pdmlynek

On 6/2/2023 at 8:25 AM, envy4u said:

Arriving at Trieste port for embarkation approx. 2 hours before sailing. Is that ok?

Last week we did something similar, though not in Trieste.  We arrived to board MSC Magnifica about 90 min before the sail time, or about 2-3 hrs after the check-in process was closed. The security did not want to let us through, but I had them talk to the crew, and was let on, and it was straighted out.  

I would not sweat it.  2 hrs should be fine.  

6 minutes ago, Tierun said:

The real question here, is this an issue that will stop you from cruising in the future? As long as ships are full, none of this talk matters. If the staff is happy with their pay, then I have no complaints.

But couldn't that be said of every other posting as well?  🙂 

There are only a few issues that would make a person stop cruising in the future, but there are dozens or hundreds of little issues each of which has a tiny impact on plans to cruise.

Booked inside cabins, but was automatically upgraded to obstructed view cabins.  MSC Magnifica, last week.

17 hours ago, michelle028 said:

Does msc sailings in the Med have white dress parties too?

Yes, MSC Magnifica last week did. 

I had no idea before sailing if there was one or not; I love MSC cruises, but their lack of communication sucks.

Just got off MSC Magnifica. 

The final bill had a "hotel service charge" of 84 EUR.  The guest services desk explained to me that it was a 12 EUR/day "gratuity".  I told them, truthfully, that I already tipped my cabin stewardess 100 USD, and they agreed to take off the charge.

And yes, I agree with others: I dislike forced tipping.

Last week when we embarked on MSC Magnifica, they did not ask for the health questionnaire.  I think that this is just vestigal from the Covid days that they forgot to delete from the embarkation forms.

On 5/30/2023 at 9:47 PM, Illbcruzn4life said:

I thought you were supposed to print it out and fill it in the day you are going to embark

That was my understanding as well.  Print out the questionaire and fill it out when embarking.

I returned from the cruise last night, and when we embarked, nobody wanted the form from us. We did not turn them in.

On 5/29/2023 at 10:43 PM, AtraxLiud said:

Have you tried checking the website where you purchased your ticket? Sometimes, they have a specific section or link for health questionnaires. It might be worth exploring that option. Also, if you need more assistance, you can reach out to the customer support of the airline or travel agency. They should be able to guide you through the process or provide you with the necessary information to complete the questionnaire.

The point of this thread is that the information on the website is not correct.  Thus, checking the website does not make sense.  The website is not updated (or at least it was not when @lola4795 posted the original note).

On 5/4/2023 at 9:51 AM, edinburgher said:

Probably only clueless.  At leasst you are looking for a sizeable object, ie a cruise ship and not a needle in a haystack.😀

Well, sure, a cruiseship is easy to spot, but finding where to check in may not be easy.  The cruise terminal in Valencia is actually several km away from where the ship docks.  🙂 

Valencia is a working cargo port, and people can't just wander around trying to cut through a pier full of containers to get to the ship.  

On 9/13/2022 at 1:19 PM, vapersecutor said:

We will be in Valencia in early Nov and plan to rent bikes. 

Can you please let us know how you've fared?  Were you successful in renting bikes?

On 5/1/2023 at 8:39 AM, edinburgher said:

Absolutely not.  An indusrial tank farm is not where you expect to find yourself trying to embark!

I totally agree.  But here is what likely happened:

Someone programming the computer that generated the ticket thought that he was being smart by including the coordinates of the port, and simply added the very approximate coordinates of the port, namely, quote 39°27'00N - 00°19'30"W" on quote.  This is obviously an approximation, and the poor formating (namely, no double primes before N, and an extra double prime after W) shows that the service personnel either don't know how to use GPS or don't care.  

The coordinates 39°27'00"N 00°19'30"W are within the port, but far away from the real embarkation point, which is at 39.4549°N 0.3270°W (or 39°27'18"N 0°19'37"W).

These coordinates provided by MSC are totally worthless.  Any moron can google where the Valencia port is.  What passengers really need to find out is WHERE in the port they are supposed to report to.  Because Valencia is visited by cruise ships infrequntly, there does not appear to be a dedicated building to cruise passengers, so it took me some digging that we are supposed to go to a ferry building.

