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Day 8 Disembarkation at Southampton Disembarkation started at 7am with people who wanted to leave by themselves with their luggage. You had to let them know 2 days in advance if one wanted to do that. We didn't. Everyone was asked to vacate the room by 8am, which meant that at 8:05 everyone was at the Marketplace buffet! There were no tables free at all, so we went down to the MDR. There was a queue at MDR as well of people awaiting tables, but the MDR continued to be very efficient, and we found a table that we shared with another family (which we didn't mind). We only had to wait a couple of minutes for a table. Our disembarkation time was at 9am, and we were meant to meet our disembarkation group in the casino. However, by the time we had finished our breakfast it was past 9:15. We didn't stress about it, and figured we could just leave with any other group, and we were right. We walked down to level 5 and were scanned out without any questions. We followed the stream of people down into the cruise terminal. Our luggage was waiting in the area with our group number (just a few suitcases were left, everyone in our group had long gone). There was no passport control on the ship or at the terminal. However, if you didn't hold a UK pasport and wanted to get off to explore, you had to go do deck 16 that morning to have a 'visual check' whatever that means, otherwise the crew wouldn't let you disembarked. We walked out of the terminal and to our car. A very efficient process overall with no long waits!

From memory, the MDR brunch started around 08:30 and continued till 13:30

We just did 7 nights on Euribia with 2 children. Regarding announcements during the shows, the Cruise Director was German and she only did the introductions etc in German and English. Other announcements on the Tannoy were also in German and English. We didn't find them particularly disruptive. Regarding introductions to the senior staff, we did all but one of the evening shows, and we were introduced to the Captain et al only once. It did drag on a bit though, I'm not sure we had to be introduced to a dozen officers, and the Captain did a little speech in 4 languages. All of that took 20 mins. Regarding embarkation/disembarkation at every port, we didn't find it particularly disruptive. We avoided the early scrum to get off the ship at every port, and usually got off leisurely after breakfast and didn't have to queue.

Day 7 Le Havre We docked into Le Havre around 08:30, later than in other ports. It was a sunny, almost warm day, and we left the ship around 9:30 after the rush of people for excursions (there were quite a few) had left. We decided to spend the day in Honfleur, a pretty fishing village about 25km away. We walked 30 mins from the port to the bus station in town. In hindsight we should have taken a taxi. There were plenty of taxis queued outside the port, they work on meter, and a ride to the centre was €10 (we took a taxi on our way back). We took the 10:40 bus #122 and it took about 30 mins, tickets were €6 return, and we had a lovely day in Honfleur, walking around and appreciating the architecture. It is a very well preserved village with architecture from several centuries ago, and it wasn't too busy. I would highly recommend this if someone wants a relaxed outing at their own pace. We were back on the ship just in time for our 6pm dinner seating in the MDR. After dinner, we went to the Sportplex to trade in our tickets won from the arcade for prizes. We got 2 Monopoly key rings for the kids, and everyone was happy! We returned to our cabin to pack our suitcases, tagged them and put them out to be collected. We were late leaving the dock as one of the MSC excursions were delayed returning to port. I believe it was the excursion to Paris (I can't imagine why anyone would want to spend 3 hrs in a coach each way to spend max 3 hrs in Paris!).

Day 6 Zeebrugge The 4 yr old was in shambles the evening before after 5 days of fun, games, walking, shows and staying up late, so we decided to stay in bed for as long as was required in the mornng. Just as well, as the weather was rubbish. Our first day on the trip of constant drizzle throughout the day, which meant we turned this into a 'sea day' for ourselves and didn't leave the ship all day. We played board games in the Sky Lounge in the morning, which was relatively empty and was a great space to chill and feel grateful that we weren't trying to walk around Bruges in the rain. The kids watched a film at the Kids Club in the afternoon after lunch. Other half and I kept up the routine of going to the gym every other day. We went to the indoor pool and the hot tubs before dinner. The indoor area, again unsuprisingly, was very busy with families. The indoor pool is sea water and was kept at 25C which was good enough for the kids. We had reserved seats for the 7pm show (Jukebox Live... it was ok) with a 6pm dinner seating. We told our server we were in a rush, ordered 2 courses and made it to the show a few mins late. The MDR is not for rushing. We set sail at 18:00, early compared to other days, with all aboard by 16:30

