Norway Fjords Internet and Drinks

[Saman]

Hi i'm looking at booking Norway cruise on presiosa in may i have a couple of questions , there are 3 of us traveling and the Price i'm being quoted online now for may 2018 is cheaper than cruises coming up for sep 2017 (also there seems to be no availability for 3 only 2) so i'm wondering if i should get moving and book , my questions are

Best position is center best ? and the highist up posible ? will be booking balcony cabin .

 

i don't think i will bother with a drink package as we will only be drinking a bottle of wine with dinner at night , from what i see this should be about 28 euros which i'm fine with , question is if we don't finish bottle do they number it and keep for next evening? do they check handbags when we come back on ship if we buy any wine/water for drinking in room?

 

Internet, being a cruise most of the time quite near to shore i presume will we have mobile cover/internet from inland , or will we be to far out at sea? is there any free wifi área?

 

Also best place to book direct with MSC or through agent , is it worth trying to get any reduction i see in some countries 2 for 1 are offered , i will be booking from Spain

 

Any help is most appreciated.

[Hey Tina]

I don't think you'll be cruising near enough to shore to connect to non-ship mobile towers. There is no free wifi on the ship.

 

When you come back on the ship your bags will be x-rayed.

 

For a good price, try cruise compete. They are not a travel agency (so it should be OK to list them here) but you will be contacted by different agencies with quotes. I got a fantastic deal on MSC this way.

[Beamafar]

MSC has 2 great wine & water packages available. The following are the ones available for Mediterranean cruises, so I'm assuming that they'll be on yours as the currency onboard will be in Euros:

 

WINE & WATER PACKAGE CLASSIC Ruby or gold....make your day a precious experience! 7 bottles of wine and 7 bottles of mineral water 1L to accompany your meals in the main dining room . You can choose your wines from a dedicated selection of most popular wine varieties, like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot gris, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, chianti, pinot noir, prosecco). The wines included in the package are available only in the main restaurants.

 

 

WINE & WATER PACKAGE EASY Sit back, relax and enjoy the moment! 4 bottles of wine and 7 bottles of mineral water 1L. You can choose your wines from a dedicated selection prepared by our Sommelier. The drinks included in this package can be consumed in the main restaurants, self-service buffet and bars. Unfinished bottles of wine ordered at your dining table in the main restaurant will be conserved and served the next day, whereas safekeeping cannot be provided for bottles ordered at the self-service buffet or at the bar.

 

 

The prices onboard will be €119 +15% service charge for the former and €69 + 15% SC for the latter.

 

 

I've booked the Classic @ €119. It is fantastic value. There are a couple of wines on the list that I usually have onboard anyway. If I were to buy the bottles as I go, they would cost me €27.60 each with the 15%. The package is working out €17! I'm not factoring in the value of the bottled water here as I'll have an all-inclusive drinks package which covers the water anyway. A 1L bottle of water onboard will cost you €3.16 with the 15% SC. It's worth €2.75 prepaid which reduces the value of the wine down to €14.25 a bottle! That's a saving of €13.35 on bottles priced at €24 onboard!! It's a no-brainer. There is a good selection of wines to choose from. The list was posted on the forum not too long ago. I just can't remember where. If I come across it, I'll post it here.

 

 

I don't know how much MSC will charge you in US$ if you prepay - but you avoid the 15% SC that way. I would suggest you contact them for the prices and do a currency exchange check. The dollar is weakening against the Euro at the moment. It's @ €1 = $1.18. It's forecast to hit as low as $1.25 by next year, so it may be in your best interest to prepay rather than wait 'til you're onboard.

 

If we don't finish bottle do they number it and keep for next evening?

 

The simple answer is: Yes.

 

You may get away with bringing a bottle of wine onboard. Some people have and others report that it was taken from them and held 'til they debarked. I've never tried it. But I did buy a bottle of liqueur on my recent trip and it wasn't confiscated.