Unfortunately, the directions provided by MSC to help people find the embarkation point by car are similarly useless.  To wit: "Valencia Port is easy to get to and well accessed from the city center. Take the V30 highway if arriving from outside the city."  Likewise, directions if arriving by plane: "Valencia’s Manises Airport is just 9 miles from the port. If driving, follow the airport road to the junction with the V-30 Madrid-Valencia highway, which will take you directly to the port."

MSC does not seem to understand that nobody, I mean nobody, has a problem finding the port.  However, nobody really knows where in the port to go.  They are simply providing useless information, and useful information is not provided.

I am not sure if MSC is so clueless, or if MSC is doing some sort of a favor to the Valencia taxi drivers (who obviosly know where the embarkation point is) .  

Anyway, I am looking forward to the cruise.

There are a number of websites that tell you what ships are schedules in ports.  I typically use 

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/barcelona-spain-cruise-ship-schedule.html 

Wow, I noticed that 2 days ago as well.  I went to webcheck-in to change it, but in the web checkin they want it as MM/DD/YYYY, whereas on the ticket they want it in the DD/MM/YY format (just 2 digits for year), through they printed it as MM/DD/YYYY.  

I know that this is a really trivial error, that any official with two brain cells would understand, but I really don't like it -- this is how computer records get lost.  

I was planning on calling MSC today about several issues for our upcomming cruise, including this minor detail.  

18 hours ago, rsail203 said:

The problems that I've seen about MSC rules are pretty ridiculous:

 

1. Not allowing you to switch devices on wifi.

 

2. Not allowing you to use your drink package in specialty restaurants.

 

3. Smaller portions in the dining room.

 

4. User unfriendly website and app.

 

5. Muster drill in room and then telephone call and everyone jamming stairs to check their card at muster station.

 

6. Copied from a cruise critic entry:"Their pre-cruise booking process, e-mail communication, and online/phone support is a glorified turd in most instances.  

 

7.  Charging extra for two shows.

 

8.  Not allowing drinks in the theater.

Thank you for posting this.  I was wondering if I was the only one who has read negative reviews online.

However, I also agree with @morpheusofthesea, @KKB, and others, that these are inconveniences, nothing that would make not take a cruise.

I am looking forward to my first cruise with MSC later this month. 🙂 

23 hours ago, edinburgher said:

they end up in an industrial tank farm. 😞

 

Not exactly helpful then!

Have you tried looking at the offiial Port of Valencia website?  This because many ports show which of the berths a cruise ship will use, assuming of course  there is more than one berth.  Check for a 2023 cruise  ship calendar on their website.

Yes, I've figured it out.  No problem for me.  I am just commenting that MSC services are not really all that helpful.  🙂 

On 4/1/2023 at 5:05 AM, edinburgher said:

 

Valencia wil be our embarkation and disembarkation point.  Is the bus that you are referring to Bus No. 4? 

 

We used the #4 to reach the plaza at the town Hall (Ayuntamiento) then explored the historic area before taking a different bus back from the opposite end of the historic area from a stop beside one of the towers.  it returned us to the port but on a different route,  this time passing the futuristic area.

 

But if you are both embarking and disembarking at Valencia, you will have luggage and I suggest that you would be better taking a taxi each time as public buses and luggage are rarely a good mix.

 

if you do take a public bus, choose whichever stop is best located for you, as it will make no difference where you get on as the bus will stop at all the stops on its route, unless of course it is full in which case it won't stop unless passengers are getting off.  And on busier buses you will maybe have to stand.This are two reasons why you would be better with a taxi door-to-door.

 

But if you are embarking and disemaarking there, perhaps your cruiseline will have shuttles organised to/from a central location.

Thank you! I appreciate your help. 

I really wish that MSC would be more helpful on what transportation to take, and just exactly where the check in is. MSC just states the name of the port, but not really where to go to check in. They provide Lat./Long. coordinates, but those are in error -- they end up in an industrial tank farm. 😞

This is a very common question, which appears on this forum several times a month.  Just read through this forum.

But to answer your question, somewhere between 11:00 and 14:00 is the earliest that cruisers with Piraeus-ATH experience recommend.  I lean towards the 11:00 side.  If you are not checking luggage, you may shave off another 30 min.

