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Most cruises there is a designated smoking area and that's it. Next, I heard about the Europeans being rude but that is a understatement, the people are the rudest and the most disrespectful I have ever seen in my life. Back to the ship, the food is horrible and closed whenever you are hungry, no juice, pay for water, no coffee at diner, 5 coffee machines in buffet and 1milk dispeser. All there is to eat is hamburgs, hotdogs, fries and pizza till 7 pm or you pay for it Again like mentioned before buffet consisted of same food everyday at everyplace, food in dining room has no taste and very hard to eat.
The waiter we had was great along with our room cleaners but after that, many employees had same arrogant European attitude. Also hot tubs are cold even in cold weather and pool is always closed when you want to use it. All pools and tubs closed at 6pm, now that makes sense.
Trust me it is unbelievable. Completely agree with the last post. Cheap price, good destinations Venice, Ancona, Corfu, Santorini, Athens, Argostoli, Kotor , prices on board cheaper than others, prices of excursions cheaper than others, entertainment did feature some interesting "circus"like performers, pizza and ice cream was good. Tied for first place: Time in Port was 5 hours at the most and that does not include boarding and travel time to destination, so really you ended up with hours realistically.
When MSC used tender boats, it takes forever, such a waste of time, as you already don't have much time in port, I havent experienced this on other cruises with tenders probably because they are in port much longer. Food was so horrible in the dining room,tasted like frozen microwave dinners, that we ended up eating pizza every day at the buffet- pizza was good, but that was it!
Buffet selection was basically the same everyday. Some times we stared at the mystery meat and said "What IS that?? Other ships had sushi, italian, steakhouse, etc etc. We thought with this ship being Italian, it would be great food, what a horrible disappointment! The buffet was yucky hamburgers, fries, hot dogs, boiled vegetables, no flavour , and I do not like salty food, so it was not a lack of salt, it was a lack of flavor.
Hours of buffet and other food services were very restrictive, only open for 2 hours, other cruiselines have much longer hours, so you are never hungry. They dont give you free water in the dining room, you have to go get it by the pool. Other cruises usually offer at least water, ice tea, coffee, milk, and lemonade for free. Service was just average, compared to the amazing service on the other above mentioned cruise lines. Maintenance was poor - our room had no soap dispenser in our shower and the handsoap dispenser did not work, not to mention broken tiles on the floor in the shower.
Cleanliness was not great: Tables never looked really clean. Entertainment was a joke, it was so bad, my husband and I went for the comedy of it and chuckled the whole way through. The singers were actually off key! The entertainment did have a circus portion to it that was good, as mentioned above under PROS. Costumes were very amateur. Literature on board seemed like they just did a google translation and didnt have an actual English speaking person edit it, Im sure it was the same in other languages as the German speaking people at our table also complained.
We are non-smokers and have never been bothered by smoke on other cruises, we were bothered numerous times on the pool deck and while seated at tables outside that people were smoking everywhere. I assume the other cruiselines had more specific smoking areas, so another warning if smoke bothers you.
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My husband and I could not stop laughing- what a way to end the cruise! I'm sorry where and when was to daisydoo. Is MSC the only cruise line you have been on as all the others are significantly better. I agree the food may be what the euros like but it was tasteless, service was not anything close to other lines and overall it is just a cheap cruise.
Again spend the extra money if you have it and take Princess, Carnival or Royal and you will not be disappointed. Lastly, yes I did read cruise critic and seen alot of poor comments about MSC, but my cheapness overwhelmed logic and I went anyways to see if it was as bad as all the comments said. Looking back now, I did see alot of interesting ports so, lesson well learned. I booked a MSC cruise and will be going in afew days.
My brother and I with wifes had booked two cabins next to each other and now we are apart. We booked this 6 months ago and at the time of the booking I guess they gave us two cabins that also have couches that open up for additional sleeping arrangments.
I guess a family of 3 or 4 booked after us and MSC gave them our cabins. But if you have mobility issues, it could be a concern. Another concern is seasickness. Finally, consider the itinerary. Taking a northbound trip to Alaska? Outside cabins on the starboard right side, sell out more quickly because they offer coastline views. A veranda can be lovely, letting you soak in the scenery from your room. And with all the distractions on board, cruisers spend most of their time in the public areas. And on some cruise lines, smoking is allowed on balconies. New layouts can sleep an extended family in larger suites and adjoining rooms.
