*~ Cruising (travel by Waterways) megathread ~*

xraylady

I have booked an NCL cruise this summer and have gone through my usual american agency . Americ Discount Cruises and Travel. They had different offers as you say in US but they had a 3rd and 4th go free as one of their 4 possible options and that suited me. Price also lower. A few years ago the savings on $ vs € pricing was really substantial, now much reduced but I still find that (a) I always get added OBC and pre paid gratuities with the american agent and (b) changing around cabins, upgrading when price drops, getting better offers that are introduced after booking. All these are no hassle with US agent. Americans are used to doing this and Irish customers and agents seem to leave things once they have booked. I always check both Irish and US agencies and make complete costings for each. The way it has worked out, the US agency deal has always been better for me. A fear some people have is paying out money to some unknown agency. What happens is, when you make a payment - even a deposit- It goes straight to Celebrity, NCL or whichever company you are going with. You get receipt directly from them. There are lots of big agencies in US and can google reviews to see if any problems, Also, No problem to them having an Irish customer. I have noted on online T&C of some offers that ' for US and Canadian customers' but never had any issues and treat me just like any US customer. I pay down the $50 - $100 deposit about a year out and pay off gradually over the year. Any particular questions, please ask.

joebre

xraylady,

Thanks for the very detailed post.
When you click to say "Non-US" it directs you to the International Section where it says that prices may vary. Do you take this option or can you click "US" and get the best rates ?

xraylady

It says prices may vary but I haven't found this. You can always do a dummy booking for both. I often phone to make booking and I always get same price as I have seen when doing dummy US resident booking. Just a note - check when selecting an agent, that the travel company doesn't charge for any alterations. A good few don't.
Amount of added on board credit offered as a perk by the agent can vary from week to week. Usually increased offers round special dates such as July 4th etc. The amount of actual perks offered can be seen when booking online during the booking process. If you book with certain perks and later they are increased, With a simple email or call you can take advantage of increased perks. Also, some cruise lines seem to cut prices at different times and you can get great benefits from reductions . I've had great luck with Celebrity. NCL , on the other hand, haven't reduced fare since I booked .

joebre

xraylady

I am very interested in the transatlantic crossing with NCL Epic in November. I see that it's all inclusive when booked direct with them.
I am waiting for them to open US time so I can compare the prices.
From what I see, there seems to be an 18% gratuity and it looks as if the regular gratuity is not included either.
So at the moment, it appears to be much cheaper if booked from here.
Will update later.

xraylady

Looking at that sailing online with my agent , seems to be $2783 total , midship Balcony ( rm 8079)with $325 obc (125+200) I think. including perks of drinks package and 250 min wifi. Service Gratuities would be extra. $100 deposit. Don't know how that compares to here. Think 'pay full amt by 'date is shorter in US than here - if that makes diff- . Not for other lines , just NCL .
Interesting to see how it works out for you.
All inclusive option recently added for Europe customers . Maybe it will be better..?

joebre

$325 obc (125+200)

Not usually offered over here ! What are these for ? Definitely would need internet, if not in port for days at a time.

Service Gratuities would be extra

Must check the cost per day, probably around $10 if booked from the US

NCL require 10% deposit and balance only one month from departure.

xraylady

I think $200 is from NCL ( obc promotion going in US at the moment) The $125 is from the agency. They normally offer obc or pre paid grats ( which would be better in this case)
The price I saw included a fee of $369 which was service charge on the drinks package selected. I think there are 4 options for perks, I just picked drinks and wifi randomly. Basic fare for mid ship balcony was $1206 each. Don't know how this compares.

xraylady

I think $200 is from NCL ( obc promotion going in US at the moment) The $125 is from the agency. They normally offer obc or pre paid grats ( which would be better in this case)
The price I saw included a fee of $369 which was service charge on the drinks package selected. I think there are 4 options for perks, I just picked drinks and wifi randomly. Basic fare for mid ship balcony was $1206 each. Don't know how this compares.

