WindinmySails

On 8/2/2022 at 2:35 AM, John Bull said:

We were on Lanzarote for a week last month.

 

Two fairly obvious main choices for a port-of-call day - both have to be done by road...............

 

From Arrecife, 17 miles north to Jameos del Agua. Worth 30 - 40 mins .

A couple of miles from there, Cueva de los Verdes. Accompanied groups, anticipate about 45 to 60 minutes. Or IMHO if you're gonna miss one  place, miss this one.

Then 7 miles from there to Mirador del Rio. Worth 30 - 40 mins

Then 20 miles to Fundacion Cesar Manrique, Tahiche. Worth 30 - 40 mins.

Then back to the ship, 4 miles.

Total 48 miles,  about 4 hrs.

A mix of scenic bye-ways and main & urban roads

https://goo.gl/maps/F9WuYkQ5TUWyXvjk6

 

From Arrecife 20 miles to Timanfaya Nat Park visitor centre (Islote de Hilario on googlemap).

Here you transfer to a park bus (included in entrance fee) which takes you on a narrow, mazy, and sometimes steep road across the volcanic lava. Then attractions at the visitor centre. Allow 60 to 90 minutes.

Then 11 miles on public roads across the lava fields to El Golfo (green lagoon, worth 20 minutes) and Los Hervideros - the most spectacular accessible place where the lava entered the sea (worth 45 mins).

Currently the road is blocked south of Los Hervideros due to (? landslip?), if not re-opened when you go just ignore the road closed sign. There's some back-tracking to do, but still well worth the visit.

Then 13 miles maximum to the resort of Playa Blanca, with a great seafront promenade lined with bars, cafes, restaurants, shops etc. (worth 30 to 60 minutes) and 25 miles back to the ship.

Or if time is against you, skip Playa Blanca & head back to the ship from Los Hervideros, 25 miles.

 

Total  75 miles, about  5hrs 40 mins to 4hrs 40 (or 60 miles, 3hrs 25 or 2hrs 25 excluding Playa Blanca).

A mix of scenic bye-ways & main roads.

https://goo.gl/maps/qdV7LfS194VUD8318

 

Google those places, see what you think.

 

Can't help with tour operators or car+driver.

We've visited all the main Canary Islands, most - including Lanzarote - more than once, and always rented from Cicar https://www.cicar.com/EN/action/officeview/lanzarote-cruising-port who are the main rental operation in the Canaries and have an excellent reputation for good clean cars, sensible rates, and for not ripping-off customers. 

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

JB, I want to thank you for this detailed description!  We went to Lanzarote and followed your second tour.  Sadly it was over an hour wait just to get into the park, so we passed on that.  The trip was amazing and we loved the scenary.  The roads were well paved and easy to navigate.  We never would have thought of renting a car, but took the plunge and because of your excellent directions it was one of our best port stops!!

On the Getaway two days ago, and enjoyed cookies.

We took our first MSC as a transatlantic last fall. AS one poster said, this is all so subjective.   

For me, on my ship the Seaside , I thought the MSC food was very bland, they ran out of things like lettuce, a few days into the Atlantic.  Chicken paramasan was served with potatoes and brown gravy...strange from an italian line.  The buffet was not open at various times, but they did do a snack buffet after I think 9:30pm....sandwiches, pizza, cold salads, it was nice.  Asking for ketchup was a crazy long wait for a tiny cup of it.  This could be just my experience, as I was kind of shocked people said the food was better on MSC....I thought it was a major downgrade from NCL.  The good news was that I didn't gain any weight on the transatlantic...which is strange for me as I gained 20 on our 14 day NCL Alaskan cruise.  So turned out to be a win.  

The service was amazing, everywhere,  everyone was so personable and kind.  ...remembered what you like for a drink, liked as an app..... really made you feel special. 

Our balcony room was lovely and we thought we would get sick of it after 23 nights, but we did not.  Plenty of storage for my husband and I.  