For our trip, they didn't have a shuttle to Bruges. You could either take their excursion, or take the free port bus to the cruise terminal. From there, you can take a private shuttle which is €25 pp return, and free for children (which sounds like a good deal). MSC offered a shuttle to Blankenberge which was €13/11 per adult/children. This, I thought was a pretty bad deal, as you could take a tram from a little distance from the cruise terminal to Blankenberge for a lot less. The food is good, but can be hit or miss. In the MDR we had excellent duck a l'orange and very tender chicken curry, but also had beef rib that was like old boots. Of couse, the servers are very happy to bring you something else if you don't like what you ate. The portion sizes can also be hit or miss. In the MDR for the most part, the portion sizes are small but actually perfect for us if you have a 3 course meal. However, we did get a biriyani one day that was massive and the starter of gnocchi in the kids menu could easily have been a main for an adult. I'm being picky here. All things said, given the fact they are cooking en masse for thousands of people, I can't complain about the food.

As the MDR does not have reserved seating for breakfast and lunch, it did get busy on sea days. However, there are 3 restaurants on deck 6 (which is where Bella/Fantastica dine) and the staff are very efficient at opening up restaurants and laying tables as and when required. We didn't have any problems finding a table for 4. As for the buffet, personally, I think it is quite mad around meal times, although there are plenty of places to sit. There are often queues if you are waiting for the popular pizza or chips!

Day 5 Rotterdam It was a surprise to wake up, pull open the curtains and stare straight into the office building across from the ship. There were some early birds at work already, all clearly used to having big ships moored alongside. We got lucky with the weather. No rain, slack winds and sunny for the most part and we made an early start. We didn't opt for the excursion or the shuttle. We walked along the bridge into the city and did the standard stuff on most itinearies: Old Harbour, Cube houses, St Lawrence Church, lunch at markethall. After lunch we took the Metro to Delfshaven and (top tip) found a traditional windmill right at the end of the harbour where you could go inside and climb right up to the top! We took the tram back to the Erasmus bridge and was back on board by 17:00 just as the weather started turning. Dinner at MDR seemed quieter than usual. We finished well in time for the Magic show at the Delphi theatre which was well received by the audience (and all seats were taken before the show started)! It was Carnival night with a few people dressed up, but nowhere close to the people who dressed up for Gala night! Another day of 20k+ steps, excellent, working off all the food being consumed!

Day 4 Sea day En route from Hamburg to Rotterdam. Leisurely day at the sea. Thankfully, the MDR was serving brunch, which meant a late opening time for breakfast and serving a mix of the breakfast and lunch menu. This worked perfectly for us as we could have a lie-in AND avoid the busy buffet. The morning was spent in the hot tubs, both indoor and outdoors. There is certainly something novel about being in a hot tub outside when it's 5C and drizzling. The kids loved it! The indoor pool was busy with children, as expected. We found out that there are enough hot tubs inside and outside so it's not packed. The indoor pool area certainly has a paucity of deck chairs, so be prepared! Also, we couldn't find any changing rooms by the pool, so again, come prepared! After a light lunch at the MDR, the children were at Kids Club in the afternoon (1400-1500), whilst the adults enjoyed a coffee and a chat at the Jean-Philippe Cafe. They've got lovely little booths by the windows and it was quiet in the afternoon. Perfect. The show tonight was 'Circus 1920'. The technical issues from the previous day were sorted, yay! There are 3 shows every evening of each act, and the Circus was booked up quite early in the day. The show was entertaining, Vitaly the Strongman stole the show. It was Gala Night and most people were dressed up! The menu at the MDR was stepped up as well. We missed your early dinner seating due to the show, but we showed up for the later seating and they found a table for us without a problem. In bed by 22:30, that's what happens when you travel with children!

