17 hours ago, mockingbird123 said:

I am ending my cruise in Southampton/Dover England and flying home from London.  What is the best way to get from the cruise port to London?

The train will take you all the way to airport.

21 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I discovered cruisecritic between our second and third cruises. (I don't remember how I discovered it.)

 

I joined the roll call for our third cruise, and there was only one other poster. She invited us to dinner and to see her cabin which was an owner's suite.

4

34 minutes ago, Spidybabe1 said:

After 36 NCL cruises we tried MSC and love them. Cruised 4x on MSC. Cruising MSC is more like old world cruising. We love the beautiful elegant ships, fantastic food, and  their phenomenal shows. We found the staff to be attentive and professional . Sailed RC 2x with 3rd booked for August,  and enjoy them too. MSC more like RC than NCL

Safe sailing 

 I noticed too the officers were present around ship everywhere. Plenty of children  were on the ship last week but I never saw any bad behavior. I think their obvious  presence around ship  helps prevent that.

We did a July cruise in 2011 on NCL Sky and there was a group of tweenies throwing food from the buffet down the staircase outside the buffet. They also ran down the halls late at night (midnight 1 am) screaming. None of that went on on our MSC cruise and I do think the ship's officer presence prevented that.

Just now, momofmeg said:

 Okay I have done all of them. It is about the same. Food is better than NCL main dining room food. The buffet was not as nice as NCL's, not as many choices but the food was good there too. The shows  were well done. I would say the food is as good as Carnival's. or at lest the last  cruise I did on Carnival(2003) had great food better than RCI's(last cruise 2011) but RCI food is better than NCL.(last cruise 2017)

 

My biggest gripe was  we had to go outside for the  lifeboat drill whereas the other lines send you to lounges. Miami at 5 pm in July crammed up with 50 people is not good. I would not had minded if it had been  December but being 65 years old, that is just not good and that is mandatory. If they have an older  passenger end up with heat stroke they  would have a law suit coming so MSC needs to rethink  that and do what the other lines do and put people in lounges. 

 One thing they did have that young families would love is a splash pool for babies/toddlers not potty trained. that would be a plus for young families.

They also have decent sized staterooms. larger than NCL or RCI, comparable to Carnival

8 hours ago, pamelab said:

Please tell me everything about MSC Cruises. We have only cruised Royal, Carnival and NCL. Would venture MSC, but haven't researched yet - wondering what you all have to say! TIA

 Okay I have done all of them. It is about the same. Food is better than NCL main dining room food. The buffet was not as nice as NCL's, not as many choices but the food was good there too. The shows  were well done. I would say the food is as good as Carnival's. or at lest the last  cruise I did on Carnival(2003) had great food better than RCI's(last cruise 2011) but RCI food is better than NCL.(last cruise 2017)

My biggest gripe was  we had to go outside for the  lifeboat drill whereas the other lines send you to lounges. Miami at 5 pm in July crammed up with 50 people is not good. I would not had minded if it had been  December but being 65 years old, that is just not good and that is mandatory. If they have an older  passenger end up with heat stroke they  would have a law suit coming so MSC needs to rethink  that and do what the other lines do and put people in lounges. 

Here we are! Nice party! They did us up nice. cake, wine, chocolate covered strawberries and all the officers!

7 minutes ago, Robo1098 said:

I think that while they may put up with a blow up pool, I don't think they would promote them. Imagine the pool deck area with blow up pools all over it. I'm practically tripping half the time over all the chairs that are moved around.

 I guess it would depend upon how many babies were on the cruise. I am sure they would also have to limit it. Perhaps only have a  couple out at a time, and you would have to reserve them for say, an hour at a time?

11 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

I stand by my statement. It was not directed at the OP. It was directed at those who complain about kids on a cruise. Yes, Royal caters to families. You must have me mixed up with someone else. 

 

In my opinion. 

 No I got what you were saying.  However, internet social media is full of people  posting hate of something. You decided here in this thread  they hate children,  where I got they hate children pooping in their diapers and getting in pools, which is normal and natural  until potty trained but unclean for  public pools. 

However elsewhere on social media  it could be  they hate Meghan Markle, Trump,  Clinton, Americans, Britons,  (insert any country here) or whatever else. Everywhere I go on social media somebody seem to strongly hate something or someone.  All I can say, if people hate that strongly as it seems on social media, then  it is no wonder we have all these shootings here in the USA.

Yes you are entitled to your opinion. everyone else is too. I just do not understand why people can't use a bit more tact when expressing their opinions. 

