Cruises and the sea are my weakness and for me it is the best kind of travelling and a big part of my past life. Cruises are a delight and have been so all the previous four times. But on the fifth time, I had mixed feelings – the delight was diluted by some sad observations and here’s the thing…
The cruise was the second week of our trip to Dubai. So I decided to save money on the cruise – I took an inside cabin. My daughter’s watery eyes cost me a lot when we entered the wrong door of the wrong cabin (c).
I tried to exchange our cabin for a cabin with a window or a balcony on shore, but it was not possible according to the booking rules. And on board the liner, requests to rebrand a stateroom for the next fortnight were not accepted at all. There were not even enough vacancies for the crew and artists. This shows that the liner was loaded with tourists under the strain, and this is … almost 6000 people.
True, by the end of the second day we have already got used to the cabin, but the first impression was blurred…
It is desirable that the cabin had a balcony or at least a window – otherwise the overall impression of the cruise may suffer. This, of course, is not a rule for everyone, and there are probably fans of inside cabins, if such cabins are offered even in the AURIU category.
The second thing – on the most musical modern liner I did not have enough MUSIC!
In my opinion, cruises on the new big ships (six-thousand-dollar ships) nowadays have become more like a cool project to siphon money out of tourists than a romantic voyage, as it was in pre-Christian times.
There is no romance. There is no former beauty (c), as G. Vitsin’s character said in the film ….. “No way!”
Starting with the Meraviglia class ships, the commercial areas and the number of bars, restaurants, shops, boutiques, etc. have been significantly increased. But this is done at the expense of reducing theatre areas, dance areas, music cafes, etc.
Yes, the bars and restaurants are cosy and beautiful and very conducive to pleasant conversation, but there is little music in them – single musicians do not make the weather. Besides, all the activities in them start late in the evening…
Eating and drinking became the main activity on the ship. For this purpose, special and rather expensive drinks packages like All Inclusive were introduced and inexpensive wine packages were abolished. For families or passengers sharing a cabin, packages must be purchased for each member of the family (passenger) separately, including children.
Once you have bought this package, you have to “pay it back”, and this is quite a complicated business and not all tourists have enough health)))
It is good that these packages are not mandatory for booking, but what if MSC cruises also become Turkey?
The price will rise significantly and cruises from MSC will become unaffordable for the masses, as they already were years ago in an era when cruises were considered an expensive elite holiday.
Maybe I’m getting old, but is food and booze the main thing we love cruises for?
By the way, there’s not the slightest complaint about the food and drink.
The main hangout on the ship is the Gallery Virtuosa with a promenade over 100 metres long and an LED dome. This is where most of the bars, paid restaurants, shops are located and where musical performances and some protocol events take place, such as introductions to the ship’s crew and the Captain’s buffet for Club Members.
In my opinion, it’s not the best place – uncomfortable and standing room only, very little space and a huge number of people. But there is no other place on ships of this class. The theatre room can accommodate a smaller part of all passengers.
The heart of the ship ATRIUM is also very small, so there is only enough space for a lone guitarist and a few of his listeners. There are no acoustics at all, as there is a reception, bars etc nearby and it’s very noisy. I can imagine how difficult it is for musicians to perform in such a venue.
A nice place and the main bar on the ship is the Virtuosa Bar where bands perform and there is an area for dancing, but again there is not enough space and no acoustics.The
Open Bar aft ORIZONT with a DJ unfortunately has one major drawback – all your light coloured clothes, hands and face can be stained with cinders from the smoke from the ship’s pipes. After one such party I had to wash my favourite jumper – by the way, it came off easily.
Theatre (LE GRAND THÉÂTRE)- two concerts a day for 35 minutes. Each day a new performance – very professional, beautiful costumes, dancers top notch. Basically, it is typical for all cruises Broadway musicals, traditionally songs by ABBA, etc.
Book seats on TV from your cabin and there will be no problems.
The deafening “mo-lodtsy” at the end of the final performance on the ship, I think the artists will remember for a long time.
There was a lot of people everywhere, especially in the first few days of the cruise – in the restaurant, on the promenade, in the theatre, at the pool. Then it got easier. The categories of tourists are different and I think all races were represented.