We didn't have great weather to and from Hamburg. Fair bit of rain with 40 knot winds. Hardly felt it inside, she's a big boat!

We had a formal 'Gala' night on Day 4. I'd say most people in the MDR attempted to dress up. The majority of those dressed up were suit (mostly without tie) for the men and dresses for the women. A few 'black tie' but that was the exception. The programme on board essentially said 'avoid t-shirts, shorts, trainers in the MDR'.

Day 3 We docked in Hamburg early, well before we were up. The weather was overcast, and stayed overcast all day, but thankfully with no rain. The children were up late, so we missed breakfast at MDR, and went to the buffet around 09:30. The buffet wasn't too busy, partly because a lot of passengers left at Hamburg, and others had left for their excursion. We booked the MSC shuttle to Hamburg centre (17 Euro adult, 15 Euro child return) and left the ship around 10:30. Oddly there was no passport control at all as entered the Schengen area. We didn't have to wait long at all for the shuttle bus. It took less than 30 mins and dropped us off in front of the City Hall (Rathaus). We had friends in Hamburg so spent the day hanging out with them. We were back on the ship by 18:30, as we had reserved seats for the Ed Sheeran tribute act at the theatre, which the children were looking forward to. Sadly, they had to cancel the show due to technical issues at the last minute. We had missed our early dinner seating at the MDR, and even though the steward said she could find us space at the 20:00 seating, we decided to go the buffet. The buffet was very busy, not surprising as it was peak dinner time! In hindsight, we should have waited for the MDR where things are a bit less frenetic, and the children are happy with 3 courses from the menu, and don't insist on 10 courses of just desserts! By the time we came back to our cabin, turndown service was complete. Speaking of service, the cabin has been kept very clean, and indeed the whole ship is kept clean and tidy, even during the busiest times in the buffet. We left Hamburg just before 9pm. I walked 20k steps so it was time for a well earned rest.

Argh brain fog! Southampton to Hamburg is what I meant. Why on earth did I write Portsmouth!!??

Day 2 At Sea day en route from Southampton to Portsmouth A leisurely start to the day. We did breakfast at the Marketplace buffet. It was relatively calm when we started but a bit of a zoo by the time we finished around 09:30. The kids did Kids Club between 10:00 - 12:00. Their report at the end was ho-hum, they did supervised crafts, but the 7 yr old felt a bit bored. There are also a couple of Playstation and plenty of Lego/Duplo. I went to the gym (needed it after the big breakfast!) which was busy but didn't have to wait for equipment. Top tip: the locker rooms in the gym have showers and a sauna! Lunch was at the MDR. Again, very efficient service and we took our time, ending past 2pm. The afternoon was spent in the Sportplex with the arcade games. We bought a €25 fun pass and the kids had free reign over playing whatever they wanted including wasting money on the pointless claw machines where you never win anything! We also played board games in the Carousel Lounge which is an excellent space but smells faintly of cigarettes all the time. Not sure if this is because of the smoking terrace right next to it, or it has something to do with the Casino which you have to walk through to get to the Carousel lounge. The Casino had customers. A full Blackjack table (min €10), a full Texas hold em table, 2 half full roulette and another quarter Blackjack table. They were closed by 9pm as (presumably) we entered German waters. Dinner was at the MDR and it was Mediterranean night with a lot of grilled seafood. Service again was good, and it is quite amazing to see how 3 course meals are served with such efficiency, without long waits, especially as the menu items are (mostly) made to order! We had booked tickets for the 'Live from...' show at the Delphi theatre after dinner. It was quite an... odd... show. The acts and songs were fairly arbitrary and landed flat, probably due to the lack of a discernible theme. But a couple of acrobats, who were also on the night before, blew us away with another amazing feat of power, strength and flexibilty.