If you are traveling in Europe, be prepared for lots of kids.  European familes take their kids everywhere. (No hate please my whole family lives in Europe) As everywhere in the world, some were well behaved, some were not.  Lots of strollers on board, parked in the hallways. I don't think that would fly in the US.   

We did get the basic drink package and it sufficed.  You could get bottles of water, multiples at a time, which was nice.  Soda was served in cans.  My husband likes Fireball, and that wasn't available without an upcharge.  Heiniken is your only beer choice on the basic package.  So look at the drink menu and see if you could live with what they offer.  I could find something I liked.

The value of the MSC cruise was awesome.  6K for a 23 day transatlantic with amazing ports. 

Disembarkation was a mess...a ton of passengers on the ship.  Some ports of call, disembaration was also crazy awful.  However, knowing what we know know, we'd do it a bit different, or change our expectations.

Of course this ship was from Europe, leaving from an American port things could be different. 

So at the end of that cruise my husband said he'd never cruise MSC again.  However, we just booked a transatlantic on MSC for October of this year.....it was his idea. The value won, and there was far more that we liked that made it worth the second go around.

I can only speak of a few of those ports.  I think one thing to remember is that transportation for your whole family will be quite expensive.  Sometimes just to get from the ship to the actual town is going to cost you.  This was a surprise for me.  

So we opted for public transportation when ever we could.  

I loved Ibiza , the DaltVilla (Old Town), the little narrow, steep winding streets were very unique.  Might I also suggest to download GPS my city.  You can do many walking tours, various lengths with this app.  We used it in many European cities.  You could put your teens in charge of this to keep then motivated and "in charge" of something  Check other GPS city tours.  
I actually was quite fond of Marseilles.  We took the subway to Long Champs.  There are parks and a zoo there as well.  The old port is pretty interesting as well.  

https://tourisme-marseille.com/en/fiche/longchamp-palace-longchamp-park-marseille/

Your children will realize how fortunate they are that you are taking them on such and adventure!  Have fun!

Hi I understand that these are sister ships, with some slight differences.  So the main difference I'd like to inquire about is a quiet area in the evening other than my cabin.  

Last year we took a transatlantic on the Seashore, and in the evening we couldn't find a quiet place to play cards in the evening with my 86 year old mother.  So she went to the casino........every night.......for 23 days......

Needless to say, it was a way more expensive cruise than she bargained for.  Interestlingly enough, she doesn't gamble outside of a cruise ship.  She said there was nothing else to do. We tried to drag her to the shows, outdoor movie, etc....if we would have found a quiet area to play cards, she would have been good.

During the day, it wasn't an issue we went to the caberet club that wasn't used during the day.

She'd like to do this cruise again, but on the Seaside.

Any suggestions?  Thanks so much.  

Could you please tell me what pier you docked at in Puerto Rico?

I was on Seashore for 20+ days on a Med and trans Atlantic this past October and November. I didn't think the ship was crowded during the trans Atlantic part, usually always found someplace to sit outdoors. When the ship was at almost capacity, it was more difficult.   However, I think the design of the ship, although very pretty, is faulty.  

There were few places, if any, to just sit and play cards in the evening for example. During the day, it wasn't hard to find a quiet place, but the evening and night was a different story.  The buffet was usually very difficult to find seating at breakfast, especially on port days. 

Personally, the food, just wasn't appealing to me.  Some meals were fine, but nothing to rave about.  I could always count on good grilled chicken and pizza though in the buffet.  For example, the chicken parm was served with brown gravy and potatoes. The head chef was supposedly Italian. Mid Atlantic, they ran out of lettuce...my other go to.  Buffet hours were limited.   Portion sizes were good, not huge...although this was the longest cruise I've been on, it is the only cruise where I didn't gain weight.  So there's a plus!

The entertainment was interesting and we always found seats to view the shows. Be open minded about the entertainment.  

Our room was lovely, comforable and for 20+ days, I never felt like I needed more or different space.  We had a standard balcony.  