topspur

Going on a med cruise shortly seems like the cost of a 4 or 5 night stay for some of the tours both from the ship and online, we are going to pisa/florence Rome and hapless any information on how to keep the cost down would be a help

Gamebred

Any Recommended of a company I can use to transfer from I-drive to Port Canaveral for 3 people + bags? thanks

spurious

topspur wrote: »

Going on a med cruise shortly seems like the cost of a 4 or 5 night stay for some of the tours both from the ship and online, we are going to pisa/florence Rome and hapless any information on how to keep the cost down would be a help

Sorry I didn't reply earlier. There are always local options you can organise yourself before you go. Booking the onboard trips is always expensive, though the ship will wait for you if you are back late on one of those trips. If organising your own, you just need to be sensible and make sure you are back in plenty of time for the sailing time.
If you would like to give dates, I can help you look for tours.

k123456

topspur wrote: »

Going on a med cruise shortly seems like the cost of a 4 or 5 night stay for some of the tours both from the ship and online, we are going to pisa/florence Rome and hapless any information on how to keep the cost down would be a help

http://www.tomsportguides.com/. I think these can be downloaded to your smartphone , so handy in Florence etc

it is always cheaper to organise a tour yourself, there are local tour cos on the docks, , which can be pre booked or adhoc

Examples

About 100euro
First tour organised by Cruise line, Naples, bus picked us up at ship berth
Took about 30 mins to get on the bus, lots of US folk dithering
tour guide was knowledgeable, but his radio mike didn't work , so difficult to hear him at Pompeii etc
We were brought to a shop selling souvenirs, a good hour wasted there, and of course commission from the shop to the tour guide
Duration 6 hrs

About 100 E next year Naples
8 of us organised an indo tour ,Merc transported Leather seats air con etc, chauffeur suited, v knowledgeable, picked us up at ship berth , 5 mins and we are underway, 10 hour tour, Amalfi coast incl Pompeii etc
Excellent value, saw a huge amount

Naples totally independent, alighted from ship, tram train to Herculaneum, about 10e, transport system not great, later walked around Naples


Rome, cruise co bus organised to Rome from port Civitavecchia
think 60 return, no guide

or (1000's of people do this
from Civitavecchia , 1km pleasant walk to train station, which brings you directly to Rome Central area, think 10e return, which includes the Rome Metro

The cruise cos will of course try to sell their own tours , in the same way Ryanair sell ancillaries

It pays to do a little research in advance, preferable at home as wifi expensive on a ship

Not been , but I expect train connection from your port to Florence / Pisa
Florence is a bit far, Luca and Pisa nearer

Densey12

Hi All,

Any tips on a cruise holiday for 5 girls?
Location?
Who to book with ?
Is there such thing as a young persons cruise?
All inclusive etc?

Any tips appreciated, as I would like to hear from people who have had personal experience?

Denise:)

k123456

Most Euro cruises leave from Barca. 3 or 4 ships a day


From Barca, destination for a seven night cruise, would be Western Med
12 night : Western and Easter Med

The Greek Islands are amazing

Not sure about a specific young cruise,, maybe Carnival lines

these are extremely good value
http://www.costacruises.co.uk/B2C/GB/Pages/default.aspx

Most cruises are full board, Alcohol about Irish Prices
You prob wont have Lunch on the ship, as you will be off the boat

https://www.google.com/search?q=last+minutes+cruises&oq=last+minutes+cruises&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.6383j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Room package prices
Cheap interior no window
Med , Window
Top Balcony

You generally berth at a different destination each day, Rome, Naples, Palma etc
the cruise co will organise a day excursion , these can be expensive and you waste a lot of time, waiting for lots of people to assemble etc

Depending on the destination, v easy to do you own thing, or organise an independent tour company at less expense
http://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html


I have been on
Carnival
Costa
and Celebrity
Food and facilities excellent

Nightlife plenty of bars, one or two nightclubs and a theatre

dannil

Hi, Im wondering if i can use a passport card to travel on a Royal Caribbean cruise? The cruise departs from Venice so i assume i can travel from Dublin to Venice on the card but im worried about boarding the cruise since its Royal Caribbean would it be classed as American to which i would need the actual passport....to which ive misplaced.

