Life Onboard - August 8th - 15th - Reykjavik to Copenhagen

[KJB416]

We boarded Tuesday, August 8 at 1:20pm (13:20) with ease. I printed my luggage tags and heath questionnaire beforehand, but they will do it for you, but it saves time if you have it done. There were no lines. Rooms were not ready until 3pm approximately and bags would be delivered between 3-4pm. We went to Emporium for the buffet lunch and it was crowded but not terribly so. Plenty of seating the further back you walked into the restaurant. The food was great!  Prime rib, pizza and a risotto is what we sampled and all great!  The ship is beautiful and our OTI room is very comfortable. Balcony is nice. We had dinner in Sakura last night with premade reservations through our travel agent made about a month ago. It was full and tables are close, but it was fine and the sushi bar  was empty and anyone can walk in for dinner without reservation and order off the sushi menu only. food was excellent as was the service. They have Japanese beers in Sakura which they do not advertise so ask for a Sapporo if you like it with your sushi. 
 

The ship does not feel full and we had a hard time finding anyone is lounges before or after dinner. We do not stay up late but they do have late night dancing and DJ that start 10 or 11pm. Too late for us at this time in our lives, especially after full days of exploring. 
 

Breakfast at Emporium was easy and they have the same items as fil rouge but it’s just a buffet (you hand your plate to server and they put food on your plate and hand it back) instead of sit down service as far as I can tell.
 

The weather has been phenomenal as we cruise the coast of Iceland and i walked the jogging track and husband was able to swim laps in the observatory pool. It’s really warm in this pool area with the glass enclosure and it was crowded but not so much that you couldn’t find a chair. Plenty of chaise lounges available all around the decks and it’s a gorgeous day. We got one of the outdoor jacuzzis to ourself although I did see several people using them as I walked the track.  There are a lot of kids on the cruise, but no issues at all so far. Everyone is well behaved. 
 

The service has been excellent. They are having growing pains and finding out answers for you with follow ups, etc,, but everyone goes out of their way to accommodate us and we are enjoying the crew. It seems there are a lot of new crew, and I think it will all come together nicely as they learn their way, but everyone we have come into contact with has been wonderful. 

 

I did ask about reservations for Marble and Sakura our first day and, as has been reported, they are not offering second reservations at these venues on “this short cruise”. You are able to book anthology as many times as you like however. It also says nowhere ont he tv/menu for the restaurants that you are limited to one reservation per week of cruising. It says reservations are recommended only. I will report back at the end of our trip on how this goes for us. We are eating at Marble tonight. 
 

One thing to note that I am not happy about it that I booked my shore excursions or destination experience before our trip and paid in US dollars as it indicated was the cost. I have shipboard credit and I asked today if I could use the shipboard credit to pay for one of the tours in refund it US dollars and the ambassador I spoke to seemed like it was possible but had to check and when she called  back a few hours later she informed me it’s not possible to use the shipboard credit for the already paid for excursions. It’s also showing the price listed on board in Euro and it’s less than what I paid. I’ve asked them to look into it as I feel I’m getting the short end of the stick here as I paid before I got on the cruise and now I can’t use my shipboard credit and it’s cheaper to book it while on board. This so far is the only thing I’m not happy about. I hope we can get it straightened out and they at leak at charge me the going rate they are charging those that book while on board. 
 

I’ll try and answer any questions that come up but we have two busy days ahead with those now extremely expensive destination experiences I pre booked. 

[morpheusofthesea]

41 minutes ago, KJB416 said:

it’s just a buffet (you hand your plate to server and they put food on your plate and hand it back) instead of sit down service as far as I can tell.

How about a pastry, piece of toast, ? does one hand their plate over as well or are these items left to the bad habits ?

[TER777]

Is there any partner/ballroom dancing or is it all disco?

[uktog]

29 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

How about a pastry, piece of toast, ? does one hand their plate over as well or are these items left to the bad habits ?

And do they do proper toast or just pale dried out bread?

[LuiK]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

How about a pastry, piece of toast, ? does one hand their plate over as well or are these items left to the bad habits ?

 

Everything is handed to you – no guest is able to touch any food. The bakery section of the buffet has high quality freshly baked products. 

