No minibars on Melody! (despite what we'd read somewhere). Don't know about other ships.

alit - loads of vegan opitions and you can adapt what there is. Wheat is very difficult to avoid but I managed ok. If you take small cartons of soya milk rather than the litre ones, you could put them in the ice bucket on a daily basis or otherwise I think the kitchen would look after them for you.

DJ's - not many on show on Melody - smart dark jacket, tie (or bow tie), seemed main choice. Meeting the Captain is in a different room to dining room on Melody, so if you want to give that a miss (it's just for a photo with him and then sitting down in groups with a glass of ??champagne??) you can just go to your dinner as usual. We went and had about 4 glasses plus 2 or 3 martinis so it's probably worth making the effort! Most of the ladies wore evening/cocktail dresses and it was nice to get dressed up.

Every day you get a program of daily activities and it tells you dress for the day. We had 2 gala (not many got really dressed up quite as much 2nd time round), a couple of casual nights and the others were just smart - I can't remember how that was described, but some people went casual all the time.

hi all,
i imagine if louis line have been reading all our threads they will be jumping with joy that they did not have us all on their boat at once,what a lucky escape for them....but oh boy would it have been fun
kate

Thanks Allisu - didnt think id find much vegan food, will be taking the mini soya milks as easier to fit in case! Am ok with wheat, just have to avoid eggs big time and keep any dairy low - a pain when your veggie allready!

Alison

Hi folks I'm back from my Malaysian wanderings and am glad to report that still have head intact after Borneo. Due to lack of time (straight back to work) and in the interests of my sanity I haven't scrolled back over the umpteen pages that I've missed, only the last few. So where is phil m???? Last post seems to have been around the time the white coated people were descending on him!! Craig- I know how you feel 'cos it still looks like I'm a loner on Sept 3rd Opera.....but others report meeting up with DE cruisers who unfortunately haven't had the "benefit" of being an HT lunatic so I'm sure we won't be entirely on our own. Off to bed now as am trying to re-adjust my body clock (in my case Big Ben) after staying awake as long as my "clocked off" body will stand.
Nite nite, juro xx

There were 3 of us from HT and least 14 other DE cruisers - some 'lurkers' who had gleaned info from site to help them get their £10 cruises. They were aware of us by our user names.

If the ratio is similar on all the cruises there should be at least 5, even if you are the only one on here! They are quite easy to spot at the airport!

Hi Juro, maybe we will bump into each other on the gangway. You clinging onto the Opera by your fingernails and me chomping at the bit to get on board!

From all the reports so far there seem to be plenty of other Daily Express / Rise cruisers onboard and all sat together, so it may be a good idea just to accept where you are sat for the first night at least.

Phil pops up occasionally, but seems to be posting mostly on his own roll call recently. I think he, like us all, is missing Magsy, who is away her cruise. Were you away when he had has his argument with the tie-up ring next to the canal? I am not sure if the problem was not enough ding dong or too much Hope the leg is improving Phil.

Quick message for JeanM and Steve,

having looked at the strike website it appears that there are only two unions involved in the strike on the 18thJuly and they are not the big ones. I wouldn't do anything yet as it may be that, even if it is not revoked (keep watching the strike website for a 'revocato' date), it probably doesn't affect too many of the staff and all should be well.

A Nazionale ENAV (air traffic control) strike is a different matter, but there are none on your dates.

Hi Allisu,
so glad you had a fabulous cruise. I'm sorry if I paniked you into changing flights by posting about ours (don't know if it was necessary or not) but am really glad you and the others have had a great holiday

Hilary

PS Hi Craig, how's it going in the East?

Hi everyone

To answer the question about the jacket yes you will need one for at least 2 nights. These are wednesday and saturday which are the real dressy nights the rest of the time smart casual will do. we noticed that the Italians in particular seemed to be in casual (smart or otherwise) all the time for meals.

You will be asked which dinner sitting you would like 7 or 9pm and they will try to put you with other Brits or at least English speaking passengers

When deciding which sitting you would prefer, there 2 things to consider, 1 is that if you have been ashore on a trip it could be a bit of a rush getting ready for the early sitting but on the other hand (2) the second sitting means that you will be in there until 10.30pm.
The evening entertainment in Club Universe is repeated to allow for both sittings so you will not miss out on the shows, but it can be rather late to be eating if you do not stay up late.

Regarding the mini bar, this is not quite what you think
there is no fridge in you cabins, full of drink you will find that they will leave 2 large bottles of mineral water (2.20euro each) and a list of what you can order via room service and the prices . and there are no safety deposit boxes in the cabins either, they are in a seperate location near reception so you have to go there each time you want to access them and there can be quite a queue .

Top tip, you can buy drink in the duty free shop (only open when not in port) and keep that in your cabin or even bring drink onboard following a trip ashore . and you have an ice bucket which is refilled every day, and you can just ring down for more when you need it.

katie15

Thanks Hilary for the info,

It's good to hear that the unions involved are only small. Have to admit that I know nothing about Italian unions. I had thought that perhaps all Alitalia staff ( except pilots ) belonged to the same union. Incidentally, the Alitalia pilots are also scheduled to strike on 15th July.