Its somewhere at home so i don't want to apply for new one as there is good chance ill find

coylemj

The cruise company needs to verify that you have an entitlement to enter each of the countries the ship will visit. Now if the cruise is only calling at EU countries then technically your card will suffice but come check-in time, you may meet someone who expects to see a passport. I would seriously search for the standard passport.

Just because RC is a US company doesn't mean that you are entering the US as you seem to suggest, they don't care about ESTA or US visas.

Atlantic Dawn

Could be messy, the majority of their ships are registered in the Bahamas making things even more complicated. Given the nature of the ship if it were to run in to problems and have to dock in a non EU port it would give them major hassle if some passengers had not full passports.

Online seems to suggest full passport only...

PASSPORTS

If you are a British or Irish citizen (including children and infants), you must have your own full 10 year (5 year for children) Passport which is valid for at least 6 months after your expected return date. Please note that Irish infants (up to age 3) are issued with a 3 year passport. It is no longer possible for children to be included on their parent's passport. Obtaining a full British passport presently takes approximately 4 - 6 weeks, but you should allow longer at busy times of the year. If you or any member of your party is 16 or over and haven't yet got a passport, our recommendation is that you should apply for one at least 6 weeks before your holiday. The Passport Service has to confirm your identity before issuing your first passport and from May 2007 will ask you to attend an interview in order to do this.

The US Department of Homeland Security is changing the process for entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Programme. In the past, holders of a UK or Irish passport could complete their immigration card (I-94W) onboard their flight/cruise to the US which would allow them to enter under the VWP as long as they met the other requirements, such as passport validity, criminal record etc.

http://bookings.royalcaribbean.co.uk/beforeyouboard/passportGuidelines.do?wuc=IRL

coylemj

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

... if it were to run in to problems and have to dock in a non EU port it would give them major hassle if some passengers had not full passports.

The cruise lines swipe your cruise card when you leave and return to the ship so if you checked in with only the passport card, they could flag your passenger registration with 'entry to EU ports only' and stop you leaving the ship if they had to dock at a port in Albania for some reason.

But you've highlighted the fact that they want a full passport so the point is moot.

omu

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of going on a cruise alone? I'm hoping to go for 10 days approx sometime in september. Any info appreciated. Thanks ☺

Mrs OBumble

They can be a safe, easy way to travel. Entertainment every night, just down the hallway from your cabin. Hotel style accommodation and food, change of scene every day, but you don't have to pack up and move places.

I did one, because it was the best way to see a location I was interested in.

Some of the companies will match you up with another single person so you share a room and thus don't pay a single-supplement. I used Holland America, and they were fine. Or pay the supplement and have a room to yourself.

Unless you want the sex, avoid companies which are marketed to youngsters. But look hard at their promo photos: if everyone is 30 years older than you, then that might not be the right company either.

omu

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

They can be a safe, easy way to travel. Entertainment every night, just down the hallway from your cabin. Hotel style accommodation and food, change of scene every day, but you don't have to pack up and move places.

I did one, because it was the best way to see a location I was interested in.

Some of the companies will match you up with another single person so you share a room and thus don't pay a single-supplement. I used Holland America, and they were fine. Or pay the supplement and have a room to yourself.

Unless you want the sex, avoid companies which are marketed to youngsters. But look hard at their promo photos: if everyone is 30 years older than you, then that might not be the right company either.

thanks a million, will have a look ☺

deisemum

Anyone every book a cruise through seascanner?

RoYoBo

deisemum wrote: »

Anyone every book a cruise through seascanner?

Yes, found them very professional and got a really good deal. Euro was a lot poorer then (mid 2015 for a 2016 booking) so I don't know what it would be like now.