 

 

 

 

 

[Saman]

MSC has 2 great wine & water packages available. The following are the ones available for Mediterranean cruises, so I'm assuming that they'll be on yours as the currency onboard will be in Euros:

 

WINE & WATER PACKAGE CLASSIC Ruby or gold....make your day a precious experience! 7 bottles of wine

and 7 bottles of mineral water 1L to accompany your meals in the main dining room . You can choose your wines from a dedicated selection of most popular wine varieties, like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot gris, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, chianti, pinot noir, prosecco). The wines included in the package are available only in the main restaurants.

 

 

WINE & WATER PACKAGE EASY Sit back, relax and enjoy the moment! 4 bottles of wine and 7 bottles of mineral water 1L. You can choose your wines from a dedicated selection prepared by our Sommelier. The drinks included in this package can be consumed in the main restaurants, self-service buffet and bars. Unfinished bottles of wine ordered at your dining table in the main restaurant will be conserved and served the next day, whereas safekeeping cannot be provided for bottles ordered at the self-service buffet or at the bar.

 

 

The prices onboard will be €119 +15% service charge for the former and €69 + 15% SC for the latter.

 

 

I've booked the Classic @ €119. It is fantastic value. There are a couple of wines on the list that I usually have onboard anyway. If I were to buy the bottles as I go, they would cost me €27.60 each with the 15%. The package is working out €17! I'm not factoring in the value of the bottled water here as I'll have an all-inclusive drinks package which covers the water anyway. A 1L bottle of water onboard will cost you €3.16 with the 15% SC. It's worth €2.75 prepaid which reduces the value of the wine down to €14.25 a bottle! That's a saving of €13.35 on bottles priced at €24 onboard!! It's a no-brainer. There is a good selection of wines to choose from. The list was posted on the forum not too long ago. I just can't remember where. If I come across it, I'll post it here.

 

 

I don't know how much MSC will charge you in US$ if you prepay - but you avoid the 15% SC that way. I would suggest you contact them for the prices and do a currency exchange check. The dollar is weakening against the Euro at the moment. It's @ €1 = $1.18. It's forecast to hit as low as $1.25 by next year, so it may be in your best interest to prepay rather than wait 'til you're onboard.

 

 

 

The simple answer is: Yes.

 

You may get away with bringing a bottle of wine onboard. Some people have and others report that it was taken from them and held 'til they debarked. I've never tried it. But I did buy a bottle of liqueur on my recent trip and it wasn't confiscated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your help ,do you buy the packages when book ,online months before traveling or on board ?

Wine /water package sounds good

[Beamafar]

Thanks for your help ,do you buy the packages when book ,online months before traveling or on board ?

Wine /water package sounds good

 

If you wait 'til onboard, you'll pay 15% service charge. Plus you have the uncertainty of currency exchange rates (I'm assuming you're in the US).

 

The packages should show up online after you make a booking when you log-in. I really can't say for sure as I'm not in the US and MSC does things a little differently in that market. Hopefully someone who has done European cruises can advise, here. Or contact either MSC USA direct or a TA who can advise you further. Just keep in mind that purchasing the package onboard will cost you €136.85 and compare that with what you'll pay in USD if you pre-book.

[Skier52]

Hi i'm looking at booking Norway cruise on presiosa in may i have a couple of questions , there are 3 of us traveling and the Price i'm being quoted online now for may 2018 is cheaper than cruises coming up for sep 2017 (also there seems to be no availability for 3 only 2) so i'm wondering if i should get moving and book , my questions are

Best position is center best ? and the highist up posible ? will be booking balcony cabin .

 

On the Fantastica class of ship the best position for a cabin is on the front or rear hump as they have unrestricted views, except those with "in- hull " metal balconies mostly on the font hump outlined in red on the image.

they are the same on Presioza as Divina

 

 

 

in addition cabins in the recessed areas and to a certain extent on the central hump can be affected by the deck 14 overhang. this will limit you view upwards which in the fjords may be an issue

 

 

 

A view from a deck 13 cabin balcony along towards the central hump which is visible towards the left of the image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

you might not want to go to deck 13 for your cruise.

 

Pete

 

 

Ps a complete list of metal balconies on DIVINA

 

 

presioza will have similar positions as these numbers

Edited August 14, 2017 by Skier52