bahrain_not_dubai!

On 5/4/2022 at 11:47 AM, ChC said:

 

 

For onboard benefits, there is one MSC Voyagers Club personal in MSC future cruises desk

I've just got off Bellisima two days ago and was told by YC Concierge that they no longer had the MSC Voyagers Club member of staff ( I remember they used to come to the YC to sort out problems on certain days) and that it was a cut due to Covid. 

Just an aside- we where in YC on the last cruise and they had no problem with us bringing 2 bottles of wine onboard. 

I can't recall of the top of my head how much the activities where, but they have programs such as buy one activity, get 30% off the other one or an activity 'pass' that gives you unlimited access. It depends on how many of them you wish to do. 

Having tried the F1 simulator, its good fun. 

Having sailed on her sister, Meraviglia, I can help you with two of your questions. Firstly, she's as stable as a rock. Over 20 voyages, and she is by far the most stable vessel I have sailed. Her size obviously helps. I would not worry about stability, no matter where on the ship you are located. 

Secondly, there is a large pool which can be covered by a glass dome when the weather dips. I find that unless it is very sunny  they usually have one pool covered as the three other pools are outdoors. Keep in mind when it is a tad cold said indoor pool can get very crowded, but as far as ships go the pool is of generous size. 

Hope this helps. 

2 hours ago, vistaman said:

of course  the Europa 2 does have  the upper market wines   First , second … growths of Bordeaux are available as well

the only one that was missing was Latour  

i think the most expensive is La Tache by Romanée Conti. some 1000 €

several great red Burgundies and a few good white Burgundies as well Meursault  Corton Charlemagne

the white Bordeaux by Mouton and the Baron de L pouilly Fumé of Ladoucette

there is no service charge ( same as on Crystal SB SS and Seadream )

so a bottle of 100 €  remains 100 and not 118 or 115 as on some other companies 

Thank you sir. Looks like we will be in good hands. Very excited .

(whilst I wont be taking the option) 1000 for La Tache Romanee Conti sounds very reasonable. 

13 minutes ago, English Voyager said:

Although it dates from 2015. the following wine list does illustrate not only the breadth of choice available, but from vistaman's quoted prices how reasonable increases have been in the intervening period.

 

file:///C:/Users/Terry%20Maurice/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe/TempState/Downloads/Weinkarte_gross_2014%20(1).pdf

Dear sir, 

Many thanks, but unfortunately the file is not opening.

Given the price of a Regent (or any luxury line cruise), it is only normal for one to have high expectations. My expectations when I stay at The Peninsula are different to when I am in a Hilton. For the record, I totally agree with GOARMY's post... sound advice. If something is not to your liking, speak immediately with management to get it resolved. Much better that way than to let the cruise continue in an unsatisfactory manner... those are days wasted that you'll never get back! 

In regards to peacocking passengers, luckily we have encountered them less and less, but if I am permitted to make a general observation, I do find more of them on shorter 7-12 night cruises which we regularly take, to longer 32 nights+ one. The worst case we ever experienced was on a 7 night Seabourn cruise. Wonderful voyage but some of the things I saw were incredible, in a bad way. Que a passenger trying to kiss a suite stewardess right in front of me, then getting violent when rejected, for example. Needless to say they were put ashore. 

Hi everyone. Considering an RSSC cruise on the Splendor, and as a wine lover the wine list is important. I was wondering if anyone had an update on the included wines and the connoisseur list? Many thanks. 

On 1/9/2019 at 8:31 PM, vistaman said:

i am a single

usually the party for singles and the other party for the non german - international guests , both are done at the same time in different bars  - the single in piano bar , the other most of the times in sansibar

Hapag Lloyd does offer the house champagne but no problem to get something else !

My wife will be joining us so then at least 3 international guests 🙂

Speaking of champagne, does anyone have access to the HL wine list? I am picky in that department. 

Also, if not done already I will start a roll-call. 

