UK interest: 1 night cruise £19/£29 with no sole-occupancy supplement!

[Skipper Tim]

OK, it is only one night, Southampton to Amsterdam, but it is still a bargain. I have splashed out on a balcony cabin to myself at £26.10 after 10% MSC Club discount.

 

http://www.msccruises.co.uk/uk_en/Cruise-Departures/Cruise-Itinerary-MSC-Opera-Rates.aspx?cruise_id=OP20140526SOUIJM&ship_code=OP

 

Anyone care to join me?

[papcx]

Making good use of that 10% already Tim!

 

Out of interest, how are you getting home? Ferry or plane?

[Skipper Tim]

Making good use of that 10% already Tim!

 

Out of interest, how are you getting home? Ferry or plane?

 

Yes, that is a bit of a pain. The most economical is to use Avios for a BA flight to Manchester via London but it involves an awkward London City to Heathrow transfer. That is time wasted on London Transport that could have been spent in the BA lounge. I haven't booked anything other than the cruise yet.

[sidari]

Tim ... Are you also flying to Southampton ? the cost of flights will outweigh the cost of a night onboard for most people.

 

Seems odd to offer one night when it sails for 12 nights to the Baltic that day.

Edited May 8, 2014 by sidari

[Skipper Tim]

Tim ... Are you also flying to Southampton ? the cost of flights will outweigh the cost of a night onboard for most people.

 

No, train. £17.15 from Manchester (+50% if you don't have a Railcard).

 

Seems odd to offer one night when it sails for 12 nights to the Baltic that day.

 

I gather there are a load getting on at Amsterdam hence empty cabins from Southampton. I benefited from something similar on the QE2 when I joined the first leg of her World Cruise, Southampton to New York, at a very low fare.

 

Perhaps I should stow aboard for the remainder?

[sidari]

Perhaps I should stow aboard for the remainder?

 

Tim ... Sounds like a fine idea to me .... :D will you wash or dry ?

 

Have you worked out how much the one night trip will cost you in total ?

[Skipper Tim]

Have you worked out how much the one night trip will cost you in total ?

 

Cruise fare: £26.10 (balcony cabin for sole-occupancy)

Flight AMS-MAN with easyJet: £55

Bus & train fares ship to Amsterdam to Schiphol airport: €2 + €2 = £3.20

MSC Daily Hotel Charge: €7 = £5.60

Train fares: (Slaithwaite-Manchester £5.60, Manchester to Southampton £17.15, Manchester Airport to Slaithwaite £5.30, total £28.05 =) £14.03 worth of Tesco Clubcard Vouchers via RedSpottedHanky

Total £89.90 + £14.03 of Tesco Clubcard Vouchers

 

Not bad for a mini cruise to Amsterdam in a sole-occupancy balcony cabin, all meals of course, all bus and train fares from/to my doorstep and within Amsterdam and the return flight.

[papcx]

Seems an awful lot of sitting on a train and plane for less than 24 hours on a ship!

 

But that's just me.

[sidari]

I doubt i could justify the cost for just one night onboard, would rather save it for a 7 nighter or more somewhere.

[BeeBerry]

Hi, we are also doing this cruise as a family of four. We were going to take my step-kids on a day trip to France, but this was a much better deal. :D We live in South London so it's fairly easy for us to get a train to Southampton and then we are flying back to Gatwick, which is even easier via train. When we booked last month the inside rooms were £29 and the balconies a lot more, they have all come down quite a bit in price. We managed to get upgraded to two balconies from two insides for free!

 

Per adult for cruise and travel we've paid:

 

£27.50 for the cabin with MSC discount

£24 flight AMS-LGW (with nectar points)

£13 train to Southampton (£1.70 per child)

£6 train Gatwick to London (£2 per child)

 

So, just over £70 each for the adults and £55 for the kids, I dont think that's a bad overnight cost especially as you'll get three meals included each. :) The kids are really looking forward to it and we wanted to introduce them to MSC very gently as they have only cruised on RCI so far. ;)

 

Of course we know we have to add drinks and tips to that (plus spending money in Amsterdam) but as a one-off it's quite cool. We have also joked about stowing away for the rest of the trip. LOL.

