Tours for a 3 hour walking tour.

Marianne

unless you're doing an excursion with a very limited number of people being allowed to participate, I don't think you have to worry too much about them selling out before you get onboard....especially since they do hold some specifically for those who book on board.

as for your OBC, it can be used for anything that gets charged to your account - like your tips, drinks, etc. Not sure of the length of your cruise but if it's a 14 day, tips alone would be about $165 per person.

Marianne

Were in St Petersburg and Moscow last year on our Baltic cruise and went into the subways in both cities. The guides always had us use the escalators because those stairs go down forever!

Marianne

Our cruise days now look much different than our cruise days when we first started cruising. We've done more than 60 cruises - actually we have lost count. When we first started cruising, we only did Caribbean cruises - one a year. Now we typically do 1 cruise in Europe and "fill in" the rest of the year with 2 or 3 Caribbean cruises. I hated sea days when we first started cruising - wanted to be off the ship visiting the beautiful locations every day - felt I didn't want to waste my vacation time laying around the pool or sitting and reading someplace. Somewhere over the years I learned that I actually like to relax while on a cruise. Early on, I booked everything through the cruiseline - cruise, flights, hotel, excursions - now I do use a TA to book the cruise but I handle all the other stuff on my own. It took us a while to get comfortable doing private excursions but we rarely book a ship's excursion now.

I think the best advice I could give is to do as much research as you can about the ports you'll be visiting. Whether you book ship or private tours will depend on your comfort level - check out your roll call since there will be experienced folks who you may be able to share a tour with. Also remember it's OK to relax if that's what you want to do! You mentioned a nap when returning from your port visit and that's something we always do.

Enjoy your cruise and congratulations on the marriage!

Marianne

it is typical for anyone on a ship's excursion to go to the theater where you check in, they give you a sticker, you hang around until they are ready for your group on the pier and then you proceed outside and meet your tour guide or find your bus. Not sure why there was such confusion on your ship but I would not advise having everyone just go outside with the hope of finding the right guide. If a lot of people booked a particular excursion, they might be divided into several groups and you wouldn't know which one to go to. Also the folks on the dock may just send you back on the ship to get checked in!

Marianne

when you purchase a transfer through the cruiseline, they will get you there on time. You will get luggage tags that coordinate with the time you'll need to get off the ship so yes, you'll put your luggage out the night before. Everything is pretty much the same as any other disembarkation.

Marianne