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*~ Cruising (travel by Waterways) megathread ~*
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Hey there Caveman and Thoie,
Just wondering if you would have any tips for a first time cruiser??
I am sure you know the tricks of the trade with having so many cruises completed
Heading on a Med Cruise in June 2018 with MSC on the Seaview with a fantastica balcony/ drinks package (Not really sure what fantastica will give us we had no choice but to upgrade)
3 girls celebrating our 30ths!
Any tips would be appreciated!
Also does anybody know do I need to pay more to use the wifi??
Hard to know where to start with tips
Get familiar with the layout of the ship before you go - they're bigger than you think. The Shipmate app is handy on your phone, but a google for ship name deck plans will find them for you. It's handy to know "if I'm going from my cabin to the dining room, do I turn left or right out the door" and things like that.
Research the ports you're calling at - take a look at the excursions the ship is offering to get an idea of the kind of thing on offer in the area, and decide if you're more interested in archaeology, town tours, adventure stuff, beach days. Staying on board the ship some day is perfectly valid too! If you're interested in spa treatments, they're often discounted on port days when most people are off the ship.
Room service should be free with the Fantastica package, but it's customary to tip the waiter a few euro.
Keep an eye out for beach towel clips before you go - they can spring up very cheaply in weird places, and are very handy. It can be breezy on the pool deck when the ship is underway, and the clips are handy for keeping your towel in place. I also use them to attach my clean wet togs to the deck chair on the balcony to help dry them off
Pack some post-its and pens for leaving notes for each other, or else agree set meet up times. Unless you all pay for wifi, you often won't be able to text/call each other at sea, and it's easy to keep losing each other.
The cabin walls are magnetic. I collect magnets as souvenirs from each port, and use them during the cruise to hang things like necklaces from, or stick excursion tickets where I'll see them.
There's usually room under the beds to store your suitcase to get them out of the way after you've unpacked.
Wash your hands all the time - for longer and more frequently than you'd think necessary
There'll be a muster drill before you set sail. This involves gathering at a designated spot, listening to a safety message and demo of life jackets etc, and how to recognise emergency signals. Like the ones on planes it's a bit dull, but necessary. Don't be the drunk people who turn up late and make everyone else at your assembly point wait for you. They will remember, and they will hate you for it.0 -
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Hard to know where to start with tips
Get familiar with the layout of the ship before you go - they're bigger than you think. The Shipmate app is handy on your phone, but a google for ship name deck plans will find them for you. It's handy to know "if I'm going from my cabin to the dining room, do I turn left or right out the door" and things like that.
Research the ports you're calling at - take a look at the excursions the ship is offering to get an idea of the kind of thing on offer in the area, and decide if you're more interested in archaeology, town tours, adventure stuff, beach days. Staying on board the ship some day is perfectly valid too! If you're interested in spa treatments, they're often discounted on port days when most people are off the ship.
Room service should be free with the Fantastica package, but it's customary to tip the waiter a few euro.
Keep an eye out for beach towel clips before you go - they can spring up very cheaply in weird places, and are very handy. It can be breezy on the pool deck when the ship is underway, and the clips are handy for keeping your towel in place. I also use them to attach my clean wet togs to the deck chair on the balcony to help dry them off
Pack some post-its and pens for leaving notes for each other, or else agree set meet up times. Unless you all pay for wifi, you often won't be able to text/call each other at sea, and it's easy to keep losing each other.
The cabin walls are magnetic. I collect magnets as souvenirs from each port, and use them during the cruise to hang things like necklaces from, or stick excursion tickets where I'll see them.
There's usually room under the beds to store your suitcase to get them out of the way after you've unpacked.
Wash your hands all the time - for longer and more frequently than you'd think necessary
There'll be a muster drill before you set sail. This involves gathering at a designated spot, listening to a safety message and demo of life jackets etc, and how to recognise emergency signals. Like the ones on planes it's a bit dull, but necessary. Don't be the drunk people who turn up late and make everyone else at your assembly point wait for you. They will remember, and they will hate you for it.