As far as people taking kids on cruises and people saying they should not bring them on cruises. Often it is because of a bad experience like we had on NCL Sky  about 10 years ago  of some bratty preteens un supervised throwing food from the buffet down the stairs outside the buffet, or some such issue they encountered. For example our neighbors on this cruise last week MSC Armonia,  had a baby that cried a lot. I did not  enjoy hearing it, who would?  but I had empathy for the baby. As much as that baby cried it was more than a temper tantrum.  I think he was ill. Maybe an earache from flying?  If I honestly thought they should not take their baby on a cruise, well it was me and my family who booked a cruise in July on a cruise line that cators to families. If that bothered me enough I would not cruise in summer and would also book another line like HAL. LOL the NCL Sky cruise was in July too! Thankfully on this cruise last week all pre teens and teens were all well behaved! anyway I would take a crying baby over bratty preteens any time!

So my opinion stands  also. Anyone who hates children should not pick a family friendly line to cruise and I honestly believe people just love to vent anger on social media becasue they feel anonymous. Why? because most would never dream of saying those things face to face.

17 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

So many on here can’t stand kids even though they were one once. 

 If that is true why are they cruising Royal Caribbean which is a family friendly line?

No, it is more about people being rude and opinionated and feeling anonymous on the internet. 

15 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Actually only a small fraction have these areas, DCL, some RCCL and MSC.

 That's a shame, perhaps the new ships will all have these from now on, they should if they want to attract families. 

Years ago  after that  happened at White water, I read where a couple brought on one of those small blow up pools which they filled up at the shower on the pool deck and emptied it there after they were done.   Perhaps older ships should offer those for parents with smaller children.

2 minutes ago, gerif said:

True. 

 I am glad they have a splash pool. Problem solved!

10 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I don't know what Hank would say.  I only know what he said in his post about his table mate speaking out loud.  Please take another look at the posts in question.   

 well they were rude unless they have dementia and do not know any better

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This is not something the cruise lines choose to do for fear of litigation.  It is mandated by the Federal government.

 Good to know

13 minutes ago, gerif said:

The OP cruises in 18 DAYS. A bit late to change cruises don’t you think?  In any event, there will be a splash zone for the baby and no cruise line has an actual pool that will permit a child who is not potty trained. 

 Well the OP should have already asked  this then.  I am glad to know they have a splash area. I figured they would. Most family friendly cruise lines would have this I would think. Especially after what happened in Atlanta at White Water.

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

This is not correct, and varies from state to state and city to city, as local codes vary.  For instance, the Maine state pool code allows non-potty trained infants in public pools with rubber pants over the swim diaper.

 

Cruise ships are not regulated by local health officials, but by the national CDC via their Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), which holds cruise ships to much higher standards than state and local codes.  CDC did a study of land public pools a few years ago, and found that if those pools were held to CDC standards, nearly 2/3 of them would be in violation and many would be subject to immediate closure.  They also found that those areas in public pools that were specifically designated for swim diapers, had about an 80% failure rate to meet CDC standards.

 

The higher chlorine levels are not an "effort by the cruise line", but mandated by the CDC.  Many first time cruisers are not aware that ship's pools are maintained at higher chlorine levels than land public or private pools.

 

And, chlorine, at the levels mandated by the CDC, do very well in controlling any issues from urine in pool water.

 

For the OP, the swim diaper splash area is specifically designed to meet CDC requirements for use by non-potty trained kids.  The water supply is separate from any other water feature, the "turn over rate" or how many times an hour the water is filtered is higher, there is an added ultra-violet sterilizer that the water passes through in its filtration, and there will be a full time crew member stationed to monitor the area.

 Maybe true but I know here in Atlanta at White Water about half a dozen children died from e coli about 15-20 years ago because a parent allowed their child with diarrhea to get in the kiddie pool.  Google it, you will find it. One child was  the child of one of the Atlanta Braves players at the time. He lived, but was very ill. After that  they put in those regulations  and  Georgia passed some laws about it too; of course sadly  it was too late for those 6 children . White Water went bankrupt because of the law suits, but Six Flags bought it and reopened it with a great kid's area,  a great huge splash  area where the water runs off.

Anyway I imagine cruise lines may have those regulations for fear of lawsuits if something like what happened at White Water happened and several children died. 

But you give a good point about there could be regulations about a proper  waterproof covering over their swim pants.  I know on youtube I saw this story about this poor little girl they called the mermaid girl (her legs were fused) and what they did so she could get in a pool (she had a colostomy) was get a suit like a scuba dive suit made for her. So there may be something online she could order for her child. Personally I think it needs to be something more air tight than rubber pants.

BTW I also think it you are elderly and need to wear diapers or some sort of protection

you should not use the pools either  I doubt they would police that so we should police ourselves if we have issues. 

