Does anybody know if the TV has a picture of the front of the ship on it so I could at least see what the weather is like outside?

I was doing the document dance yesterday and am in a Cat 06 inside 2 low berth superior on Continental Deck.

Re exclursions; I was thinking of doing the open topped bus tour (on my own). Malta I reckon is safe enough to wander around. Tunis - I don't fancy doing anything by myself but would appreciate a tour recommendation. We dock very late in Ibiza 7pm so doubt if I'd do anything that night - No Manumission or Pacha for me. Does anyone recommend an island tour the following day? St Tropez again I think is safe enough for me to wander around on my own - what do you think?

I'm so excited ..... I just can't hide it ...... I know, I know, I know

Hi Lesley,

Tunis - I don't fancy doing anything by myself

Despite what you may hear from people trying to sell you excursions, you will be perfectly safe in Tunis, although you will get a certain degree of hassle/good natured banter from people trying to sell you things and you may find this a nuisance. Sidi Bou Said is very pretty and has some lovely views. You can visit a house/museum with a collection of wedding dresses. There used to be a lovely cafe 'La Aetite Svede' at 12 Avenue 7 Novembre which I think is still there, run by a Swedish lady who is married to a Tunisian - any type of tea you fancy with gorgeous cakes and pastries. Carthage is basically an historical site which may appeal to you but is not everyone's cup of tea. Both the ship's excursions include Sidi, so the choice is yours - shopping or archaelogy.

Can anybody tell me if the Melody has camomile tea onboard? I hope so otherwise I'll have to drag my own teabags with me.

Re Lesleyfb's query on teabags - the Armonia had a good choice of Twinings bags, including Camomile, vanilla and honey, Red fruits, Peach, Earl Grey, Orange Pekoe, English Breakfast, Prince of Wales (smokey) and some other minty/herby ones.

Did anyone notice if the Melody offered the same choice as the Armonia?

hi everyone,only just caugh up with last few pages ,for some reason i didnt get notification.
have a great time all happy people gpoing 3 and 4 july ,like evrey one else i would loveto be doing it again!!!!!!!
dont get despondant all you people waiting in the wings,we are all rooting for you to get your cruises so hang in there.
sun shining, no rain!! i hope its dry tomorrow as there is an openair concert at my local pub,if i cant have a cruise what is better than good
c
,nice music and a picnic!!!!!!!cheers all ,carol

bad typing missed out good wine good company,if you lived in herts wyou could join us !!!!!!!!!!!!carol

lesleyfb

There was a collection of tea bags to choose from on the Melody.

johnfrum

Keep trying the DE using the number on the back. Like others on the site that is how I got my cruise. On the ship, I met non HT members cruising with the DE and they had to telephone the paper several times.

Glad to see we reached the £2000.

Have fun those cruising next week. I have just heard the forecast for the weather here - rain Monday... rain Tuesday then who knows?

Somebody mentioned going ashore in Malta. Walk to the bus station and you can buy a ticket that allows you to get on and off the bus where you wish. I bought some very cheap cigarettes for a friend in the Malta Duty Free.

Maureen H.

Hi everyone,

Some of you may remember I am one of the many still awaiting the cruise. those of you who have alrerady had you cruise or who are booked should consider yourselves lucky. I was on the verge of booking a cruise having found a random person to share with me, which at the time I was told was what was preventing me going on the cruise but yesterday I received this letter from the Express.....

"I am aware that you have been trying to contact us recently and I apologise for not replying sooner.

I am pleased to inform you that Express Newspapers is taking over direct control of the situation from MKM / Rise travel, and we are working hard to find a way to satisfy all readers who legitimately qualified for the £10 cruise promotion.

Owing to severe storms last year, and hence a vast reduction in availability of the type of cabin capacity as specified in the promotion, the cruise operators are, in some cases, now quoting the latter part of 2006 or later as a time they can provide capacity to us.

I will be arranging for an Express Newspapers representative to contact you shortly. You will still be offered a £10 cruise, but this may entail a considerable wait for availability. Alternatives will also be offered to you and these may include a cash amount, other holidays or long haul flights.

In the meantime I request that you continue to be patient with us whilst we finalise our plans.

Once again, and on behalf of Express Newspapers, I do apologise for any inconvenience or distress caused. What happened was beyond our control, but we are determined to keep faith with our readers."

It would appear that they have concerns about the legitimacy of some of the applications and that they are definately managing our expectations in terms of the long wait the rest of us are going to have to get our cruises!

Hi Janet M.,

That is very interesting, thanks.

So DE are taking over control of this situation............at least that means an acceptance of resposibility and not the `distancing` we were half expecting with MKM/Rise being the scapegoats.