Many thanks Thoie and The cave man!
I'm sure I will have more questions as the cruise draws nearer! 0 -
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Organise your own trips in each port. The boat-organised trips are crazy expensive.
If they give you a time to be back, be back 30 minutes beforehand. They WILL leave without you if you are late. It's not an idle threat.
When considering drinks packages, do your sums. Some of them you would need to be putting away a good lot to make them economical.
thank you
have you example of how much more expensive the trips are?
drinks package will suit me - id put away alot on holidays
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We've done a few cruises, although never with Royal Caribbean, but have heard good reports. We found celebrity, princess, azamara and Windstar very good. Norwegian fine but wouldn't rush back. I've heard a lot of negative comments about MSC.
We would never book shore excursions through the cruise company unless it was something that is impossible to organise yourself. Recently we wanted to go hiking, paid $5 for the local bus and $5 in to the park, then $20 for a taxi back to the port. I imagine this would in excess of $75 per person if booked through the cruise company. We've hired bikes locally for $20 each when the cruise company were selling cycling tours for $100...
Check out cruisecritic.com for loads of good gen- the forum section is very useful.
yes im told msc is lower end stuff which explain price diff
some of the boats pictured look like tug boats
will check that out thanks0 -
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yes im told msc is lower end stuff which explain price diff
some of the boats pictured look like tug boats
I have been on two MSC cruises and one with Royal Caribbean. I'd love to know which MSC boats you think look like tug boats. There was very little to choose between them but if I had to choose, I would go with MSC because (1) less Americans on board and (2) drinks on RC cruise were more expensive.
We did a Baltic cruise with RC, they had no draught beer at all on the first and last nights. I'd be wary of people giving secondhand advice, I found MSC to be excellent, I'd definitely go with them next time in preference to RC.0 -
I have been on two MSC cruises and one with Royal Caribbean. I'd love to know which MSC boats you think look like tug boats. There was very little to choose between them but if I had to choose, I would go with MSC because (1) less Americans on board and (2) drinks on RC cruise were more expensive.
We did a Baltic cruise with RC, they had no draught beer at all on the first and last nights. I'd be wary of people giving secondhand advice, I found MSC to be excellent, I'd definitely go with them next time in preference to RC.
note i said some - not all
lack of a certain beer wont make or break my holiday
technically this is all also second hand advice but im looking for opinions so il take the rough with the smooth 0 -
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technically this is all also second hand advice but im looking for opinions so il take the rough with the smooth
People like me and the previous poster are not giving you secondhand advice, we have been on MSC cruises and your statement claiming that they are 'lower end stuff' is completely wrong.0 -
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People like me and the previous poster are not giving you secondhand advice, we have been on MSC cruises and your statement claiming that they are 'lower end stuff' is completely wrong.
other people who were also on these trips told me this which you called secondhand advice
no need to get so worked up over it
cheer up 0 -
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I did a RC med cruise in 2014. Didn’t think I would like it but it was brilliant.
Got a window room with balcony. It was spectacular.
Didn’t get a drinks package. My wife was pregenant so I didn’t go mad. Got a soft drink package which was worth it.
The boat goes 24/7 but what you get varies at the time of day.
Main dinner was great. My wife didn’t really like the starters so used to order to mains!
There was nice dine on board too.
fair play to her going pregnant !
dont think mine would
hope to get that room also
i love boats so always wanted to do this!
is the food all free aswell?0 -
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We did a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Venice on the old Splendour of the Seas. We travelled in October and visited the Eastern Med. We got the non-alcoholic /soft drinks and specialist coffees package which we felt was worth it. We really would not have drunk enough alcohol to justify the full drinks package for each of us.
We organised all our own land trips, using the suggestions and hints on cruisecritic. Many of the passengers were older than us, but there were also young families and newly weds. We had a great time. Hoping to do a Western Med one from Barcelona in the next couple of years.
great all positive reviews so far 0 -
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