Jorrie

If you want a table for two in La Palmeraie Restaurant I would suggest that you need to get there when it opens (on our cruise it was 1830).  We don’t like to eat late so it wasn’t an issue for us but we did notice that there were people queuing around 1900-1930.

For onboard payments there was a cruise card activation point near the Concierge desk on deck 15.

There was also a complimentary bottle of Prosecco and a basket of fresh fruit in our cabin with a welcoming letter from the Yacht Club Director.  What’s not to like.

Top Sail Lounge....

Hope this works as a picture is worth a thousand words...

Minor point.  Further to my last post, if you are sailing out of Genoa you may not have the kettle in your cabin as it tends to be for the British market.  No doubt someone on here will confirm this.

Hi There

My wife and I have Recently sailed on Preziosa from Southampton to Hamburg 22 to 27 Apr.  We booked it to “test drive” the Yacht Club experience and were impressed by it.  The embarkation was effortless, the Yacht Club areas were immaculate, the staff were wonderful and the ambiance of the ship within a ship concept was lovely.  As a Yacht Club member we did not have to show our cards when we ordered drinks in the Yacht Club area but outside the Yacht Club drinks have to be signed for but the total bill is zeroed.  There is a private lift either down 1 deck to the spa or up to the “one pool”.  Our sailing was at the end of a Grand Voyage from the Caribbean which ended in Hamburg so the vast majority of fellow passengers were German/European.  There has been a lot of chatter on these boards about drinks packages and whether or not certain items are included but it wasn’t an issue for us.  All our requests were met but we are not “top shelf” drinkers.  The Yacht Club restaurant “La Palmeraie” is outside the Yacht Club area at the stern of the ship on Deck 15 and is anytime dining.  In inclement weather it necessitates revising your route to avoid crossing the exposed upper deck.  We just went down two decks to deck 13 walked aft down the corridor and then up two decks to the restaurant.  It’s wasn't a deal breaker for us.  Quality of the food is very subjective but we enjoyed it.  We were offered a choice of red white or pink wines with dinner but we didn’t stray off piste and order anything different.

Our cabin was on deck 15 and was slightly better than a standard balcony cabin. It was equipped with a kettle, tea and coffee, illuminated walk-in wardrobe and safe.  The bathroom was compact with a good shower in a bath tub.  Shower gel, shampoo, body lotion, shower cap and sewing kit were also provided.  The sheets and towels were changed every day.  The complimentary mini bar had miniature gin, vodka, whiskey, coke, sprite, tonic, a couple of beers and a selection of small tins of nuts.  There is an interactive TV so you can check your onboard account and order stuff on it but the variety of programs is limited but it did have BBC News 24.

The “top sail” lounge was lovely and had snacks available most times of the day. We had afternoon tea one day which was very nicely done but left us too stuffed to do justice to our evening meal.

Outside the Yacht Club the ship is immaculate but even the shortest sortie outside had us quickly retreating back to the quiet ambiance of the Yacht Club.

So overall we thoroughly enjoyed our experience but there are so many variables with any cruise and an experience can be affected by many factors.  Take all reviews with a pinch of salt and go with the flow.

Happy Cruising.

We did a 12 night itinerary on the Magnifica in June and I took my DJ and my wife took posh frocks for the elegant nights. We were very much in the minority but most people made an effort with men wearing jackets and ties and ladies dresses. My advice would be to take and wear what you feel comfortable in.

I hope this works. Just found these for our disembarkation in June. They should answer most of your queries. To meet your train times I suggest you go to Guest Services early on in the cruise to request an early disembarkation.

Thanks for that info. Can I ask what time embarkation began. We are staying in a hotel in Southampton the previous night so would like to board early.

Also did you self disembark with your luggage or put it out the night before.

 

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Sorry missed the second question. We put the cases out the night before.

Thanks for that info. Can I ask what time embarkation began. We are staying in a hotel in Southampton the previous night so would like to board early.

Also did you self disembark with your luggage or put it out the night before.

 

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Cannot remember what time boarding began as we embarked about 1530 as we travelled by car and were were held up in traffic.