As it is very unlikely that the DE group would `roll over`financially, that gives everyone a much higher chance of getting their cruise.......eventually.

A little worrying that the old chestnut about `storms` is still being rattled around............does anyone still believe that? Not me!

Also, unless all major cruise ships are refitted to include more single cabins, then there will be the same availability of `suitable` accommodation as there was before.

Let`s hope someone gets real and at least starts offering the option to share or wait, or just charters a whole ship (or so!) to clear the backlog.

(Maybe a very nice Orange one from the new budget cruise line??!!)

Anyway, overall it seems a positive development to me.

Hi Janet,
Well what a turn up! I must say it is looking very hopeful for you although actual cruise dates may be longer away than anticipated! Try not to mind too much because it really will be worth waiting for - I am sure you have seen the evidence of that in the reviews and posts of those who have already cruised.

It is great too that the Express are now shouldering the mantle of responsibility and we can but hope that they are more easily available when people need to speak to them. One of the things that caused a great amount of frustration was the fact that no one could allay their fears by actually speaking to anyone, having been continually fobbed off with unkept promises - let us hope that this changes forthwith.

Whatever happens, there will still be a lot of support from the rest of us!

Here's hoping for a speedy resolution for everyone and thanks for sharing that Janet!

Good luck to one and all!

I too am pleased that the Express has now taken control. I am, however, a little concerned to see :

Alternatives will also be offered to you and these may include a cash amount, other holidays or long haul flights.

A lot would depend on how much the cash amount would be and do the 'other holidays' or 'long haul flights' have expensive restrictions such as 'buy one get one free'. Although this would obviously suit some people, others enjoy travelling solo, which was one of the advantages of the original offer.

It is good though to hear that things may be moving in the right direction, as no-one appears to have been offered a cruise by R***.

Thanks for posting that, Janet, interesting.

Hope others still waiting will let us know their progress - even though those of us who have been/are going on our cruises are full of excitement, we're all still rooting for you still waiting. It WILL happen for you, though it may still be some time.

At last I've posted my Armonia review, with as much detail as I remember. I think a lot of details are the same across the MSC fleet. Now for working out how to do the photos!

Enjoyed your review Cardiff Girl, and Allisu's addendum and Bangormaine's review of Melody. Keep em coming folks!

Interesting news from the Express. Thanks for sharing it with us Janet. As Tony and Magsy says it is looking up for those still waiting. At least things are moving now, which is a big improvement over the last few months. I wish all those waiting the best of luck in getting a cruise to suit them.

Now I wonder if i should contact the Express about the New York short break that the Express/Rise/MKM owe me?

Craig,

Get stuck in mate!

What have you to lose...........the more hassle these people get to deliver what they promise, the better. Maybe they will advertise `offers` more accurately in the future if everyone kept at them instead of giving up.

They appear to play the waiting game and let the natural `drop-out`rate solve half the problem for them, knowing that many people will not want to make a fuss.

Very `English` not to cause a fuss, but we are not dealing with people well versed in the game of Cricket!!

Hi Janet, received the same letter myself today. I must say I am pleased that DE is taking over from Rise as I got absolutely no where with them even though my mother was one of the first to be offered a cruise at the start of this saga. Fingers well and truly crossed that DE delivers

I just wondered if anyone who has already been on the Melody was in cat 5 inside cabin on Bahamas Deck. I have received my tickets for the 10th July but have not been upgraded

Of course, I'm thankful I have a cruise to go on but I just wondered what the cabin is like, is it noisy, small, basic etc or am I going to get a pleasant surprise and it's really rather nice

Can anyone tell me

Hi everyone. Thanks for replies to my previous (that sounds like a convict, doesn't it?!)

Very interested to hear about your letter from DE, Janet. My summary and letter are ready and will be in the post tomarrow. At least it sounds better than the replies I had from R and MKM. Perhaps they have a way of seeing our details now - last time I spoke to them they said they didnt have any. Look forward to getting my letter!

Good luck to all you pending cruisers. and I still hope to be one myself probably next year!

Ramada,

I have received my tickets for the 10th July but have not been upgraded

If you have, you will need to join us in St Tropez, 'cos we aint getting back to Genoa until 11th July. :rofl

Don't worry about the cabins, I haven't been upgraded either but I'm sure they will be absolutely fine.

Have a good cruise - we'll make sure we leave everything tidy for you.

Ramada - have already sent you pm. Aslemma if you haven't seen pic of your cabin have a look at this - before refurbishment I think as the rooms are nicer (mine had all wood finish) but no mini fridge.

http://cruises.hotwire.com/c/stateroom.asp?lineid=71&vessel=498&itineraryID=&startdate=&enddate=