But remember: this is not northern Europe, and things go wrong much more frequently than what you may be used to, so extra time may be needed.

On 4/12/2023 at 7:10 PM, dsrdsrdsr said:

A friend of mine was in Egypt, sharm-El-Sheik, and his little lad wanted a Barcelona shirt from a vendor.  He just wanted to get to the beach and sit down, so wasn't fussy about price.

 

So the vendor said £20, and my friend said OK and got his money out.  Vendor said no, that's not how it works, you have to bargain for the price.  My friend said "OK then, £10" and the vendor said "oh, you're killing me.  My wife, my children will starve" at which my friend got his £20 note out again and said here, take it.  In the end they settled for £15!

This is like the scene from Life of Brian!

On 4/4/2023 at 9:24 AM, Knee Deep said:

How long did it take to walk up the stairs?

I agree with @Milhouse: 30 to 45 min would be good for a leisurely pace.  It took me, an out of shape, flat-lander, almost 60 year-old about 35 minutes to walk up the stairs.  

On 12/28/2022 at 9:43 AM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I wish we could spend a week in both, or at least in Italy. Italy has always been my dream vacation, so I’d like to spend as much time there as possible. I may only do 1-2 in Barcelona so we can have more time in Italy. Our cruise is 9 days and it would be difficult for my husband to be away from work more than a couple weeks at one time. It’s also a long time to leave our dogs. 

I think that this is the right approach.  Sure, you could spend weeks or longer exploring Barcelona or Rome, but the reality is that we are all limited.  Asking how long to spend at one at one large historical city is aking to asking how much closet space you shoud have when designing your home, or how much money you should make to live comfortably: the more, the better.

If you have 2 days in Barcelona, than you'll spend 2 days. I you have 3 weeks, than you'll spend 3 weeks.  The questions shoul thus be: what shoul I see and do given my limited time.

13 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Valencia you would probably want a local bus or taxi to take you to and from the historic area which is quite compact and flat with sights in close proximity to each other so easily walked..  The official Valencia Tourist Info website has much info on it and you should include looking at it as part of your research.

 

Valencia wil be our embarkation and disembarkation point.  Is the bus that you are referring to Bus No. 4?  Do you know which EMT bus stop passengers should get on the bus? Manuel Soto Enginyer - Comandància Marina bus stop (39.4557N 0.3303W), or Ponte de les Drassanes bus stop (39.4550N 0.3300W)? I presume the latter, but I'd like to check.

On 3/16/2023 at 10:33 PM, sara365 said:

My question is if this sounds possible, or if I am pushing it to get back to the ship before the 10:00pm departure time.  I'm okay with a busy day, we are prepared for the 6 mile hike, I want to see as much of the island as possible and avoid the crowds as much as we can.  I'm just concerned about that cable car getting us to the port and then getting on the tender if we don't head to the line until 8:30pm.

I do not see much of a reason for concern. 

From your itinerary it is obvious that you like hiking.  We are in our late 50s, not in the top shape, and we had 0 problem walking up the Fira stairs or back down. Walking down is a pleasant casual 20 minute stroll.  Leave the cable car to the infirm, too old, or too young. 

20 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

(1) only dinner

 

(2) only main dining room

 

(3)  2 hrs minimum

 

(4)  expect 6:15 pm early, 8:15 pm late. +/- 30 mins

 

(5)  no

 

(6)  always same time, same table

Thank you very much for your answers.  This helps us.

21 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Early sitting will apply to the evening meal in the MDR only. You can eat in the buffet anytime you like.

The time doesn't change on any evening, regardless of the port location or departure time from port. 

On Magnifica there will only be an early and late (on the new large ships sometimes there are 3 sittings). Different ships have different meal times, I don't know for sure what your times will be but an example would be early 6.30pm and late 8.30pm or 7.15pm and 9.15pm.

Once you're assigned and accept that sitting, you can't alternate on different evenings. 

Thank you very much for the explanations.  I appreciate it. 

3 hours ago, fifisav said:

Could you tell me the name of the bus tour operators you used in Santorini?  I would be interested in doing something similar.

Thanks!

KTEL

The best guide to Santorini and its buses that I've found is https://santorinidave.com/santorini-buses