Hello Dogleap

Thanks a lot for your helpful reply. It is such an amazing deal I am sure I will enjoy myself!

What good news Cruiser - I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. Let's hope there will be more cruises given out soon. Keep up the pressure folks.

to all those still waiting
don't give up, once you get there it's fantastic. I enjoyed every minute of my cruise on the melody :D. to be home, I want to go again. vivien

I will post a report and photos (529 taken) when I get back on Monday.

Phil,

How are you going to get all of those photo's on the HT website - you'll use up all of the space

If you want to put them on my site I'll set up a new album dedicated to your pictures if you want to send them to me (just use the link on my site) as i still have plenty of room available and won't charge you for the honour!!!!!

Brilliant news Cruiser and Lilly I had almost forgotten the possibility of actually getting a cruise but now I am quite excited again. A cruise in January or February would be wonderful. What did you do to actually swing it Do tell Carol R

Hi Carol,
There was no secret, I just wrote to the DE and asked them to confirm I was one of the people on the list and told them how disappointed I was having to wait so long, that was about 3 months ago. I thought I was never going to get a cruise, but I've had to eat my words now. To everyone else waiting write, phone, e-mail they obviously have the situation under some sort of control. I've got my fingers crossed for all those waiting.
Lilly

Thanks Lilly I did the same about two months ago and got the standard letter, "sorry please be patient we are dealing with it". I will certainly start battle once more, have a fabulous cruise and let us know all about it when you get back. Carol R

I feel like it`s the moment when the liitle Dutch boy decides to take his finger out of the Dyke and the cracks start to appear in the dam wall!!

OMG! Are we about to get a full-blown flood of cruise allocations???

(By the way, happy 200th page birthday to this topic!!)

Carol,

I didn't do anything special, though I had been ringing MKM and the DE frequently during the early summer.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Thomson's have, apparently, allocated cruises to 100 of us so far.

Cruiser

good morning cruisers
will write a review soon but still a bit bemused by it all, hav'nt come back to earth yet. flue jab today will see to that. vivien.

Hi All,
its been a while since i posted but never fear annj's not far from here!!!!!
Glad all of the latest cruisers had a good time. As I was on the Armonia I cant really compare the melody itinery although it sounds good.
Its really brilliant to hear that the cruises are being allocated again. I did write to watchdog myself a couple of weeks ago to ask if we had been forgotten and if so for them to unforget us and get on with it so to speak
Perhaps it worked, one will never know.
Why has the cruise company changed again? Does anyone know? Has anyone got a South American or Caribbean cruise yet.Please keep us all informed.
annj

Hi, Annj,

It's not that the cruise company has changed: if you recall the original ad it listed several operators.

A couple of other points:

When I did the original research on MKM I signed up to a company that checks company managements: I've just had an e-mail that MKM has had yet another change (loss?) of director. Soon only the nice owner will be left!

Also, early in the year I gave a link to an expose of the Express £10 fiasco in a mag. called Incentives Today. They've just done another one. When the online version of the mag comes out, I'll give another link.

Keep smilin'

Cruiser

Hi All Well what can I say have returned from what was one of the best holiday in years all thanks to Rise DE Vivien Phill and (Jean Bill & Joan non members of HT ) We also met Rumrat occasionalyand had a chat. The cruise was as good as others had reported no problems with checking in or out. The animation team were very good and worked hard to entertain us nearly all day. Enjoyed the shows including the Spanish Dancer he was good and so macho (in my opinion).Also liked the baldy singer when he sang all the old well known Italian songs (and he had a nice smile). Agree with Phill the bingo was a ripoff at E10 for one game which was difficult to follow with all the different languages we only played once. We only managed to bag 4 glasses of champagne on gala night despite Vivien being 2nd in the queue and saving me a place.

If I ever see another offer like this again I will definatly save the coupons but dont expect it will ever be repeated. I just count myself as one of the lucky ones and thank Luci and all the members of this thread for their encouragment and support Regards Chris

Hi all,

I went crusing on 3 Oct and had a great time! Hi to all onboard! Only getting round to doing some posting now as I was visiting my brother after and then came back to work and annual reviews - yuk!

So, loads of stuff to write up and tell everyone, I have a master plan of a web page, but have been too busy to start one, but hopefully I'll get time this weekend. I have managed though to pop my photos online if anyone would like a peek. I'm not the best photographer though, so please don't be expecting too much! Oh hold on, just realised I haven't got the Tunis ones up yet - doh! Will pop them up tomorrow lunchtime. In work, but not during it of course. I have far too many things to do, like those annual reviews - yuk yuk yuk! Can't complain really as the guys who work for me are fantastic but I just want to be getting on with other things. Yes indeed, I'm sure everyone is fascinated with the facts about teachers who were on a certain grade in NI between certain dated and how these fact inpact on pensions in the future.... or something!

Anyway, yeah, here's the line to the (start!) of my photos. Enjoy!

http://alison-mcaleese.fotopic.net/

Alison.

Hello! It's me again!

I knew there was another reason for posting tonight!

Firstly an appology, I haven't had a chance to catch up with the last few weeks postings, so sorry if I miss anything or go over some old ground.

So my friend in work was saying that she had had "issues" with getting a cruise sorted. She and her husband both sent off for the offer and the short version is nothing was sorted before I went on my cruise and nothing looked to be sorted in the near future. She said that that last thing she heard was that they'd be in touch with her husband but that they couldn't find any record of her and her vouchers.

So her husband had been doing the phoning up about it all. He's a nice guy, very nice about things, but didn't seem to be getting very far with sorting it all out.

So my friend got onto it and she takes no prisoners! While I was away she contact them and threatened legal action, and within the space of a week she had a cruise booked round the Canaries! She said it was stopping in Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Medeira (sorry, can't spell!) and a few other places and they're going in December this year.

So what I'm trying to say to everyone is to keep on trying and you will get a cruise! I know I enjoyed mine and I hope that everyone gets a chance to go on one and enjoy theirs!

Alison.

Hi all,

Sorry, just noticed another flaw in the photos... Naples and Pompeii are missing! Will sort tomorrow when I stop being so blonde!

Alison.

Anyone have any more info on this as I've tried letters and e-mails to the DE but have had no response from them.

Thanks

Good Evening from the Balcony

Ye Gods, has the coven been at it, whats happened to the site I've only been gone 4 days - I've cleaned my glasses 3 times. (As Chris and Vivien will vouch - I do need them, and some times cannot find them - thats why I have 10 pairs in a three room flat (well 5 counting the Bathroom and Balcony)

Just got back from Dublin DO NOT on any account anyone stay at the Parliament Hotel on Lord Edward street, order a large pot of tea from room service and you get 6 tea bags - I joke not. 3 small McCaffies get you 3 coffees the only items missing were Basil and Manwel. :rofl :rofl Will look for a sit eon Hotles and will post a full report there, after the fantastic cruise report of course

Hi All
The site went like this last year. Hope you all have your sound turned up too. (if your not seeing anything different, log out and you will!).

ROMERO (JOAN AND BILL) have posted a very small review in the review section http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/cruise-reviews/msc-cruises/msc-melody/
That was your cruise wasn't it, Phil?
Think they were just saying Hello.

Good to see your photos Alison, I now have more faces to put with the names.

Peter