There are lots of posts on Cruise Critic about embarkation times and how people ignore them. What you may find is that you can embark but your cabin will not be ready and so you can explore the ship and have lunch. Our cruise cards were in our cabin and you would need them for drinks. On our cruise the passengers were mostly German (embarked in Hamburg) and other EU nationalities so not many Brits to embark

When we were onboard in June we got alongside by 0800 and we were off the ship by 0830. Disembarkation was between 0830 and 1030. We also arrived at at different cruise terminal from the one we departed from which meant that we were a bit further from the car park! Our luggage was in the terminal and it was all very efficient. Of course others may have had a different experience. Enjoy your cruise.

No drama [emoji106]

Don't mean to sound facetious but it depends on the size of your cases [emoji6] two weeks ago we had an Aurea cabin on 12 deck and our cases approx L25"xW17"xD11 fitted under the bed no problem.

Thanks.

Why was Hamburg so expensive?

In Le Havre, did you visit Honfleur? If yes, what do you suggest for transport. Thanks a lot.

 

 

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No sorry, did not go to Honfleur. When we have been to Le Havre previously we have walked into town.

In Hamburg we did not berth at the Steinwerder cruise terminal as there was another ship berthed there. We were berthed on the north (city) side of the river near the fish market and U boat museum, about 3 km from St Pauli. It was walkable.

We are going on Magnifica in October - Le Havre, Amsterdam, Zeebruge and Hamburg.

Can anyone confirm where the ship actually docks please. I have read that they are way out and MSC charge ridiculous amounts for shuttle buses.

 

 

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I can help with some of this as we were on Magnifica two weeks ago on a similar itinerary. Adult shuttle fares: Le Harve €6.90, Hamburg €15.90. Amsterdam we berthed not far from the main station so walkable. We did not visit Zeebrugge.

However you should be aware that the ship will dock as directed by the Harbour Authority and so your designated berth can sometimes change.

Enjoy your trip, we certainly did.

Genoa now. As above there is the Porto Antico area and aquarium, and then there is the city proper. Whilst a bit grubby in the industrial port area it gets better as you move away from the front. A few pictures from wandering around the city (you need a map here as the little streets have all kinds of twists and turns and it's easy to get lost - leave plenty of time to get back to the ship). If you want to see both in the same day, I'd recommend starting in the city and working your way back to Porto Antico, that way you are much closer to the ship if you are tight for time. There is a tourist information stand outside the port terminal which can provide a free map.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again plenty more.

C-J

Thank you for a very informative review

hahaha oh dear - It's pretty much the same for us, we're between sizes at the moment so had to buy a lot of new stuff, it looks like a war zone with shopping bags everywhere! I'm "working" from home so I might start sorting through it

Glad to read you got your issues sorted. Enjoy.

Counting down the days now until we board Meraviglia from Naples on the 13th.

 

 

 

One slight problem - the e-ticket only has my voyagers club as black card, not Andy's. I've asked my TA and MSC to correct this, but do you think taking a screen print of Andy's status will help - paticularly with some of the benefits like complimentary meal etc?

 

 

 

Tim

Take the screen shot - as a picture is worth a thousand words.

We have just returned from a 7 day Med cruise on Splendida with the family (eleven of us) and we had the same problem before setting off. We had lots of issues with the MSC website before we departed but when we received our cards in our cabins they were all correct.

Enjoy your cruise. We certainly did.

Just off MSC Splendida today having completed the 7 day sailing from Southampton. We went steerage so cannot comment on the yacht club experience.

Like you, I too had the same concern about parking as the paperwork didn't match any of my previous ABP/CPS parking bookings. We entered the port via dock gate 10 (ten) as dock gate 8 was closed for the Southampton boat show which is this week. As we approached the terminal we spoke to a guide and he directed us to valet parking right outside the terminal. We unloaded the luggage which was taken immediately by the porters. The car was checked in by a supervisor who had a computerised print out of my details, the mileage was noted, keys handed over and I was given a piece of paper (a receipt) and was told that the keys would be in the "arrivals lounge" after Customs in the Terminal when we returned. We then walked the 100 yards to the terminal entrance and check-in. When we returned today, I collected the keys from the back of the Arrivals Lounge and was informed that the car was in the short term car park which was 100 yds across the crossing to the orange gates. In the short term car park there were personnel to tell you where your vehicle was. The parking experience was exactly as I had experienced previously, it's just a little bit frustrating that no one could explain it to me.

Whenever we embarked in the various ports the Yacht Club folks were always given priority over the Hoi Polloi. Never an issue for me, after all you are paying 3 times the price that I did.

We saw the special luggage tent in some of the ports but did not notice one in Southampton.

Enjoy your cruise, we did.

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