[Waltershipman]

3 hours ago, KJB416 said:

We boarded Tuesday, August 8 at 1:20pm (13:20) with ease. I printed my luggage tags and heath questionnaire beforehand, but they will do it for you, but it saves time if you have it done. There were no lines. Rooms were not ready until 3pm approximately and bags would be delivered between 3-4pm. We went to Emporium for the buffet lunch and it was crowded but not terribly so. Plenty of seating the further back you walked into the restaurant. The food was great!  Prime rib, pizza and a risotto is what we sampled and all great!  The ship is beautiful and our OTI room is very comfortable. Balcony is nice. We had dinner in Sakura last night with premade reservations through our travel agent made about a month ago. It was full and tables are close, but it was fine and the sushi bar  was empty and anyone can walk in for dinner without reservation and order off the sushi menu only. food was excellent as was the service. They have Japanese beers in Sakura which they do not advertise so ask for a Sapporo if you like it with your sushi. 
 

The ship does not feel full and we had a hard time finding anyone is lounges before or after dinner. We do not stay up late but they do have late night dancing and DJ that start 10 or 11pm. Too late for us at this time in our lives, especially after full days of exploring. 
 

Breakfast at Emporium was easy and they have the same items as fil rouge but it’s just a buffet (you hand your plate to server and they put food on your plate and hand it back) instead of sit down service as far as I can tell.
 

The weather has been phenomenal as we cruise the coast of Iceland and i walked the jogging track and husband was able to swim laps in the observatory pool. It’s really warm in this pool area with the glass enclosure and it was crowded but not so much that you couldn’t find a chair. Plenty of chaise lounges available all around the decks and it’s a gorgeous day. We got one of the outdoor jacuzzis to ourself although I did see several people using them as I walked the track.  There are a lot of kids on the cruise, but no issues at all so far. Everyone is well behaved. 
 

The service has been excellent. They are having growing pains and finding out answers for you with follow ups, etc,, but everyone goes out of their way to accommodate us and we are enjoying the crew. It seems there are a lot of new crew, and I think it will all come together nicely as they learn their way, but everyone we have come into contact with has been wonderful. 

 

I did ask about reservations for Marble and Sakura our first day and, as has been reported, they are not offering second reservations at these venues on “this short cruise”. You are able to book anthology as many times as you like however. It also says nowhere ont he tv/menu for the restaurants that you are limited to one reservation per week of cruising. It says reservations are recommended only. I will report back at the end of our trip on how this goes for us. We are eating at Marble tonight. 
 

One thing to note that I am not happy about it that I booked my shore excursions or destination experience before our trip and paid in US dollars as it indicated was the cost. I have shipboard credit and I asked today if I could use the shipboard credit to pay for one of the tours in refund it US dollars and the ambassador I spoke to seemed like it was possible but had to check and when she called  back a few hours later she informed me it’s not possible to use the shipboard credit for the already paid for excursions. It’s also showing the price listed on board in Euro and it’s less than what I paid. I’ve asked them to look into it as I feel I’m getting the short end of the stick here as I paid before I got on the cruise and now I can’t use my shipboard credit and it’s cheaper to book it while on board. This so far is the only thing I’m not happy about. I hope we can get it straightened out and they at leak at charge me the going rate they are charging those that book while on board. 
 

I’ll try and answer any questions that come up but we have two busy days ahead with those now extremely expensive destination experiences I pre booked. 

So wonderfully informative thanks so much Have an amazingly great cruise

[PaulMCO]

Are the Shorexs that you have booked sold out??   What if you cancel them and rebook using your OBC..

[Morrey]

10 hours ago, TER777 said:

Is there any partner/ballroom dancing or is it all disco?

I'm going to bring a small group onboard on Sept 25 and will let you know how the dancing is.

[Cruiseswithfamilyornot]

On 8/9/2023 at 1:37 PM, KJB416 said:

We boarded Tuesday, August 8 at 1:20pm (13:20) with ease. I printed my luggage tags and heath questionnaire beforehand, but they will do it for you, but it saves time if you have it done. There were no lines. Rooms were not ready until 3pm approximately and bags would be delivered between 3-4pm. We went to Emporium for the buffet lunch and it was crowded but not terribly so. Plenty of seating the further back you walked into the restaurant. The food was great!  Prime rib, pizza and a risotto is what we sampled and all great!  The ship is beautiful and our OTI room is very comfortable. Balcony is nice. We had dinner in Sakura last night with premade reservations through our travel agent made about a month ago. It was full and tables are close, but it was fine and the sushi bar  was empty and anyone can walk in for dinner without reservation and order off the sushi menu only. food was excellent as was the service. They have Japanese beers in Sakura which they do not advertise so ask for a Sapporo if you like it with your sushi. 
 

