MSC Northern Europe Cruise questions: Room, Boarding and dress.

[Jgarriso]

Hello,    First off we have just always been carnival people (Caribbean only) but found this combination of cheap airfare to London along with the price of this Northern Europe Cruise on MSC departing March 14th 2025.   Thought we'd try something new and interesting (and fairly cheap)

Background and Context, we are a 55+ couple that likes the laid back no-frills structure of Carnival so we aren't expecting much  and generally go with the flow.  Don't need fine dining or someone waiting on us at every moment,  we will pick an upscale cruise for fall of 2025 for our anniversary where i will need those things,  not this cruise.

 

1. We are looking at an interior room since we will be in ports most of the time as well as figure odds are the weather might be questionable.  any advice on what floor is best or what room we should look at?  what to avoid on the interior rooms.  didn't see along online for the interiors.

2.   Never done one of these cruises where people disembark and embark at each stop.   On the day of our embarkation in South Hampton,  can we check in,  put our luggage in the room and then leave the ship and go back out to walk around until departure time?  Planning our day from London with luggage and just working out the details in my head?

3.   Understand that you can see anything from snow to sun,  was just looking for weather experiences for this trip from any past cruisers.

4.   Any advice for any of the stops,  we love just walking through old city's.   (we have been to Ireland and German Bavaria a few times, Hungary and Romania and just walking through an old city is the best.  don't mind short trains or something to get us to an old medieval picturesque town.

 

Thank you  in advance for taking the time to read and offer any suggestions you have.

 

[TheOldBear]

2 hours ago, Jgarriso said:

Hello,    First off we have just always been carnival people (Caribbean only) but found this combination of cheap airfare to London along with the price of this Northern Europe Cruise on MSC departing March 14th 2025.   Thought we'd try something new and interesting (and fairly cheap)

Background and Context, we are a 55+ couple that likes the laid back no-frills structure of Carnival so we aren't expecting much  and generally go with the flow.  Don't need fine dining or someone waiting on us at every moment,  we will pick an upscale cruise for fall of 2025 for our anniversary where i will need those things,  not this cruise.

 

1. We are looking at an interior room since we will be in ports most of the time as well as figure odds are the weather might be questionable.  any advice on what floor is best or what room we should look at?  what to avoid on the interior rooms.  didn't see along online for the interiors.

These are questions best answered on the MSC section of the forums

2 hours ago, Jgarriso said:

2.   Never done one of these cruises where people disembark and embark at each stop.   On the day of our embarkation in South Hampton,  can we check in,  put our luggage in the room and then leave the ship and go back out to walk around until departure time?  Planning our day from London with luggage and just working out the details in my head?

After check in, you will need to fulfill the muster requirements [e.g. watch a video, have your card scanned at a muster station]. 

There should be a posted 'all aboard' time and if you have not returned by then you get to watch the ship sail away.

Over in the 'western Europe/UK' forum there are multiple posts about transport from London to Southampton, and check in procedures at Southampton terminals [and some nearby things to do in Southampton]

2 hours ago, Jgarriso said:

3.   Understand that you can see anything from snow to sun,  was just looking for weather experiences for this trip from any past cruisers.

4.   Any advice for any of the stops,  we love just walking through old city's.   (we have been to Ireland and German Bavaria a few times, Hungary and Romania and just walking through an old city is the best.  don't mind short trains or something to get us to an old medieval picturesque town.

I have not checked your cruise's details, I would suggest searching in this forum by port name to see previously shared information.

If any of your ports are in Norway, there seems to be a common pattern for tourist office web site names - e.g. the Tromso tourist office is visittromso.no 

 

2 hours ago, Jgarriso said:

Thank you  in advance for taking the time to read and offer any suggestions you have.

 

 

[edinburgher]

4 hours ago, TheOldBear said:

don't mind short trains or something to get us to an old medieval picturesque town.

It isn't actually clear where you are thinking of going and that makes it difficult to reply.. 

 

By posting on this N. Eirope and Baltic board,  do you mean the UK, Ireland, Amsterdam,  Brugges, or are you thinking more like Scandinavia, Estonia,  Poland or Latvia? .

 

Plenty medieval towns and cities in the former, but Scandinavia, Iceland and Greenland , with the exception of a few, are more famous for nature and scenery.than for medeival towns.

 

I think you need to look at itineraries (and not only with MSC as the constant "passengers off and on at different ports" doesn't suit everyone)) and decide which itineraries suit your own  interests best.

 

You didn't name the ship, but when you ask about inside cabins/staterooms and best deck level  on the MSC board (as suggested above by TheOldBear) you should give the name of the ship. to help those who will try to answer, and with that name, you yourself could go to the REVIEWS section of this website and read what others wrote about their onboard and ashore experiences.

 

The MSC Forum can be found here

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/49-msc-cruises/

 

Edited June 20 by edinburgher

[hallasm]

6 hours ago, Jgarriso said:

Thought we'd try something new and interesting (and fairly cheap)

  There is probably a reason why MSC is cheaper

5 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

I think you need to look at itineraries (and not only with MSC as the constant "passengers off and on at different ports" doesn't suit everyone)) and decide which itineraries suit your own  interests best.

 I don't know which itinerary you are looking at, but in my opinion it is not possible to put together an individual itinerary. 
The cruise is from one port back to the same port - can you provide examples.

[Jgarriso]

Sorry,  The MSC northern Europe trip is SouthHampton England,   Hamburg Germany, Rotterdam,  zeebrugge Belgium, and Le Havre France. 

[edinburgher]

41 minutes ago, Jgarriso said:

zeebrugge Belgium, and Le Havre France. 

In that case, you would probably enjoy Brugges from Zebrugge and Honfleur from le Havre.

 

You can bring up all past threads for each of your ports by going onto the correct georgraphical forum and using the quick and easy SEARCH TOOL as . reading some of them will give you lots of information and suggestions.

 

And the usual official Tourist information websites for each, and the likes of Tripadvisor, YouTube, Frommer's, Fodors, Rick Steves and anything else which appears when you  internet search eg (name of town or city) Tourist Information.

 

To help you get started

 

le Havre

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=le havre&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=462

 

Hamburg

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=hamburg&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116

 

Edited June 21 by edinburgher