I followed the cruise I wanted for a few months and one weekend the prices dropped considerably, so I booked then. The price was low/fluctuating for only a couple of days and went back up afterwards, never to go as low again. Because I'd been watching everywhere, I knew it was a bargain, especially in euros.

Tylerdurex

Anyone have some good ideas for cruises halfway between Ireland and Australia.

Mrs OBumble

Alaska.

I did it , was very cool, got to places i wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Densey12

Hello,

Just wondering if there was anyone on here who could provide me with some information.
I have booked a med cruise for June 2018 on the new sea view ship.
I have never been on a cruise before and I am green to all the cruise terminology.
What exactly does the fantastica upgrade give us?
There are three of us sharing one cabin!
Unsure about what it means about the dinning , does it mean we can dine in the restaurants where you would normally pay a service charge and we don't have to pay as a result of the upgrade?
Is it free delivery of breakfast - Do we have to pay for the actual food?

Slightly confused by the information on their website but I assume this is due to my ignorance of cruising!

Id appreciate any help from those of you who are familiar with cruises and especially the MSC Cruises or if you have any tips!

Thanks:)

coylemj

There is a megathread for cruises, the mods will probably move your thread to it shortly - whether you want this to happen or not.

I don't know anything about that upgrade you quoted but in general terms on MSC ships (I've been on two MSC cruises) and this probably applies to most cruise ships ....

Three of you will be seated at the same table every evening, dining at the same time, usually about 6:30 or 8:30, might vary by ship. Sort this out when you're checking in. They may put you at a four seater table by yourselves but there's a fair chance you will be seated at a bigger table with other guests.

Pretty much all of the food is included in the cruise fare. Most ships have a few extra small restaurants like Japanese or Mexican or a Steakhouse and you can elect to eat in any of these but you will pay extra.

Expect the hard sell for the drinks packages. If you are going ashore each day to potter around or take some of the excursions, the drinks packages may not make sense.

If you can get breakfast delivered to your room, it will cost extra. There's usually an option of a full (waiter) service breakfast in one of the dining rooms and this suits older cruisers who are less mobile but the majority of people go to the buffet and help themselves because it's much faster.

KwackerJack

I am looking at booking an all inclusive holiday for 2 and my budget is €1,500
I was going to look at Bulgaria or Italy but a cruise takes my fancy. I am based in Dublin so I am not sure what options I have from here! 

Any advice?

k123456

Not many from Dublin, lots from Southhampton

Later this year , there are 1 or 2 cruises from Dublin, cant recall the cruise company

coylemj

Baltic Sea and Norwegian fjords cruises tend to start and finish in Copenhagen. The other options are cruises of either the western or eastern Med. Western Med. cruises tend to start in Barcelona and a lot of eastern Med. cruises start from Venice.

Depending on flight times to/from Dublin, you will often need to include a night in the embarkation city, either the night before or the night after the cruise to remove any risk of missing the cruise or the flight home.

fdevine

Closest start point to Dublin as previous poster indicated is Southhampton. Big choice from there. Budget might be the more restrictive part

schemingbohemia

Celebrity are doing a few cruises from Dublin in 2018, got a brochure the other day, there's one to Iceland but this one caught my eye - to Norway.
https://www.celebritycruises.ie/cruises/ec-8-night-norwegian-fjords-cruise/ec08u015/20180520/
They're a bit more than €1500 unfortunately. We had a cruise in Alaska with Celebrity, was fantastic.

G&T22

Hi,
I am going on a cruise with my family. There is quite a lot of time between when we disembark the ship to when our flight is due (8hrs). Does anyone know if luggage can be left somewhere secure before we are ready to check in? We are flying from Southhampton, UK. Any suggestions would be great as I don't want to be hauling luggage around all day!

Thank you

The Davestator

G&T22 wrote: »

Hi,
I am going on a cruise with my family. There is quite a lot of time between when we disembark the ship to when our flight is due (8hrs). Does anyone know if luggage can be left somewhere secure before we are ready to check in? We are flying from Southhampton, UK. Any suggestions would be great as I don't want to be hauling luggage around all day!