6 hours ago, vistaman said:

congratulations , i hope you will like her

i am booked on the 1st November cruise Tenerife Tenerife

Well then, that makes two (three?) of us 🙂

Thank you Catlover54, from a fellow lover of cats. I always find your reviews to be excellent, considering your high standards and taste in cruising/hospitality. I very much look forward to reading the rest of your review. 

The Seabourn Odyssey is one of my favourite ships, and I am mulling doing the same itinerary you are on in 2020. Interestingly, after reading much of what you have said about Europa 2, we have decided to try her this November. 

Well, I've bitten the bullet and have booked Europa 2 this November. Very excited. 

47 minutes ago, champagne123 said:

 It is interesting that you note that.   (as stated by you)

 

Did you think we would not notice....lol  ?  You did offer that piece of information....which now makes me wonder why you received "different" service than others.  Were there any other couples around your age in the YC?   I find this very interesting.  Could there have been another reason?    Only asking because my children are all in their 30's and always receive the same respect that we do.  Fascinating.   

I think the issue was limited to very specific crew members. We noticed them interacting with everybody but us, and another couple of similar age. It was not a major issue but we definitely noticed. 

4 hours ago, champagne123 said:

Thank you for your quick review.  I would like to know what you do for a living and why in your TWENTIES are able to cruise so much...lol..lol..lol.   Just kidding.  I'm jealous!!!!

It is interesting that you note that. I just love crusing and so do my parents, so have been sailing since a young age. As such most of my disposable income goes on cruising ! 🙂

The one thing I found to be very annoying about the YC Director, and the Matrie'D of the YC restaurant, is that they not once approached us (although they did everyone else) and I did feel that certain specific members of the crew thought they could short us on the service side because of our age. 

That is an issue I certainly have never encountered on Crystal or Seabourn, but then again due to the difference in price paid relevant to the YC, I did not highlight that issue, even though I found it to be unprofessional. 

I think they are charging more and more because they can get away with it. Last year Fred Olsen. Cruise Line had their best year-to-date, with a turnover of £202,459,000, up from £181,934,000 in 2016. I need not tell you that for a cruise line that runs four older ships, which they only value at £48,691,000 (all 4 vessels), these numbers look good. To put this into context, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, a line of similar size, managed to turnover £100,169,386  in the same period. 

2018 year-to-date for Fred. Olsen  looks even better than 2017, with the line having taken £1.6 million in transactions on November 19, 2018.  We are still waiting for their full year results, but I have no doubt their figures will be even better than 2017. Given the scale of their operation, these numbers are impressive. Hence, I believe they are increasing their prices. However, there will come a point when they value proposition versus price people are willing to pay will even out, and it is important they do not push their luck beyond that. 

Please see below my review of my recent cruise on the Meraviglia in YC. I am happy to answer any questions anybody may have about the ship, YC or the experience ! 

I am a cruiser of significant experience. I have sailed many days on Crystal, as well as having sailed on Seabourn, Holland America Line, Azamara Club Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Princess as well as the now defunct Transocean Tours' MS Marco Polo (ex Alexander Pushkin) and Voyages of Discovery's much missed MV Discovery (ex Island Princess, the original Love Boat). I have sailed multiple times in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, as well as the Northwest Passage, Antarctica, South America, Asia, Alaska, Norway and the Baltics. 

Whenever I do a review, I review the ship against what it A) is pertaining to be, and B) value versus the price paid. In this sense, a Crystal cruise may not receive five stars if the voyage did not meet my high expectations, whilst a 3 night Norwegian Cruise Line voyage may rate higher if my substantially lower expectations were exceeded. 

In my opinion, the MSC Yacht Club product is the best value in luxury cruising. My wife and I are in our mid 20s, and we appreciated the fact that we had our own enclave aboard, where the crew quickly learnt our names and favourite drinks, but could at will descend into the melee of a mega-ship filled with energy, music, song and dance. The Yacht Club was in essence a haven (pun unintended), a quite, relaxing area, approximately the size of one the older Seabourn triplets, where it was easy to meet passengers and make friends, in a fashion that is usually impossible aboard a ship carrying several thousand passengers. One could then go and enjoy the entertainment and options available on the ship with said friends. The entertainment was of high quality, especially the Cirque de Soleil show. Every night a production show was presented, of which one can get tired of quite quickly, but they were of similar quality to shows I have seen on other mass-market lines. The overall ambiance of the vessel was international, which is something we really enjoyed about MSC, and the Meravilliga's interiors where nothing short of stunning. We did not try any eateries besides the Yacht Club restaurant and the buffet, so cannot comment on the quality of food in the rest of the ship. 

