Solo MSC Melody April 7, 2010

[Bels]

Yes, I'm single and will be cruising solo.

 

No, I am not lonely or in any other way deprived ( as far as I can tell ).

 

And, yes, I would appreciate any advice or experience anyone may have regarding MSC Melody and the eastern Mediterranean.

 

11 Days. Starting from Genoa, visiting Greece and Turkey, then the Ukraine. Major feature for me will be Yalta and Odessa.

[AmoMondo]

You've got some really interesting ports there Bels. The Opera did a similar one last year and I was considering going because of the Odessa and Yalta ports , however ended up on a 3 week sailing to S Africa instaed because it was such a bargin.

 

I've done 7 solo cruises with MSC and I've found that there tends to be more English speakers and solos on the longer voyages than there are on the 7 nights that seem so popular with Italian families.

 

All I know about the melody is that she is the smallest and oldest in the fleet and quite a traditional ship. I have met quite a few passengers who have sailed on her and they all said favourably things about her. She does get in to some ports that the newer bigger ships can't that is for sure. I think another advantage of such a small ship, especially for a solo traveller is that it is much easier to get to know the other passengers and make some friends.

 

Some of the med cruises with MSC have very few English speaking pasengers onboard, so I've sometimes struggled to find other passengers to talk to in my own language. I speak French well and Spanish OK with a bit of Italian and German, so can usually get by. However I find that the crew are much more friendly and attentive when you are a solo female than when you are with others. They seem to make a special effort to talk to you. Don't know if you like to go for a pre or post dinner drink or not but if you do, I've found that sitting at the bar itself is usually easier to strike up conversations with someone, be it passenger or crew.

 

With the exception of my last cruise, they seem to have a policy of only seating solo passengers with other solo passengers which is great if there are other solo passengers on the same sitting as you that speak the same language, however if there aren't you sometimes end up seated by yourself. This has happened to me twice. It does not unduly bother me but I do prefer to have table companions if given the choice.

 

I tend to avoid the buffets at breakfast and lunch because I find it too difficult (once you've got a seat but need to go back for something else, you lose your seat) and I prefer table service anyway. I also think the food is better in the dining room. At breakfast and lunch in the DR, if it is quiet they will probably give you a table by yourself at busier times they are likely to ask you to share.

 

Don't know if you are intending doing the ports of call on your own or going on excursions? If the latter, depending on how many English speaking passengers they have onboard, sometimes tours get cancelled at short notice if they don't reach the minimum numbers or run but are conducted in 2 languages.

[Bels]

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Thank you. Your comments are very helpful. If I know more or less what to expect, and what the challenges may be, then I can adapt and be happy. Just don't want any serious surprises.

 

I hadn't thought of cruising to South Africa. That is something I'll look into for next time. I did spend two weeks in Cape Town a few years back. One of my daughters was on a free round-the-world cruise ( paid by her college scholarship, she and her professors were on board for three months ) and we had almost a week together in Cape Town. Went mountain climbing. Loved it so much I'm sure to go back. Wish I could be there for the World Cup this summer.

 

I speak some German, and a little French and Italian and Spanish, but not well enough. I'm happy to meet other passengers, but I tend to explore places on my own. Being alone doesn't bother me, but I do like to make new friends.

 

I'd prefer more chances to walk about the ship, but the Melody looks fairly constrained in that regard.

 

I'm not a drinker, so meals are the more likely place for me to meet people. I would tend to do breakfast at opening time, but if I lose my seat I will quickly switch to the main dining if I can. Given my limited diet, I just figured buffet would be easier. I remember my last cruise, as a 9-year old going to the dining room alone because my parents and sister were laid up sick for the whole three weeks. The staff were very accomodating, and I had shredded wheat three meals a day. Would hope to do better this time around, as I am more flexible now.

 

Some years ago I spent a week at a secluded conference in Erice. All the meals were fixed, but enough food was served in multiple courses that I just ate what I could and ignored most of it. So I'll probably lose weight on this trip, not a bad thing. Went to India once and lost 15 lbs. in one week, that was a bit much. Spent two weeks in central Europe last summer and actually gained weight. But that was mostly buffet breakfasts.

[AmoMondo]

Hello again Peter

 

Sounds like you are pretty similar to me (except the bar bit), in that you speak other languages and are happy exploring ports on your own. So I think you will be just fine. Even although you are not a drinker, one thing to bear in mind is that they have live music in bars and lounges (ranging from classical to easy listening to more modern). The waiting staff are not on commission for selling drinks and will not constantly pester you to buy something. Many of the Italainas, go to the lounges totalk and listen to the musica and do a bit of people watching and nver buy anything. The wait staff after they have asked once will not approach again, unless passengers make it clear they want something. So just because you are not a drinker, doesn't mean you need to miss out on listening to the musicians.

 

The S African trip was interesting and long (21 days). MSC lately has been waiving the 100% supplement on the longer repositioning trips which makes a huge difference when you are travelling solo. That's the reason I'm doing the Brazil crossing to England in April, they reduced the price considerably and did not charge the supplement, so I was able to get a high grade balcony cabin for an unbeatable price. I've only been to peru before so am also looking forward to seeing a bit more of South America..

[Bels]

.

 

That's also good to know. I do drink sodas and love live music if it's not too loud or dischordant. One of the things I loved about Cape Town was that just in wandering about the city center and waterfront there was good live music on the streets almost everywhere. It was February and quite warm. Almost a festival atmosphere.

 

I am beginning to think that MSC was a good choice for me! I paid 90% supplement for a mini-suite, but it was still half the price or less of the other cruise lines I looked into. I don't mind paying more for something of real value to me, and I prefer comfort over luxury.

 

I have also been thinking of South America. It's really the only part of the world I haven't been. Both of my daughters have been. One spent three months studying in Cuzco, Peru, at 14,000 feet altitude. The other recently returned from a cruise from Florida to Mexico and Panama. I'd love to cruise through the Panama Canal. For that matter, I'd also like to go through the Suez. So I'm thinking the next few years may be busy.

 

I am retired and in excellent health. And I can probably do several cruises a year without reducing my net worth. So we'll see how this one works and go from there.