Most of the staff we interacted with was lovely, friendly, but I didn't think some were well trained for the job. We were giving conflicting information a number of times. 

At times, leaving the port to the city was difficult and time consuming.  This was more in Europe.  We also had to pay for buses to most of the port cities...this was unexpected.  However,  I LOVED the ports.    

Due to the value and the itinerary, I would cruise with MSC again.  However, my husband said he would really have to think about it.  

So..an NCL agent told me that all NCL ships were going to a fixed menu, instead of a rotating daily menu in the main dining room.  So each day the choices woud be the same, but the menu would be more diverse.  I know that this is done on Prima, but does anyone know for sure if this is done fleet wide?  We'll be sailing on Getaway in April 2024.  Thanks!

If she had insurance, perhaps that would cover the expense of the rest of the missed cruise?

Having been a teacher.  I was more worried about being in school than on a cruise ship.  I taught close to Columbine.  I keep telling myself, there is more good in the world than bad.  Believe me, there were times that it was difficult to go to work, after every school shooting, after every mass shooting drill we had in school (once a month....yes, if you have kids, they go through this too)  I try to keep perspective.  Things are dangerous, travel is dangerous, life is dangerous.  I can choose to live in a glass bubble, or I can enjoy life and what it has to offer. 

I understand that NCL doesn't link reservations, however, we are traveling with some friends. Can we book specialty restaurants for more than are in our cabin?  How can we make sure that when we go to a specialty restaurant that we are all sitting together? Thanks in advance!

On 11/12/2023 at 9:34 AM, doolfan said:

Thank you all for your input!!  I went with the itinerary and booked on Jade!  I got a 2 bedroom room family villa that has a large picture window over the tub so that can be my “hot tub” experience. Thank you all for wonderful insightful responses, I’m very excited!!

I was going to comment, but no need, because I think you will love your choice.  The room you are refering to is wonderful!  You will also have some Haven benfits without the Haven price tag.  We went on the Jewel, did a back to back, with a club balcony,  a smaller ship a couple years ago and were so happy with our choice!  It was the cruise of a lifetime!  

Seashore doesn't have a library...."because of COVID we got rid of it"....(I call BS) or a card room. During the day, many places are good, but watch the schedule for activities.  We have played in the Caberet in the back of the ship, the atrium, deck 5 and 6, nice table height, and the Brooklyn bar, the Jungle pool area...all of these mentioned.  

However, at night, the best choice is the Market Buffet in the area that isn't serving food, as the other venues are being used, or dimmly lit.  

To be honest, we really had a hard time finding places to play.

We were just in Paris and I do know they'd like to move to that via my Parisienne friend. I did see people putting their phones on the readers but not sure if it was a Navago digital card or a phone app.

 I just read that vapes, e-cigs are not even allowed on board.  Would love to know more about this.  We vape as well, and just booked a 20 day cruise.  Darn...

https://www.cruisebooking.com/articles/msc-cruise-tips/what-is-not-allowed-on-msc-cruises

Just finished all 10 pages!  Very enjoyable read, as always!  Sounds like a great experience ....although frustrating at times. I keep talking to Scott about another Alaskan cruise....maybe May 2024?  Hugs to you my friend!

11 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Bottom line:  I think, from what you have described, that you’ll do just fine on an MSC 25 day TA.  A lengthy TA of 25 days tends to be more subdued than a 4 day party cruise.  Place Mom in a nearby cabin and then you and your DH can enjoy a drink package as well as all the other amenities on the beautiful MSC Seashore..    There will be fewer dining options compared to NCL but then again you will find the food in the MDR is better than the NCL MDR and geared to the preferences you have described.  Yes there are complaints.  You should have been here 10 years ago when MSC was launching new ships.  There were tons of complaints and that’s what you can expect when a cruise line expands its fleet as rapidly as MSC.  It’s called teething problems.  Add to that the Covid interruption and you have staffing problems while they get all their ships back online.  All in all I think you’ll have a great time.  

