MaisonRose

You know what? I think that you got reeled in on a good fare & MSC is looking for a booking at the higher price. During a sale I got a $695 BL2 balcony adjoining our friend’s cabin (we booked together). Then about a month ago we were changed to non adjacent cabins one deck higher & under the swimming pool. So they sold our premium location to someone else at a higher price. you can imagine how😡 I am. sailing Nov 9 10 days Marseille to Luxor.

Almost nothing, not even water! When you disembark after your cruise you will definitely feel that you’ve been “nickeled & dimed “ to death. Not very classy in that sense. Susan

My only experience with this was Seascape last Dec, which made as many stops as a Greyhound bus. Muster Drill was virtual but they did check that you did the visit to your Station. 😇 Susan

Yes, thank you for correcting my mistake. It is indeed listed under internet: scroll down to Others. Sorry. Susan

On Seaview last Dec plus onward NOV 9. Website has a package of washing…stuff 20 or 40 items in a bag with list: it comes back clean & folded. My experience was very good with that. The package is listed under Spa Experiences, strangely. Susan

NCL has been pulling that trick, too.

A really comprehensive look would be the YouTube VLOGS, just by searching MSC. BON VOYAGE.

Amazing, isn’t it ! Each case is weird. I can fly from Marseille to Edinburgh for half the price of a car from my village to Marseille port, 60min drive. That car avoids a lift to RR, train to downtown & taxi to port. It appears that once a cruise port is established all other services skyrocket. I like the OP mentioning TAMPA which is more appealing than Fort Lauderdale or Miami.

My husband nixed Rome-NYC on NCL GEM on Dec 4 since we sail Nov 9 to Egypt and finish that trip NOV 29. I hate the 12 hr flight back to DC, but he does have a point.

I did do that train trip (I love trains) and heard the click and clack for days) but I wouldn’t let that stop me except the fare.

I see that Carnival Legend is doing a TA from Baltimore to Barcelona in April but dare I take that ship? Here is the clearance on the Bay Bridge: Each span features: Two main spans over the bay's two shipping channels: A 3,200-foot (975 m) long suspension section over the western channel with a maximum clearance of 186 feet (56.7 m) at the 1,600-foot (490 m) main span—high enough to accommodate ocean-going vessels and tall ships. I confess that I don’t know any ship’s requirements.

We were certainly nonplussed on our Queen Mary arrival in Brooklyn in Dec 2021 & I’d think twice about using that location again. It was about out of the way as an industrial port can get.

Last Spring we were really excited that the Rotterdam was sailing out of New York, an easy train ride from our Maryland home. Booked & ready to go and then emergency surgery stopped us in our tracks. I adore HAL & I am never as happy on other lines, and we…are high status. But as we advance in age the trip to Florida has become a big and expensive slog. The overnight hotels in Fort Lauderdale must be the worst value in the USA, and that’s after the flight: going to Florida pre-cruise adds over $500 to the cost. So missing the Rotterdam’s one-off New York-Rotterdam sailing was heartbreaking and I’m wondering if there are others out there who would welcome NYC or east coast departures? I looking forward to comments from fellow HAL fans. Thank you. Susan

Be sure to do some last minute checking just in case. I’m going to recheck at two weeks out and again at one week & again the day before my Nov 9 trip. in any case I have had five vaccinations and always keep the proof in my document case. Also a foreign country might suddenly decide that they want proof. Here in France I’m scheduled for a jab on Oct 20. The govt has just announced the new program.

My first MSC booking did the same thing. UNTIL I was looking at the confirmation from my TA and the booking number was a link to MSC. DONT know why, but you might try that.

Sorry to ask but what is Med by MSC?

Great idea. I got some on TEMU my new favorite on line store. Just got a set of AirTags for our upcoming trip to Egypt, too. Those cruise luggage tags with cable saved me: mine was still on the bag with my (French ) cell # which is how we got back together! i spent a ten day visit to London with the few things in my backpack plus the $200 worth of replacement meds. At least I learned that I can pack lighter. Susan BTW I normally watch my bag during a train stop, but my seatmate was sleeping at Lyon & I didn’t have the heart to waken a stranger.

Is there a Venchi on the ORCHESTRA? They have exquisite gelato!

You might be stuck unless the NCL plan includes a half day bus wander around Marseille. Sadly the sunny Marseille PROVENCE airport has very little to amuse you except some cafes and sandwich shops like Au Bon Pain. Technically your check in time might be 12:45 but you can’t choose the shuttle departure time, so take a good book. We’ll, you might see some famous people rush through on their way to their Villa in the hills. There is free public Wi-Fi. IF you weren’t booked on the Airporttransfer then the local shuttle to Les Terrassas du Port (shopping center, restaurants) could amuse you before catching a taxi to the airport. But then there’s pesky luggage involved.

There is a local train from St Charles to Aix. You’ll need to take the local shuttle port to train which has some iffy reports. You might try Uber (I just did and there is no pickup at the Port Croisières Marseilles) and trust me taxis around here are sometimes more expensive than airfares to London. You might be stuck with that bus shuttle. But read this… https://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en/organize-your-stay/practical-information/access-to-marseille-cruise-port/ This shuttle goes to Terrasses du Port, a shopping center. There is a city train there but I would use a taxi to the station. I’m leaving from that port in Nov. & it’s an awkward problem getting to/from the cruise port, 8 km from the Gare St Charles.

The TGV from Marseille St. Charles train station. Watch your luggage during stops ( someone mistakenly disembarked with my bag in July). Try the Trainline UK website or Rail Europe to compare fares with https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/tgv . The TGV stops at Gare de Lyon in Paris. Do pré book as fares go up or become unavailable the closer to your date. You can book 90 days out. If you use public transport allow three hours to TGV departure/ two hours by taxi. Bon Route, Susan

Some Orchestra questions tho w/ a short cruise you might not have noticed: we’re sailing Marseille to Luxor for 10 days. Is there a Library & a book exchange? I live near Marseille & could offer up lots of good English paperbacks & guide books. Also are there games: dominoes, decks of cards,etc? Can you tell that I’ve sailed HAL a lot with lots of the above? On Seascape last Nov there was a really good water boiler for tea. Did you notice that? ( it actually showed the temperature & produced a wonderful cup of tea). Thanks to anyone who knows the Orchestra who will join in.

Well: an update. No miracles but my agent got me back to 12133 which like you said, at least 12134 is through the Lift passage. It is still under the pool/buffet deck but as you pointed out, preferable to separate decks. Our holiday will be much more fun if I let go of my anxiety and go with the flow. Thanks to all of you for your support. Susan

Age, mobility. The last thing these 80 Something’s need is to spend energy looking for each other. Sadly that’s what it comes to eventually!