MSCSplendida May 20,2011

[Comet2011]

Europe may times but this is our first cruise? Traveling with us is our adult daughter who lives in Italy. Any tips for us? Who else has signed on?

[Satincruz]

Hi Comet2011,

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Here are some really good articles about everything you can expect on your first cruise:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ftc/

 

Have a great time--looks like you'll have excellent temps in the 70s :)

[AmoMondo]

Hi Comet2011

My advice would be to

-go to the embarkation talk on board (you'll find the time in the daily programme in your cabin when you arrive) - they show a short presentation that explains how everything works onboard, you meet your English speaking host and also get to meet some of the other English speaking passengers

-always read your Daily programme - it is delivered to your cabin each night and it is the only way to find out what is all on the next day, meal times, drinks and other promotions, activities, tour meeting points etc etc (they don't make many announcements onboard to tell you what's happening where (which to me is a good thing as you are not constantly disturbed by the tannoy)

-take a cabin or other type of holdall with you, you need to put your suitcases outside your cabin on the last night 9usually by about 1am) so you'll need a bag to put your overnight stuff and any residual toiletries in. (I didn't realise this on my first cruise and was trying to stuff things in my handbag and a carrier bag and it was a bit of a struggle!)

-if you don't already know this, the ship is a cashless society - your cruise card has 3 purposes : security-to identify you going on and off the ship; opens your cabin door; and is the method of payment. At the start of the cruise you give them your debit or credit card details and then everything gets charged to your onboard account. You can have one bill per cabin or seperate ones, per person. You can keep track of your onboard spend on the TV in your room on the Splendida. Don't recommend giving them cash at front as you have to q up on the last day to settle your account. if you pay by card, you just sign a copy of the bill and dump in at reception - takes seconds as oppossed to ages

-they will take your passports off you at the start of the cruise - don't worry that is normal - they'll give them back on the final morning. (This is so that they are available for inspection at the ports by local immigration officials)

-don't pack beach towels - you won't need them. The y provide both pool and beach towels. They work a system where they take a note of your cabin number and the number you take that day - when you return them later that day they marke them off (This is because they will charge you for not returning their towels to them)

-if you decide not to do MSC's shore excusrions and do either private tours or just go off by yourselves (if you are used to Europe that shouldn't be an issue fr you), take your Daily programme with you. It not only has the last all aboard time, it also has MSC's agents in that port. If for some reason, something happens and you can't get back to the ship in time and it sails without you, these are the people you need to speak to. better plan tho is to allow plenty of contingency time for getting back on time. My rule is the further from the ship I go, the more extra time I build in to my return time "just in case"

 

Hope you have a great time. It is an enormous and beatiful ship and you certainly won't run out of things to do and see onboard.

 

You must be getting excited now, with only a few more days until you leave.