Thank you so much for your detailed answer.  It takes a lot to ruffle my feathers.  The ship looks beautiful, and I do prefer cleaner eating.  I don't need a waiter to fawn all over me, either.  I realize the cultural differences, and look forward to this opportunity.  I actually would enjoy a more subdued environment.  I'm in my early 60's and, although I like a good party, I don't want one for 25 days straight. I think the itinerary is amazing, so many places I've yet to experience!  Any time on the water is a good time for me!

The matching status is a really nice, unexpected perk.

11 hours ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

We have also just booked our first MSC cruise from the UK to France and Germany. A quick hop to see how if we like the company. So the experiences, bella and fantastica i think its called is with or without the drinks package. Also for our cruise you have to pay for extras onboard, the fun activities such as bowling, F1 simulator, and some other games things. You can buy a pass  after you have booked a cruise online through MSC for our cruise of £70 and they will give you a £140 pass. So you use that to pay for the fun activities. Bowling you pay for the use of a lane, not per person was £25 i think for an example. I will post again after we have cruised (31st March) with better feedback. 

I look forward to your feedback on this cruise line!

Greetings!  I am considering a 25 day Transatlantic cruise in October.  I love cruising in a balcony cabin and do like libations when I am cruising.  Typically I cruise Norwegian, so drinks and limited WIFI are included.  I LOVE the itinerary on this sailing on the SeaShore.  My 85 year old mother will be joining my husband and I.  She did this cruise last year solo, and said she loved it.  She doesn't drink, and had a cabin to herself, last year.  I really can't see her staying in the same cabin with us for 25 days, although I'd want her to be close by.

I also realize that MSC is different from the "American" lines. I am confused to the the different experiences, and the drink packages, one experience seems to have this included?  I am not necessarily wanting the cheapest option, but the most cost effective for the best experience.  I also do like a good coffee in my room in the morning; I heard MSC has some of the best. 

I enjoy the specialty restaurants on Norwegian, but that is not a deal breaker.  No idea how the food compares.  I enjoy vegetables, seafood and stay away from processed foods, rarely eat red meat, maybe once a month.

I've been reading through threads, and it seems that people dissatisfied with MSC are those that compare it to the American lines.  I am a pretty flexible person, and do enjoy new experiences.  My mother is Hungarian, and lives in Austria for part of the year.  

I welcome and appreciate suggestions and tips.  Thank you in advance!

Yvonne!  Reading your review, and of course loving it!  You did the right thing....being the sailor that I am, sometimes things slip from my mouth and if someone were to say something to me, I'd apologize profusely and really watch it.  No reason anyone needs to put up with that.

We haven't gone to Teppanyaki just because of the noise factor.  I like a quiet dinner.  

I'll write you on your email about our lovely delayed flights.

Loving your review and sounds like your dad is in good spirits!  Best to you both for a lovely New Year celebration!

We usually use our 2 specialty dining dinners at Cagney's and LeBistro, but are thinking of trying Pincho's instead.  Does anyone have any insight?  or recommendations as to what is good to order.  How is it done though it is Tapas?  Will we want a meal after wards, (lol).

1 minute ago, YVRteacher said:

That was such a great cruise, @WindinmySails!  

Yes it was!  Hope to cruise again soon with you in the future!!

Went on the Jewel for two weeks in May and loved the small size of the ship.  We did all our viewing the Spinnaker Lounge.  I loved it! We loved the size of the ship, met lovely people, got a great deal, so we sprung for the thermal spa pass for a week.  Had amazing meals, met up with wonderful people from our cruise critic meet and mingle and also met many solo cruisers through trivia and other games on board.  I would personally would opt for this over a larger ship, just seemed more intimate to me.  

Actually, the ship or the dates are not that important to me, it is price for a balcony, and that this is an NCL ship out of Galveston.  Heck I'd sail on their smallest ship if it left Galveston.  It is a port we can drive to...17 hours, but still, we stop in Austin stay with my sister, and then a quick drive to Galveston.