23 hours ago, cruisenlove said:

Hi All,

 

Going on Adventure of the Seas with my family in 18 days and I read that babies are not allowed in the big pools? I have a 15 month old and she loves the pool and water. Is it true I am not allowed to bring her in the pools with me on the ship (Not including the solarium pool). Also, does anyone know if this ship offers the babysitting program? I read that some ships offer it and I am not sure if this one does. Thanks so much!

 That is a health law becasue of e coli. The cruise line could be fined if they allowed that. However, Disney cruise line has  a splash  area for children not yet potty trained. I just got off MSC Armonia and they had that too.  I am not sure if their other ships have that, but I am sure at some point all family friendly  cruise lines will have them. Perhaps you can check and see if Royal Caribbean has any ships with that and if need be switch cruises.

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Including me, but I've never seen folks that I know do this at the dinner table much less a stranger.  Unless a medical necessity, I think the proper thing is to do this away from the table.   

 True, but is their diabetes is so uncontrolled they must blood test at the table? If it is I would think they would eat in the buffet  for fear their sugar would drop too much (insulin shock) before the food is served. 

Now, I get their taking their insulin shot at the table as there is a wait for food but testing their blood could be done in their room before coming to dinner. I have diabetes and I know what  about how long  before I would have a drop.   I have had diabetes 30 years  but   I have taken care of myself and so far  I can take Glimepiride   to have my body make insulin and metforim to get insulin out of my fat cells. At the beginning of the meal I take my metformin and I wait until the main course to take my Glimepirde. Glimepirde can cause insulin shock if my blood sugar drops too low, (metforim won't do that) doing it that way I am fine. Then I check myself after dinner. I  bring  a few prepackaged food items on  board that I have on hand if my BS is too low that I can eat. Normally I take them right back home though as I well know   how much I can eat. 

Now flatulence, well I have skipped dinner(and the show) because of that.  I would not do that to anyone if I could help it. If it started at dinner I would excuse myself and  leave.

1 hour ago, Herfnerd said:

Only once.

 

Last cruise to Alaska on the HAL Eurodam, we were entering Glacier Bay and stopped into the MDR for breakfast.  Was seated with a Canadian woman that had nothing good to say about the trip, the ship and the staff.  Rather than watch the scenery around us, she was complaining about the breakfast (nothing was done right) and because she had a drink package, was making the staff look for a particular brand of water that came in a glass bottle - to the point where they called a sommelier in.  She kept insisting that she wanted the "good stuff" and not the domestic dreck.  When she finally got it (a half an hour later), she only had a few sips and asked if we wanted any than got up and left.

 

Her room mate was back at the cabin - I'm guessing she didn't want to deal with her either.

Lol we had someone at a nearby table like that this last cruise the first night. A Jersey USA gal lol! So I don't think you can blame that just on Candains. Obnoxious people come from everywhere! Fortunately we had anytime dining so she was not near us again for dinner. But every time I ran into her she was complaining about something. (show theatre, excursions desk)  Lol!  

On 6/22/2019 at 12:45 AM, ldubs said:

 

Uh oh.  I think we disagree on this one.  Decorum.   I think it goes both ways.   What would Mrs Manners say about a woman making not nice remarks out loud about neighboring diners who were doing nothing to disturb her dinner.   Just sayin. . . 

How do you know Hank would say things within their hearing? perhaps he would simply ask for another table and use a polite excuse like he wants an ocean view or say the pathway between tables was too tight? there are ways you can ask for a table change without insulting your table mates. Of course the waiters  usually figure it out if they are obnoxious. No one has to tell them that.

Think about it.  Early in this thread a person who mentioned that  they had table mates who asked  to change for a window table when dinner was 8:30 pm and it was already dark. I would think they were being tactful, mindful of their table mates feelings is why they used that excuse.

On 6/22/2019 at 1:00 AM, ldubs said:

 

Interesting.  We are kind of in the same boat (😲).   We are a large close knit family.  Now that the kids are grown and independent, the oldies (like me) like to take more group vacations.   A cruise is an excellent way for our family group to travel together.  So these days our cruise count would probably be much lower if it weren't for the family members traveling together.  

 

Next trip for Mrs Ldubs and me is Northern Italy later in the summer.  Next cruise is in Jan '20.  Our group of 16 will be going on a 7 day cruise and then a few days at both Hong Kong and Singapore.  

