sj

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Thanks.

luci

Sorry - didn't notice at the time!

More confused now! - have seen a MSC Poesia cruise going on 5th July that does Istanbul! Have read lots of reviews on Ocean Village Two which sound pretty dreadful. Don't know what to think or which one to choose. Poesia looks beautiful. I don't want Butlins at sea,ie mad/free for all/tat! OH really likes OV active style holiday advertising. I like somewhere clean with good food and space to relax on a sunbed. Kids well adults nearly(!) want a nice pool and activities. Did an Airtours Cruise on Carousel years ago, which was ok. Would like even better now. Some questions about the above cruise ships-
1. Was impressed on our previous cruise with midnights buffets- they were spectacular, do any of the cruise ships still do them?
2. Dont mind buffet style meals- but prefer some a la carte- are these always extra now?
3. Does MSC have card or do you pay as you go?
4. Price on OV is currently 599 for one week, but some reviews say that is a lot, what should I expect to pay for this date?
5. or would it be better to pay extra for Poesia , better quality ship etc ???

Any info to help us decide would be great, thanks.

Hi SJ

We have spent the last 3 years thinking the same thing but after muc research and iffing and ahhing we have decided to go for the OV2 for the new Stay and Cruise East Med Myths and Minarets. We are staying at the Annabelle in crete for a week first.

We read loads of reviews - good and bad so dont think we are under any illusion re what we are going to find. To be honest we just wanted a good itinery re Rhodes, Ephesus, Athens etc and Crete. This is just right for us! I love the sea and was desperate to have a balcony cabin so that is why we went for the OV2 rather than Thomson. there are some good reviews on this site : http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/index.cfm so have a read.

We didnt want a really formal cruise and like the idea of being flexible and with the OV we can eat in 2 other restaurants if we want which seem quite dressy but top class but dress down if we want to. No formal nights to worry about and more of a cruise to suit alll tastes! We cant wait and just know now that we have made the right decision for us ---- just remember when you read poor reviews that everyone is different and wants something different from their cruise experience.

Happy hunting



PS We booked early and got nearly £500 off the cruise so am quite happy

Problem you have is you are fixing your dates to a few days before the 6th and to the eastern med so you will have to pay the going rate even if it is more than some think it is worth, so use others ideas as a guide and adjust accordingly for date and Itinerary. I would use 400pp for Thomsons,OV,Island, with flights.

As for the choices, Thomson and OV I would say are on a par with the old Airtours allthough a few are saying OV have lost the plot a bit so the glossy advert material may be over playing the current offering but you will have to make a judgement on that. The Emerald is an old ship with a loyal following and was the only Easern mend offering for a few years.

MSC Posia is a different option all together Italaian,new ship, so has a lot going for it but read the reviews and for other ships in the fleet to get a feel if the style will be your cup of tea.

Only 6 days on the 5th from venice you might want to consider RCI Splendour
http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=14706

There are a few cruise other options to see Istanbull so you could skip that for this trip and plan further ahead for the next one being more flexable on dates itinerary.

Thanks Presto2 and Windjammer,
I will checkout that 6 day cruise- didn't search for less than a week, but looks good. Need to check on flights too. Windjammer do you have any advice on joining cruise in venice. We have flown into Treviso before, is this suitable and easy enough to make own way to ship. We may consider adding on a night or two earlier if its not too expensive.
Thanks much appreciated
sj

never been to Venice so no idea how easy cheap transfers/stays are, soory.

There is some information on getting from Treviso Airport to Venice HERE However the information is 3 years old so I don't know if it's still current.

luci