The ship does not feel full and we had a hard time finding anyone is lounges before or after dinner. We do not stay up late but they do have late night dancing and DJ that start 10 or 11pm. Too late for us at this time in our lives, especially after full days of exploring. 
 

Breakfast at Emporium was easy and they have the same items as fil rouge but it’s just a buffet (you hand your plate to server and they put food on your plate and hand it back) instead of sit down service as far as I can tell.
 

The weather has been phenomenal as we cruise the coast of Iceland and i walked the jogging track and husband was able to swim laps in the observatory pool. It’s really warm in this pool area with the glass enclosure and it was crowded but not so much that you couldn’t find a chair. Plenty of chaise lounges available all around the decks and it’s a gorgeous day. We got one of the outdoor jacuzzis to ourself although I did see several people using them as I walked the track.  There are a lot of kids on the cruise, but no issues at all so far. Everyone is well behaved. 
 

The service has been excellent. They are having growing pains and finding out answers for you with follow ups, etc,, but everyone goes out of their way to accommodate us and we are enjoying the crew. It seems there are a lot of new crew, and I think it will all come together nicely as they learn their way, but everyone we have come into contact with has been wonderful. 

 

I did ask about reservations for Marble and Sakura our first day and, as has been reported, they are not offering second reservations at these venues on “this short cruise”. You are able to book anthology as many times as you like however. It also says nowhere ont he tv/menu for the restaurants that you are limited to one reservation per week of cruising. It says reservations are recommended only. I will report back at the end of our trip on how this goes for us. We are eating at Marble tonight. 
 

One thing to note that I am not happy about it that I booked my shore excursions or destination experience before our trip and paid in US dollars as it indicated was the cost. I have shipboard credit and I asked today if I could use the shipboard credit to pay for one of the tours in refund it US dollars and the ambassador I spoke to seemed like it was possible but had to check and when she called  back a few hours later she informed me it’s not possible to use the shipboard credit for the already paid for excursions. It’s also showing the price listed on board in Euro and it’s less than what I paid. I’ve asked them to look into it as I feel I’m getting the short end of the stick here as I paid before I got on the cruise and now I can’t use my shipboard credit and it’s cheaper to book it while on board. This so far is the only thing I’m not happy about. I hope we can get it straightened out and they at leak at charge me the going rate they are charging those that book while on board. 
 

I’ll try and answer any questions that come up but we have two busy days ahead with those now extremely expensive destination experiences I pre booked. 

 

As I've seen a few posts about certain areas feeling more crowded I was curious how full the ship was?   As some of the inaugural voyages and I've read that they are not sold out, what that will mean for crowding when they are more full.  Thank you for taking the time to post your review, much appreciated.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Cruiseswithfamilyornot

[KJB416]

We found out that our ship has 407 people on board. It’s hard to find crowds anywhere and none of the dining venues are full. They are still limiting reservations to one per voyage at Marble and Sarkura. We were not impressed with the quality of meat in Marble and did not care to try for another night.  We are going to try to walk in tonight to Sakura for another try for dinner. We love the Emporium, Med Yacht Club and Fil Rouge. The service is excellent with everyone going out their way to accommodate us and the crew could not be more friendly and helpful.  
 

There are a lot of deck chairs and loungers on 11 and 12 and so if the ship was full and a sunny day you may not get a chair at one of the pools, but they are all around the ship with views out to sea. 
 

 

[KJB416]

On 8/9/2023 at 5:13 PM, PaulMCO said:

Are the Shorexs that you have booked sold out??   What if you cancel them and rebook using your OBC..