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And berths have adapted to the digital age, with technological upgrades such as bedside USB ports, flat-screen TVs with on-demand movies and more electric outlets. Whatever you choose, expect snug quarters. Unless you spring for a suite, your room will probably measure just a few hundred square feet, including bathroom. But there's more space than you might think: Cabins are cleverly designed with built-in cabinets, closets and under-the-bed stowage. Elizabeth Newcamp of the Dutch Dutch Goose travel blog even suggests bringing magnetic hooks, which will affix to metal walls.
A room where you feel comfortable will help you enjoy your vacation at sea. It is free though a tip is welcomed and convenient, though. Selection is very basic and very middle-American: The selection in the buffet is much better and the food better prepared. Special orders are limited, but if you want something simple that is not on the menu, but is made with components used in items that are on the menu, such as grilled cheese sandwich, plain salad without dressing, plain steak steak sandwich without the roll or just an order of french fries, they will usually make that for you on request.
Room service breakfast in the regular staterooms is a very basic Continental offering of various baked goods, cereal, milk, hot drinks and juice. We do sometimes use room service to get coffee delivered in the morning. Guests in concierge staterooms and suites can order dinner from the rotation restaurants during regular dinner hours. Ask your concierge staff for a menu. Concierge level guests can order hot breakfasts in their suites and staterooms during the cruise.
Many common beverages including sodas are available free most of the time, but there are situations where you could be charged for them. Here are the basic rules:. Bottled water on the ship is expensive. Consider packing a small carry-on suitcase with just bottled water. If you are staying on concierge level on the Dream or Fantasy, bottled water is provided in the lounge without cost. Spirits rum, vodka, whiskey, etc. Disney allows each adult to bring up to two ml bottles of wine or six 12 oz beers onboard at embarkation and at each port visited.
Bottles must be sealed and they must be in your carry-on luggage. They do screen for those items.
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If they find disallowed items, the items will be confiscated and given back at the end of the cruise. Regular American-style coffee on Disney ships is unfortunately not great. If the machine is out of calibration, it can be really weak or very strong. You might also consider bringing Starbucks Via packets if you like them.
In our experience the Via is much better than the reconstituted stuff. There is no real cream or half-and-half. In the full-service restaurants they do offer cream or milk on request. On the pool deck they have the same stuff from the soda machines, but you can make your own iced tea by brewing fresh hot tea and adding ice and water, and that is much better. Add water to taste. All espresso drinks cost extra, generally about the same price as on land.
If you are a regular consumer of espresso drinks, be sure to get a coffee card. Each time you buy a latte, cappucino, etc. Your sixth beverage is FREE! There are, however, two programs that could save you some money albeit with a few caveats. The basic idea is that you pre-pay for a certain number of bottles of wine, which you can enjoy at any of the sit-down restaurants.
The wines are all from a set list, which changes from time to time, and usually includes about white wines and red wines. There are two tiers, with the more expensive one including fancier bottles of wine. The wines on the list change regularly, but we think the choices are all pretty good, with a few real winners on each list.
Disney pushes these packages aggressively: We went to the trouble a few years ago to price out all the wines on the list and compare to the average cost per bottle from the packages. However, the packages typically have only selections that sell for more than the average price, and selections that sell for less than the average price.
To come out ahead, you have to consistently order from the few bottles that are higher priced. When you get it filled at any bar or restaurant , you get 21 ounces for the price of a 16 ounce draft beer. At the end of the cruise, just stop by any bar to get a nice clean mug to take home. However, if you like the idea of having a Disney Cruise Line souvenir beer mug, and the price seems reasonable, then the extra beer is basically FREE. Make sure to tell your spouse that when you buy it.
Breakfast is served on the day of disembarkation. It will be a much smaller buffet selection than during the cruise: Regular guests do not have access to room service on disembarkation morning. Concierge level guests can order a standard Continental breakfast from room service on disembarkation morning. Most kids find the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab, intended for ages , to be the best part of a Disney cruise. There is a lot to do, with great hands-on organized activities going on all the time. Signing in and out is a relatively easy process considering what needs to be done to protect the children.