Thank you

Not sure about Southampton, but I've left luggage in rail stations all over the world when in the same scenario as you.

cobham

The Davestator wrote: »

Not sure about Southampton, but I've left luggage in rail stations all over the world when in the same scenario as you.

I was not able to leave luggage in southampton some 9 yrs ago.... security issue.

Duck Soup

Am I getting delirious in my old age or did I read somewhere that starting in 2018 there will be at least one Med cruise picking up/starting at Dublin? As a, ahem, larger, gentleman I want to avoid a flight if at all possible, but don't fancy the Nordic routes. I thought I read that somewhere, but since I can't find it again when I went looking, maybe I misread it.

Mc-BigE

Hello, ive booked the MSC Preziosa for the June 2018 from Copenhagen for 7 days.

where doing the Baltic cruise (Denmark,Sweden,Estonia,Russia,Germany,Denmark)

we have gone for the all-inclusive drinks package (not the most expensive one with premium drinks)

we have gone for the Fantastica Experience Balcony room on the 12 deck.

i have a small few questions about the ship

mainly the average age of the passengers on this route in summer ( we are in our mid to late 40s, and 1 teen going along)
looking at some videos on youtube, im hearing piped (or piano) music everywhere and a lot of grey hair people! (sorry but im getting there myself but not there yet! )

i don't mind it really, im not looking for clubbing or rave parties etc lol
just a place with a little atomsphere to have a drink, sometimes separate to the big dining halls etc. there are a few bars etc on board, so that might suit.

the second question is extra charges

will i be charged for using 10 pin bowling, F1 simulator, video games, and other activities on board the ship? is there a way to pay for these as an addon for my Teen (and myself also sometimes) so we can track the cost of these games etc.

can i get a drink/food brought to room included in the price or is that extra.
or can i get a drink myself and walk back to my room or must it be drunk at the bar/restaurant only

what about the waiter Tip package, do people recommend it? or just tip as you go.

what about internet/wifi. it that free of charge or is it extra
is it in your room? or just in the public areas of the ship

finally when boarding the ship, how much time should i leave to check-in etc
how many hours before departure should i show up?

thanks in advance

Densey12

Mc-BigE wrote: »

Hello, ive booked the MSC Preziosa for the June 2018 from Copenhagen for 7 days.

where doing the Baltic cruise (Denmark,Sweden,Estonia,Russia,Germany,Denmark)

we have gone for the all-inclusive drinks package (not the most expensive one with premium drinks)

we have gone for the Fantastica Experience Balcony room on the 12 deck.

i have a small few questions about the ship

mainly the average age of the passengers on this route in summer ( we are in our mid to late 40s, and 1 teen going along)
looking at some videos on youtube, im hearing piped (or piano) music everywhere and a lot of grey hair people! (sorry but im getting there myself but not there yet! )

i don't mind it really, im not looking for clubbing or rave parties etc lol
just a place with a little atomsphere to have a drink, sometimes separate to the big dining halls etc. there are a few bars etc on board, so that might suit.

the second question is extra charges

will i be charged for using 10 pin bowling, F1 simulator, video games, and other activities on board the ship? is there a way to pay for these as an addon for my Teen (and myself also sometimes) so we can track the cost of these games etc.

can i get a drink/food brought to room included in the price or is that extra.
or can i get a drink myself and walk back to my room or must it be drunk at the bar/restaurant only

what about the waiter Tip package, do people recommend it? or just tip as you go.

what about internet/wifi. it that free of charge or is it extra
is it in your room? or just in the public areas of the ship

finally when boarding the ship, how much time should i leave to check-in etc
how many hours before departure should i show up?

thanks in advance

I am also very interested in any answers or advice on this post.
I have booked with MSC for a Mediterranean Cruise in June 2018 on board the MSC Sea view.
It is a new ship and we may possibly be the first on it.
There are 3 of us going (all girls, to celebrate our 3Oths)
We also booked the fantistica package with a balcony room ( Think we are deck 13 or 14) and we paid for the drinks package.
First time cruisers so any info or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Denise

k123456

Mc-BigE wrote: »