The shore excursions are full (not sure about sold out as I did not check that) but the team is very accommodating and they work with you to make sure you get what you want or will switch things around. They worked with me on my excursions and I now have a lot of onboard credit. They do not credit back my credit card. Seemed pretty complicated, but I can use the onboard credit for something else. I think on these first cruises the excursions can be booked once on board without them selling out, but it’s hard to say once the ships are sailing full and when that will be. 

[Whipsnade]

Sorry to hear about the meat at Marble. Will give it a try. Have yet to find a ship that has decent meat. Cannot imagine why.
We board Aug 24 for 30 days. Pics I have seen on food presentation look outstanding. 

[Mystictraveler]

If you have time, can you please provide some insight into the entertainment on board please?

[Pink Cruiser]

Thank you for this thorough review; very helpful. We board Sept 2 and very much looking forward to it!

[KJB416]

11 hours ago, Mystictraveler said:

If you have time, can you please provide some insight into the entertainment on board please?

The entertainment each night varies in the Journeys Lounge (4th floor) and it starts 8:30 to 9:00pm. They have a full band and they did a Billy Joel tribute one night, East End and Broadway another night and they have a violin player on board as a guest artist that did a three hour show last night. There are other lounges that offer pre dinner cocktails and live music by the piano player or saxophonist from the band. They are very good!  All of the band is great. They do offer dancing as well; salsa, bachata and I think I saw an other type of Instruction offered. They also have a late night disco offered each night. We have not been able to stay up for it unfortunately. It’s very intimate. 

[dolls123]

1 hour ago, KJB416 said:

The entertainment each night varies in the Journeys Lounge (4th floor) and it starts 8:30 to 9:00pm. They have a full band and they did a Billy Joel tribute one night, East End and Broadway another night and they have a violin player on board as a guest artist that did a three hour show last night. There are other lounges that offer pre dinner cocktails and live music by the piano player or saxophonist from the band. They are very good!  All of the band is great. They do offer dancing as well; salsa, bachata and I think I saw an other type of Instruction offered. They also have a late night disco offered each night. We have not been able to stay up for it unfortunately. It’s very intimate. 

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping I can stay awake a few nights to catch the disco. 

[Nunagoras]

2 hours ago, KJB416 said:

The entertainment each night varies in the Journeys Lounge (4th floor) and it starts 8:30 to 9:00pm. They have a full band and they did a Billy Joel tribute one night, East End and Broadway another night and they have a violin player on board as a guest artist that did a three hour show last night. There are other lounges that offer pre dinner cocktails and live music by the piano player or saxophonist from the band. They are very good!  All of the band is great. They do offer dancing as well; salsa, bachata and I think I saw an other type of Instruction offered. They also have a late night disco offered each night. We have not been able to stay up for it unfortunately. It’s very intimate. 

Something for everyone, with a classical twist to it, apparently. Great!...

[uktog]

19 minutes ago, Nunagoras said:

Something for everyone, with a classical twist to it, apparently. Great!...

Agree sounds a great range 

[vistaman]

On 8/13/2023 at 2:53 PM, Whipsnade said:

Sorry to hear about the meat at Marble. Will give it a try. Have yet to find a ship that has decent meat. Cannot imagine why.
We board Aug 24 for 30 days. Pics I have seen on food presentation look outstanding. 

believe it or not the meat on MSC speciality resto was very good and on Regent

[AtA]

On 8/13/2023 at 12:26 PM, KJB416 said:

The entertainment each night varies in the Journeys Lounge (4th floor) and it starts 8:30 to 9:00pm. They have a full band and they did a Billy Joel tribute one night, East End and Broadway another night and they have a violin player on board as a guest artist that did a three hour show last night. There are other lounges that offer pre dinner cocktails and live music by the piano player or saxophonist from the band. They are very good!  All of the band is great. They do offer dancing as well; salsa, bachata and I think I saw an other type of Instruction offered. They also have a late night disco offered each night. We have not been able to stay up for it unfortunately. It’s very intimate. 

Are these all shipboard people? Not entertainers brought on? Comedians?

 

What are the daytime activities on sea days?

[KJB416]

There are no comedians, thank goodness, and the performers were on the ship with us and engaged with the passengers when out and about or before and after the shows. We liked it so much we booked another cruise while onboard. 

[uktog]

Do they offer extra benefits for booking onboard?

[KJB416]

Very small benefit. I think it was 2.5%