However, you may have to wait in line either to drop them off or pick them up. Plan at least 5 minutes for the pick up or drop off process. If your children are 8 years old or older, they can be given the ability to sign themselves in and out on their own. Check the Navigator to see if your children will be out of the Club or Lab at the time you want to sign them out — for instance, they could be up on the deck playing basketball. Using your Navigator to plan will save you a wasted trip. Also, when the kids are moving from one location to another, they will not allow you to sign them in or out, so there can be a minute window where you have to wait.
They will take the kids off the ship to special play areas for supervised games and activities throughout the day. If you do this, be sure to bring your Wave Phone with you. It will work on the beach. But if you want your kids to join you for some time on the island, make sure you know their schedule of activities. They eat lunch fairly early, and are taken back to the ship before the beach closes. Vibe is the teen club for ages If your child is in the overlapping range of two clubs, they can get access to both, but they will have to register for both.
Disney will sometimes be slightly flexible about the age groups for these clubs, and will sometimes allow a child that is a little younger than the target age into the older teen club if they have space in the club your child wants to attend, especially if they have a friend or sibling in the older club. The Disney Cruise offers many opportunities to meet characters.
You will see most of the popular characters at some point or another on the Disney Cruise.
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Most greeting times are published in the Navigator, but if you want to get every photo opportunity, there is a phone number you can call that has a recording of the schedule. Thanks to Sarah B and Rachel P for info. The cruise is a great opportunity to get pictures of your daughter dressed as Belle with the real Belle herself, without her having to wear the costume all day.
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The list below is mostly based on reader suggestions. But some of these are good ideas for specific needs. If you want to swim or ride the AquaDuck, for example, you will need all your swim stuff. Some people like to use a rolling carry-on, but we prefer a small duffel. You can also pack a small backpack for everyone to spread out the load.
During the day and most evenings on the Disney Cruise Line, you can wear casual clothing. Most women wear a skirt, dress, nice pants or dressy capris. Disney requests no swimwear, tank tops or shorts at dinner, but in practice, chino-type shorts are generally fine, and dressier tank tops will usually be acceptable.
People who show up to the main dining rooms in swimsuits are almost always asked to change. Once you are at sea, we strongly advise you to either turn off your phone, or turn off international roaming and data roaming. It is a very expensive form of international roaming and the ship must be 8 to 10 miles out to sea before you can access it. If your phone is set to auto-update, you could end up on the hook for a large data charge because it decided to download a MB game update or something.
Definitely turn off your cellular data, or set it to not use cellular data when roaming. Cell phones will work while in most ports if you have turned on international roaming. You might need to arrange with your provider for that feature to be turned on in advance, but most providers have it set up by default. Check with your provider for special international roaming packages, which may save you money if you plan to make significant numbers of phone calls or send a lot of texts.
If you have a smartphone, international data roaming can cost you a fortune. Just checking emails on your phone can rack up a big bill. Again, there are international data plans you can buy that may save you money, or you can turn off cellular data and just use Wi-Fi where available.
You can add more transfer packages over the course of the cruise, and they all add together. Note that the 50MB is per person, not per stateroom, so each person can sign up for service and get the free 50MB. On a recent cruise, our iPad used up almost MB of transfer downloading updates to games and apps in the background before we realized what was using up our transfer allocation and turned off updates. In addition, log out of the wifi every time you get up from your computer, and turn off the wifi on your phone, tablet, computer, etc. Spa treatments are very popular and fill up early, so book them as early as you can.
The lockers allow you to set your own combination for secure storage of your personal items. You can change into your robe in the open locker room or in one of the toilet cubicles. Basic toiletries, disposable combs, etc. On the Dream and Fantasy, there is a dry sauna in the locker room that you can enjoy after your treatment for no additional charge.
If you are considering a Cabana Massage on Castaway Cay, here are a few things to consider first:. You can purchase a day pass or a longer pass for the length of your cruise. A limited number of passes are sold on each sailing. They will hold your room key while you are in the Rainforest.
You then proceed to the locker room, where you can choose a locker that contains a clean pair of spa sandals. A swimsuit must be worn since both genders share the Rainforest.