I shall keep watching the strike web site and keep hoping. If it is Alitalia's policy not to confirm with Rise about the strike until Saturday 16th July it gives them very little time to sort out alternative flights as we should be setting off to Heathrow the next evening.

Thanks again for your help

Jean

Hi,
Could anyone post the dates of the expected strikes of air traffic control for Venice . All I can find are the ones around Milan .I just dont want to turn up at the Airport and find there isn't a plane going. I'm not the brightest of lights when it comes to the internet.
ta
ann

Hi Ann

I cant see anything on the web site for 3rd July anywhere - so hopefully you will be ok

Jean

Re-mini bar

I had an inside cabin on Premier Deck and the Mini Bar was a piece of paper on which I could tick items if I wanted them in the cabin. None of us in the inside cabins had a refrigerator.

I have some photos but do not know how to load them on to the site. I even photographed the bathroom showing the shower next to the toilet.

Did anyone have a waiter called Luigi? He gave those on his tables a glass of wine the last night - hoping for a tip no doubt!

You sound as if you had a really good time, Allisu. I can't remember if you have been on a cruise before. Although my usual cruise travel is the same as Myles, I would not mind travelling on "The Melody" again. It was a lovely clean ship which was well-furnished. However, without single cabind, I think it would be expensive.

Fortunately, I had no worries about air strikes as I travelled BA with the paying customers as did another DE couple.

Maureen H

Maureen H

Hi Craig, good to hear I'm not alone on this cruise. Like you I was looking forward to a good get together, but I think it is probably to Louis's advantage that we didn't!
At least there are a few others going with me in October. I'm sure you will meet up with some others.
Thanks for all the style advice. I don't like dressing up so I think a dark suit will do.

Tripoli tomorrow! When i was reading up about Libya beforehand, with trepidation at first, i read a nice story about how friendly the people are. One man said that when he was a child during the, ahem, disagreements with the US and the UK, he was told that if he was naughty Maggie Thatcher would come and get him. Needless to say he was a very well behaved child from then on!

Good Evening from the Balcony Cruise

Sorry not to have posted for a bit.

I decided to take a few days up with the relatiions, in Derbyshire, anyone going up there take a kyack and a big 'pac a mac' (do they still do them) my sou wester came in handy,

Ye Gods did it rain, whilst in the wilds, did my duty and went to see Antie in Machester, (check on will etc..) (for a dreadful moment I thought they had diverted the railway line on to the Manchester Ship Canel, water water everywhere). She even had a pond in her window box.
In Piccadilly Gardens the old WW2 mine now used as a collection box was floating off, it seemed.

It makes one realsie how fourtunate we are in the South West, arrived home this lunch time to glorious sunshine - bit overcaset at the moment -but at least the rain is not coming down like stair-rods.

Caste is off and is staying off, ribs still hurt, when I have to reach for my wallet.

Sprain on right wrist also means picking wallet out of inside pocket is difficult as well. :rofl

To get back on topic (what a change that will be) Bye the way I never did get any extra points before :bow

Why bother about air port strikes etc.. after what we've all be through the Ities had better watch out if they try any of that on the Oct 10th I'll hit they with a Petition to the Europian Court on Human Rights. I dont care for pasta anyway It is good to read of the fantastic times people have had, never mind the odd thing going wrong, even the QE had problems, look at the holistic holiday, FANTASTIC is what is coming out from 99.9% of reports.

I do wish loading the pictures could be made easier, I have yet to find any of them, perhaps it is the drying out process, (still on Antibodies) Mind you I did have a pint of Hydes whilst I was in M/cr.

Keep up the sprites and keep the reports coming in, after all some of us have yet to go and some have yet to even be offered a cruise, so please do'nt drop off the site once you have had your bit of fun share and keep sharing it if for nothing else to keep all out sprites up (noticed how often that word keeps croping up, must be the bells in me.

Byeeeeee for now

Phil Morris

Hi everyone, as we are booked on the Lirica on this coming sat. and still have no tickets, I rang our friendly agents. It seems someone forgot, and MSC are to send them by special delivery tomorrow. I do hope so, since we are leaving for the airport friday evening!
Rosie

Mine were very late too but I am sure you will have a fantastic cruise. Just ask if there's anything you would like to know about the Lirica.

Rosie et al

It seems someone forgot, and MSC are to send them by special delivery tomorrow. I do hope so, since we are leaving for the airport friday evening!

how on earth can that happen, computers, card index system, snail mail.

I have everything crossed for you to receive those tickets, they were doing so well.

dizzy

Good afternoon form the Balcony
(Slight drizzle today off Costa du Netham - with Bath in a haze)

Good Luck Rosie I trust that the tickets turned up, :pele :pele

Just read of someone ordering MINT tea at 2am (so Shocked carn't remember who it was) you'd get on well with my number 1 (thank the Lord, she'd never heard of it), Roobiosh and vanilla was bad enough, just had to take a taxi over to Stalag the Avenue, to rescue my hoover - the cheese plant still looks a wee of colour. :pele it could have been me

Number 1 did not like the idea of me giving her a leaflet from Index (which are closing down in Bristol) the leaflet showed that there are 35% off vacume cleaners Hint Hint. A hint lost on her, a rino has thick skin, so I'm told nowt like my lot.

byeee for mow (mint tea, I just can not get over it)
Byeeee for now

Phil Morris