BelleEpoque

I was in Barcelona last year avant et après a Virgin Voyages cruise. I really enjoyed it. I will debark in Rome, one of my favorite cities, but I don’t think I’ll have time to linger. Likely fly back to the States on debarkation day.

There’s an IKEA near the port too. lol And isn’t this also true in Southampton near the port?

I will be easy to find. And when I’m not drinking (very) dry gin martinis I am drinking French 75s. 🥂

I have the same issue with my teenager but luckily he’ll be at tennis camp when I’m on an upcoming crossing. I started a practice of walking into the dining room with a fresh cocktail on my last cruise. Might be a little gauche but I’m too impatient to wait. However, on our last DCL cruise, from night 2 forward, our server had a French 75 waiting for me every night at dinner. He figured me out quickly!

Yes, I think by the time you get your luggage and make it over from Newark, it might be close to 10 or 11a so you may not have all that much waiting to do before Grills boarding starts. I considered bidding on an upgrade today but then decided I’d rather spend the funds on the drinks package. Not sure what that says about me but hopefully Britannia does the trick since I’ve opted for dry gin martinis over Grills luxury. Coincidentally, after a few days in London, I’ll end up in Athens to pick up a Celebrity cruise for a very port-intensive Med cruise. The contrast between the two ships and the itineraries will be quite interesting. Plus crossing solo and then joining a group of 8 for the Med. Only 33 days to go! A bientôt!

There’s a website called dayuse.com where you can book day rooms. If you want to just get a hotel for a few hours. There should be a few hotels not far from the port in South Brooklyn or just across the river in Lower Manhattan. If you don’t have a ton of luggage (I will have lots since I’ll be in Europe for almost a month after we make it across), then… Not too far from the cruise terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn, there’s another Brooklyn neighborhood called Dumbo, which has the best views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Lower Manhattan. There is also a great waterfront park with lots of public art and many great cafes and restaurants. It’s probably about a 10- to 15-minute Uber ride from the port to DUMBO. If the weather is pleasant, it would be a great way to kill a few hours.

I used to enjoy their videos but over time I think they’ve gotten very clickbaity and they often seem hypercritical. I also don’t think that the vast majority of their viewers would ever end up on the QM2, which might be a good thing. Personally, I would be quite annoyed to find that pair on my voyage with their intrusive cameras and constant blathering through meals. They often seem oblivious to how their filming might impact the experience of or intrude upon the privacy of other travelers. They seemed to havd gotten lots of dirty looks from other passengers on that crossing, and they probably deserved them.

I am booked on this sailing. Zaandam - 19-Dec-23 - 16 day Southern Caribbean Holiday thanks, BelleEpoque

Have all of the cabins on the Zaandam been refitted with the glass showers? Thanks for sharing!

Just lovely. Thanks for posting.

Did I miss the photos of the interior of the EV by OP? If not, I’m sure they’re forthcoming. Still suss.

You’re a unique case. OP is a tad bit dramatic for my tastes, but I am actually enjoying their posts and comebacks even while finding them a bit suss.

I’m a bit of an introvert; I am sure I’d love having my own plunge pool. Thanks for all the great photos.

Your account has only existed since June. That alone makes me skeptical.

Just goes to show how much personal preference comes into play here. My experience on a November sailing on the Discovery Princess was that the MDRs were subpar. I ended up taking most of my evening meals in specialty restaurants. There was also norovirus on the ship. A few months earlier on X, dining and service were definitely superior to that on Princess. I would also choose HAL over Princess based on my experiences last year. Sometimes it depends on the ship but my ranking in that category of cruise lines would be X, then HAL, and finally Princess (in last place).

Would you sail in an EV again? The hot tub seems lovely but not sure I love the layout.

Perhaps (and a bit arrogant too). That being said, I’m sailing on this ship soon in a single IV (solo) and I’ve gotten better shoreside service from Celebrity in my lowly single cabin than I’ve gotten from the shoreside concierge when sailing in a suite on other lines. Service was also top-notch on my last Celebrity cruise. For what OP is paying though, I’d rather sail on an ultra-luxury small ship, but some people prefer the ship within a ship experience (not me, if the price is comparable).

That is kind of what I feared. Oh well...

Ok, this sounds like too much fun and a much higher level of service than I’ve gotten in suite class on other lines, and for half the price. I also love the international vibe. The decor sounds a bit garish on your ship, but I think it has improved on some of the newer ships. I think I might enjoy those deck parties a lot. I’ve heard that some MSC ships also have great parties in the indoor Promenade. We’re sailing in an Aurea (spa) suite on one of MSC’s newest ships, the World Europa, this July in the Med. Now I’m thinking I might upgrade further to Yacht Club. Then, we have a Yacht Club sailing on the Meraviglia over Christmas. I was happy to read earlier that the staff on your sailing said the Meraviglia has top-notch service in YC. I heard they also decorate her beautifully for the holidays. I’m late to this report but enjoying reading it with a glass of bubbly in hand. Especially as this is a particularly stressful week at work, it’s great to “escape” into your review.

Also, btw, I’ve heard that the bar in the casino has great cocktails and is worth a visit even if you’re not a gambler. Hopefully (for me, at least) it’s a non-smoking casino.

They’ve got one of my favorite cocktails on the menu: the French 75. I won’t be celebrating anything in particular on the cruise but I’ll beg for tokens if I have to. I wonder if they are easier to get if you’re in YC? I’m looking forward to seeing what MSC does with the World America.

What a coincidence! I booked 16006 for my sailing later this year. Do you think that you spent more time in the YC areas, being so close? Or because you had an inside cabin?

Have you visited the Speakeasy? I heard it’s accessed via the red phone booth. I’ve added it to my ever-growing list of must dos on the ship. Glad to hear of the warm welcome you received in Saudi Arabia.

I booked a YCI on deck 16 directly across from the YC Lounge for Christmas Week. It will be my first time sailing in an interior cabin on any ship but I’m hoping that the easy access to the YC Lounge will more than makeup for the smaller room. We never spend much time in our stateroom anyway.

I’m cruising the Med on WE in late July and we opted to embark in Genoa. Partly because we’ve never been in Northern Italy, we chose Milan/Genoa. The other embarkation ports were familiar to us. We live in NYC but we’ll be in London before the cruise, so we will fly from London to Milan and then we plan to spend two days in Milan before we board the ship in Genoa. There is a train from the center of Milan to central Genoa, then a taxi ride to the cruise port is recommended. MSC also has an excursion on debarkation day from the ship to one of the airports in Milan, though the train might be more efficient. We will fly home via Milan. Lots of direct flight options to NYC, including on our preferred airline. I’m terrible at packing light but I’ll do my best since we’ll be moving around a bit.