Hello, ive booked the MSC Preziosa for the June 2018 from Copenhagen for 7 days.

where doing the Baltic cruise (Denmark,Sweden,Estonia,Russia,Germany,Denmark)

we have gone for the all-inclusive drinks package (not the most expensive one with premium drinks)

we have gone for the Fantastica Experience Balcony room on the 12 deck.

i have a small few questions about the ship

mainly the average age of the passengers on this route in summer ( we are in our mid to late 40s, and 1 teen going along)
looking at some videos on youtube, im hearing piped (or piano) music everywhere and a lot of grey hair people! (sorry but im getting there myself but not there yet! )

i don't mind it really, im not looking for clubbing or rave parties etc lol
just a place with a little atomsphere to have a drink, sometimes separate to the big dining halls etc. there are a few bars etc on board, so that might suit.

the second question is extra charges

will i be charged for using 10 pin bowling, F1 simulator, video games, and other activities on board the ship? is there a way to pay for these as an addon for my Teen (and myself also sometimes) so we can track the cost of these games etc.

can i get a drink/food brought to room included in the price or is that extra.
or can i get a drink myself and walk back to my room or must it be drunk at the bar/restaurant only

what about the waiter Tip package, do people recommend it? or just tip as you go.

what about internet/wifi. it that free of charge or is it extra
is it in your room? or just in the public areas of the ship

finally when boarding the ship, how much time should i leave to check-in etc
how many hours before departure should i show up?

thanks in advance

F1 simulator, video games, chargeable
waiter Tip package , a gratuity charge will be added to your holiday cost, it is debatable of much goes to staff.I think there is an opt out on this, if you wanted to tip directly
Wifi usually v slow, and I think charged per minute , rather than per byte of data, meaning you are being charged while you wait for downloads .your phone will pick up 3g if near the shore , say 5 miles away, In the EU you dont pay roaming charges. While on shore , in a wifi zone , cafe etc, you could download emails etc to a tablet , laptop , which doesn't have a sim card

its not unusual to see people buy a drink at a bar, and bring to another bar or area. If you want a drink in the room, ; the rooms will be a bit away from bars, long corridors etc. , there is room service.

For the occasional drink in the room, you could bring a bottle or two of your preferred drink on board, if your cruise company doesn't prohibit this , some do, some dont, will be in the tcs. Hand luggage scanned similar to an airport.
Your cases will be brought to your room by porters and scanned en-route

Google ; Toms Port guides, useful info all most cruise ports, cruise cos will sell expensive "excursions " at ports, while these can be good, there are independent cos at most cruise ports, offering similar if not better , for lesser prices. Toms Port guides can be pre downloaded at home and saved to your tablet , phone etc. These are PDF's so you will need Adobe Reader downloaded
An example of a cruise co excursion
Year 1, we opted for cruise co excursion , the cruise will hard sell
about 90 euro, old enough coach, picked us up at dock, tour guide radio mike didnt work well, so difficult to hear him, at sights of interest. , Each time we alighted , got back on coach, took 20-30 mins,
Year 2 , Independent ; pre organised tour, longer duration, chauffeur driven knowledgeable driver , Mercedes , about the same price, no delays saw much more

deisemum

I've been on 2 MSC Mediterranean cruises and on both there was a good balance between all ages, plenty of families too, not just elderly.

We paid the €9 per person per day tip and it worked out cheaper than tipping every time we got a drink, meal or snack. The level of service was excellent.

We occasionally brought a drink back to our cabin but we were near the lift/stairs so not far to carry it. You can get room service - think it's free if you have the fantastica package but you're expected to tip for that, I think you have to pay if it's the Bella package. We regularly saw people bring food from the buffet back to their cabins.