You know I am with you on that. Instead of doing the Caribbean 3 times a year I would much rather do a  better trip every 2 or 3 years.  (amounts to about the same amount of money spent) We are going back to the Caribbean next week  lol but we thought we were going to Cuba which has been my husband's dream for years. That is not happening now, oh well.  Anyway  we will make the best of it and will see how well we like MSC.  (our first time on that line)I do feel bad for my husband who wanted to go there so badly but  I really doubt it would be a lot different than any of the other Caribbean islands.  Anyway if we had not booked this, we would have waited until next year when we do Scotland and done our usual Myrtle Beach trip this year. 

23 hours ago, babs135 said:

Reading some of the comments here I get the feeling our American cousins don't totally understand how different the rules are for us Brits. I wish, for example, we could get 'cancel for any reason' insurance which would really help you but I've checked a lot of insurance companies here in the UK and no one seems to offer it.

 

The question is quite simple; are you willing to lose your deposit for what sounds like a fab trip? Only you can answer that. If it was us, I might be prepared to risk it but DH would say a very definite No.  Have you thought about approaching a travel agent and see if they can offer advice? 

 I got it that is why I suggested waiting around  6 weeks to think it over. 

it is not perfect for us either. If we want travel insurance to cover us in all aspects( some insurance will cover you for some but we want for last minute cancellation since my MIL is elderly and still living , medical evacuation, medical insurance if needed  if off US territory, needing to cancel last minute because of Job termination ) we need to buy that within 9 days and that is non refundable although you can transfer it to another trip six months out. But if we pick a less expensive trip then we over bought insurance since the amount we pay is based upon the cost of the trip. 

12 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Aww, I'm glad I'm not alone.  We have honestly lost track of the number of cruises.  We think we must be at about 30, but don't have the energy to fact check anything.   If asked, I now say something like "over 25".  And actually, some nice conversations can ensue about things like favorite ports, etc.  

 

 Me too. I would have to get out my cruise cards which I keep as souvenirs and count them. I know over 20. I don't think 30 though. I am thinking 24 or maybe 26? no more than 26. I know it is enough that  at this point we no longer desire to go a cruise  twice a year or even once as we were doing.

On 6/20/2019 at 8:17 AM, K32682 said:

 

It is the opposite for an infrequent cruiser or first-time cruiser.  There seems to be a certain pecking order related to the number of cruises one has taken.  I learned this on my first cruise when admitting the fact put my wife and I at the lowest point in the table's informal social register even though I had extensive land travel and global business experience. 

 

If you've cruised extensively and don't want to provide the number perhaps, "So many cruises I don't recall the exact number" would shut them up. 

Really? we had table mates  that she had never cruised and he hadn't since a child. But he had cruised Cunard with his parents. It seemed they  had done it annually. Then we found out in talking with him, (He never volunteered anything so not bragging)  that he had been all over the world on land trips.  Of course we  knew he was probably well off because he wore a very masculine ring with a very real diamond of about  1 carat or so, so good sized but not  gaudy. I only wondered what he was doing on Celebrity. Lol!

On 6/17/2019 at 7:00 PM, Velvetwater said:

Thanks 🙂 

 

Can us none refundable deposit Brits do that?

 

Never booked super far in advance so not sure how that works over here.

 Maybe take 6 weeks to think it over first? I doubt it would sell out or the price would go up that quickly.

On 6/17/2019 at 5:40 PM, Velvetwater said:

 

Accidentally found an amazing cruise while trying to look at a last minute cruise for this year. I was looking at Canada/NE cruises and a few Iceland/Ireland ones too.

By mistake I put in 2020 found a cruise for next  August that has both, is a transatlantic and includes the much desired port of Greenland! We have done a lot of different geographical areas when cruising so finding ones we want to do is getting harder.

 

I couldn't have planned a better itinerary in regards to places we haven't been to but want to. It's also in the school hols which is a must for us. We only need one flight there as we can get the ferry from Dublin and as we hate flying this is a bonus. It will allow us to have a bit of a break stateside too.

 

Only problem is it is a bit over budget (around £300ish extra pp than usual) with no extras and an inside cabin when we usually OV it. I realise it is an unusual itinerary on 

a upscale line (Celebrity) on a ship that has had a massive refit. There also the fact it has above average expenditure ports.

 

We can afford it in physical terms but I am usually such a bargain cruise girl. As we live in the UK we can't just book and cancel. If I cancel the cruise I loose a £300 deposit.

 

What would you guys do?

 

This is the cruise:

 

14 NIGHT ICELAND & GREENLAND CRUISE

02 Aug 2020 

Celebrity Summit

Cape Liberty, New Jersey > Halifax > Sydney > Qaqortoq > Prins Christian Sund (Cruising) > Reykjavik > Reykjavik > Akureyri > Dublin

£1759 per person interior stateroom

 I think ever so often you should pick something extra special, your dream trip and yes I would do an inside cabin if need be.