In the Yacht Club, the pantry always had food available, the drinks where of reasonable quality and weather permitting there was a barbecue or buffet available on the open private decks. The MSC Yacht Club restaurant offered food of a reasonable to high quality, with service that was great if not perfect, missing the finesse of service found on dedicated luxury lines.

The butler aboard the Yacht Club was more of a room attendant, although you could always count on the ones serving in the Yacht Club lounge, for all intents a private observation lounge at the forward-most point of the vessel's superstructure. 

Lines where never a problem as we had dedicated lifts which we could override to give Yacht Club passengers express service, and the butlers where always at hand to walk you out or back on to the ship, skipping the  sometimes substantial ques. In a similar fashion, after a very hectic day trying to get to the ship (trains on strike, taking a bus, taxis on strike, having to take several busses, etc.) the glasses of sparkling wine and welcome of the YC crew made our embarkation perfect. 

I can happily recommend the Meraviglia if you are a guest seeking a large cruise-ship experience in an international environment, with a value-driven luxury product, and for this value are willing to give up the extra refinements and finesse found on 'true' luxury lines.   

I am sure we will be sailing aboard an MSC vessel in the Yacht Club in the future. 

Bahrain_not_dubai, will let dougburns answer your Spirit dancing question as Doug and his wife enjoy dancing and they have many, many days sailed and danced on the Spirit. Will send Doug and email so he can best let you know the answer to your dancing on the Spirit ?

 

 

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Thank you Colonel!

A newbie question here- on Silver Spirit, are there opportunities to dance in general and ballroom dance in particular? My partner is particularly into her dancing and we do both enjoy it and it would add to the pleasure of our cruise.

Thank you.

Thank you for your replies to my stationary question- another quick question- do the restaurants take special orders, and to what degree, from your experience, is 'anticipation' practiced aboard SS ships?

Hi Lottie! Mojo here. It was lovely to meet you during the cruise and the nights spent with you added to our enjoyment of the voyage.

We are looking forward to trying Silversea next cruise, any suggestions?

Thanks aplenty!

May I add a question to this thread.

As a fond fan of good quality stationary, do Silversea still offer personalised stationary for guests?

The second question is if a guest list is still published on SS voyages.

Thank you, we are looking forward to our first SS voyage on the Spirit in January.

Length of cruise is key. For our week long cruise the average was 50-60, but it was a well spread demographic, from people in their 20s to their 90s. Generally the longer the voyage the older the demographic but for an upscale line, this side of Seabourn I find Azamara attracts a wider demographic than most lines.

Confirmation from The Guardian that at least one Costa passenger has succumbed to their injuries.

I'm sorry for the victims :(

 

Safety aside, is Tunis worth such a heavy presence of MSC? They must get very good conditions for a port where so many people don't even dare going ashore. I visited the country years ago for a week and it's capital was not that interesting to me. There are plenty of other nice places in the western Mediterranean sea.

I find Tunisia a beautiful country and Tunis a lovely capital. Going there really gave you a good aspect on the 'other' part of the Med and in my opinion was a very nice inclusion on the cruise.

I am very sad to see what has happened there today, knowing how proud many Tunisians are of their country and that they abhor such violence.

My prayers are with everybody involved in this situation and I wish Tunisia a quick recovery and a return to stability soon.

Arabic language media is currently reporting that the dead are cruise passengers. Time will tell, but it currently doesn't bode well.

seems a bit strange to have The Queen after Darcy Bussell and the others? But who knows. I hadn't realized that P&O have had two previous Britannia ships.

Oriana was named by Her Majesty the Queen back in 1995.