The ships excursions are very expensive but if you post the ports on here people will be able to give you much cheaper options. You can also check them out on cruise critic.

coylemj

Having been on three cruises (2 x MSC and 1 x Royal Caribbean), I would say that the hard sell all of them do their drinks packages suggests to me that they are not worth it.

coylemj

deisemum wrote: »

We paid the €9 per person per day tip and it worked out cheaper than tipping every time we got a drink, meal or snack. The level of service was excellent.

When you order a drink from a waiter/ess on an MSC ship, the person who serves you gets 15% of the tariff so nobody tips when getting drinks. I'm pretty sure the same system applies when you get drinks on the other cruise lines.

Food is different since breakfast and lunch are typically buffets where you're not paying. Agree that the service on MSC is excellent.

deisemum

coylemj wrote: »

Having been on three cruises (2 x MSC and 1 x Royal Caribbean), I would say that the hard sell all of them do their drinks packages suggests to me that they are not worth it.

I think the €26 per day drinks pack with MSC is great value, I'm not much of a drinker but I certainly got good value with it by the time you add in bottles of water, speciality coffees, ice cream, cocktails, wine, prosecco and spirits it would have cost a lot more had I not had the drinks package.

We had a lot of our breakfasts and lunch in the same restaurant we had our dinners and had our meals served up to us, this was very handy on the busy days.

Mc-BigE

regarding restaurants in the MSC ships ( im my case the preziosa)

is the cost of dinning in these restaurants ( example Ristorante Italia) included in the price of the cruise?

or is it only the buffet is free?

coylemj

Mc-BigE wrote: »

regarding restaurants in the MSC ships ( im my case the preziosa)

is the cost of dinning in these restaurants ( example Ristorante Italia) included in the price of the cruise?

or is it only the buffet is free?

If it's a sit down restaurant with a name and a food theme (e.g. on your ship 'The Golden Lobster' or the Italian place you mentioned) then it will cost extra but dinner every evening in the main dining room is included in the price. The speciality restaurants are there for people who might want a change on one or two evenings. I was on two MSC cruises, we had dinner one night in the Japanese restaurant on the MSC Poesia but on the second cruise we never got around to investigating the restaurants. There is a huge choice of courses on MSC ships, we picked three courses from a list of about seven each night.

spurious

We had booked for the main dining room each evening, but after two meals we realised it was taking close on two hours to finish dinner, so we switched to the buffet instead.

coylemj

spurious wrote: »

We had booked for the main dining room each evening, but after two meals we realised it was taking close on two hours to finish dinner, so we switched to the buffet instead.

Not every cruise line offers a free buffet alternative to evening dinner. Can you say which line and ship that was please?

spurious

coylemj wrote: »

Not every cruise line offers a free buffet alternative to evening dinner. Can you say which line and ship that was please?

Yes sure. It was Royal Caribbean. The ship is out of service now. It was Splendour of the Seas. I think it is TUI Discovery now.

hdowney

Thoie. Advice please. Best way to go about booking with RCI for Christmas/New Year 2018/19???

Thoie

hdowney wrote: »

Thoie. Advice please. Best way to go about booking with RCI for Christmas/New Year 2018/19???

There's no magic bullet I'm afraid. I use Seascanner to filter down the cruises I like and check their prices, then compare them against booking directly on the RCI website.

I also check the US prices using https://www.royalcaribbean.com/?wuc=us (usually forces it to the US site, instead of letting it force you to the Irish site). IF there's a big difference I'll look at a US travel agent, but it would want to be a pretty big difference. Booking through the US you pay a much larger deposit, but it's refundable, and you can get price drops usually if the cruise comes down in price.

This has worked well for me a few times, but didn't pan out well for me this year - I ended up paying a little more than if I'd booked it later through Ireland.

The majority of the Christmas/New Year cruises are in the Caribbean - a lot of the RCI fleet leaves Europe in October/November. At the moment I'm not seeing much listed for Europe yet, but they may add some later. If you can, be ready to have your cruise decided on, then watch out from November 22nd for Thanksgiving sales.

Best of luck!