[Skipper Tim]

Seems an awful lot of sitting on a train and plane for less than 24 hours on a ship!

 

But that's just me.

 

You are right of course. I cheated for the price in quoting easyJet. For £12 more in combined real money and Tesco money, quite a lot less in real money, I can travel business class with BA from Amsterdam to London City, cross London, recover in the BA business lounge for a couple of hours then fly to Manchester for the same same train home. This would be an important part of my trip, and an expected pleasure for me.

 

Trains to Southampton, 5 hours+, can be made into a pleasure with the right preparation.

 

As I said above, I have only booked the cruise as yet. I have done the feasibility study and it is well possible and economic.

 

I welcome comments received. I should make the rest of the experience, from doorstep to doorstep a pleasure.

[Skipper Tim]

Seems an awful lot of sitting on a train and plane for less than 24 hours on a ship!

 

But that's just me.

 

You are quite right. If I am going to be spending time at airports and on a plane it might as well be comfortable and alcohol-laiden. I used some Avios to book business class on BA via London with plenty of time to enjoy the BA Galleries lounges at Schiphol and Heathrow. It will be a pleasure both ways and a full two days of luxurious travel, unlimited food and drink (yes I opted for Allegrissimo), including buffet lunch from noon aboard the Opera (I should be there at 12:12), MDR dinner, breakfast and I intend MDR lunch before disembarking as we arrive at a tardy 10:30 a.m.

 

All booked and Oyster Card on its way.

 

Thanks for the nudge. Why was I thinking of rushing back and slumming it on easyJet?

[AmoMondo]

Sounds like it will be a fun trip Tim. Enjoy!

[Newcruise2014]

I am booked also on this trip with my 13 year old son and it is our 1st ever Cruise and yes i love the idea of staying on board for the whole 12 nights.

 

only 2 weeks to go now.:)

 

Tim you say you will get Lunch before getting off so what time will we have to get off after arriving at 10.30am as would be nice to get a 2nd lunch as well.

Edited May 11, 2014 by Newcruise2014

[Skipper Tim]

I am booked also on this trip with my 13 year old son and it is our 1st ever Cruise and yes i love the idea of staying on board for the whole 12 nights.

 

only 2 weeks to go now.:)

 

Tim you say you will get Lunch before getting off so what time will we have to get off after arriving at 10.30am as would be nice to get a 2nd lunch as well.

 

My past experience is nothing to go by. On my previous MSC cruises, everyone was leaving the ship and we were allocated disembarkation times staggered over a couple of hours - generally in order of status, highest accommodation and highest MSC Club status first. Hence I was able to witness the process :(. However, my guess is there will only be a relatively small number of us disembarking at Amsterdam and we could be off relatively quickly - should we so choose.

 

They will have us out of our cabins at least an hour before arriving, possibly two, in order to prepare them for new guests. The ship does not depart Amsterdam until 18:00 so, I imagine, they will not be too bothered if we stay on board for lunch. My rule of thumb is to leave at a time that suits me or when they call my name over the public tannoy, whichever is sooner :). In the past I have been with others who have felt the pressure and wanted to disembark before lunch. This time I am alone and will do what I want. Ah, the freedom of travelling solo!

 

Join our new 1-nighter roll call - link in my signature.

 

P.S. I am sure you will both love it and I wish I had been on a cruise, even a 1-nighter, when I was 13. In my head I think I am around 13 - you may deduce that from my avatar photo. (I don't always wear a captain's hat - only when I go out :)).

Edited May 11, 2014 by Skipper Tim

[The_Big_M]

Sounds good.

 

Now, can you get me a deal on the flights over there from here?

[Skipper Tim]

Sounds good.

 

Now, can you get me a deal on the flights over there from here?

 

Yes, and you would go down in history for making the effort. You may even get a book deal out of it.

 

Let me be your publicist, agent and ghost writer. I would need my expenses paid for and regular commissions - that is all.