Yes, but not at there full price. Look for deals.

We didn't spend anything on the ship's excursion tours. All the ports were accessible and walkable. We usually enjoy self-guided trips using local transportation. It takes a bit of research but is worth the savings. We also make sure we are back two hours before departure.

@@thankfuljourneys Thank you so much 👍🏻

Once you arrive in the different city centers, it is straightforward to walk around. If it works for you, I suggest using the taxi service and asking to be taken to the attraction you want to see most.

MSC does not provide service from the station. I would call MSC and ask for transport options as an add-on to your trip. Good Luck.

June. I have the date and temperature at the bottom of the left corner of the video.

Thank you for the kind comment.

Super!

The cruise onboard agenda was slower, but we found something interesting to do every day. It's all about perspective. We enjoyed the pace because it allowed me to do some online work and reset. We took the cruise for the port itinerary, and it was fantastic. I agree with you that the food needs improvement. We also made some great new friends from Japan and Australia.

Yes, every port had taxis waiting, but some ports were limited, so the shuttle bus was faster. The taxi service is like any other taxi where you tell them where, and they will take you there. We didn't have any problems finding return taxis. All the ports had the address posted in the welcome tent or had return address paper written in Japanese so that you could hand it to the taxi driver when returning. I recommend always taking a picture of the port address and returning at least an hour early. One of our drivers offered to take us to the attraction and then wait for us to return us back to the port. I would always have Google Translate ready, and they appreciated that.

Have fun!

Anche io sarò lì in quella settimana 😀

Thank you! Cruising through the fjords was smooth sailing and the new ship made it look easy. YES we did see the seven sister falls and it was breathtaking. Here is our video of it. The Sister Falls are at the 7:30 mark. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHqVdKOBapeanLc

@@thankfuljourneys thank you so much for sharing the video. We are very excited and looking forward to seeing you the Fjords.

The pretzels were excellent! MSC's bakery is our favorite from all the different cruise lines we have taken.

www.epidemicsound.com/track/5D1B2UsP3g/

Many, many thanks for your reply. You did me a great favour. Now I am looking for the piano notes.

Fantastic! Enjoy your trip.

No, we didn't book any excursions with the cruise line. Alesund is easy to explore from the port. We may book an excursion the next time we go so we can venture out further. Our trip was in June of 2023.

@@thankfuljourneys Thank you. We heard from many KZbinrs that the Geirangerfjord and Naeroyfjord will be close starting 2026 so that is why we decided to do this Sept before everyone is going there next year. In Alesund, we did book the Trollstigen Tour since we can see Alesund quickly.

@@NLMusique We didn't know they may be closing the two fjords. Thanks for the info.

:)

Thanks for the comment. I will check out your content "The American Travel Guy".

Thank you 👍

You are so very welcome. Thank you for the comment.

Your welcome.

Yep!

Thanks for the insight and watching our video. Longyear Town is the world's northernmost settlement, with a population greater than 1,000.

Ouch, sorry you are having such trouble with them. We have never purchased travel insurance, but your experience makes me think we should. I did find this online. MSC Cruises Cancellation and Refund Policy Days Prior to Departure Cancellation Charge Per Guest 89 - 61 Days Deposit 60 - 46 Days 50% Penalty* 45 - 16 Days 75% Penalty* 15 - 0 Days No refund

日本が大好きです

日本が大好きです

Goed gezegd, en wij zijn het met je eens.

Danke

Have fun!

Cruise food perceptions are highly subjective. We think it is equal to NCL and not as good as Royal Caribbean.

@@thankfuljourneys I guess I will find out soon enough...July 1st for a back to back cruise around Japan....Your tips on Yokohama provided a good overview. You guys didn't take the "red bus" hop on/off bus?

@@darrellq6954 That's going to be a great trip! We don't remember the hop-on/hop-off bus option. I think we saw one in Tokyo.

I believe it is in USD. We didn't have many sea days, so we didn't spend much time in the casino. I hope you enjoy your trip! We did.

I can try to call the inside TA line for you if you like. I just need your booking number. You can email it to [email protected]. We had to call them for our arrangments and it was added to our booking by MSC.

@@thankfuljourneys Many thanks for the help but in the meantime I'm trying to sort it out with MSC Germany once the ship leaves from there

You can find the bookings on the Princess website or a travel agent. As where to stay we always just look for the best deals and use points. Hope this helpsssssssssssssss.

Thank you for your info. where did you stay b4 cruise near the Yokohama Port...... or U travel to port from Tokyo??

@@guysam3242 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKjcY4mnp6qGZtU We stayed in the Kahala Resort because we got a great deal with our credit card. It's at the beginning of the attached video link we made for Yokohama. :)

@@thankfuljourneys Thank you deeeeeeeeeeply......Yeahhhhhhh...

1:31

Our pleasure!

Yes! It was delicious, and there were many other choices that I did not show in the video.

Thanks!

With a family of 4, the ship excursions can be expensive. We have been there. We will do research on each port and start planning out the top attractions we would like to see. Start with the ship's planned excursions, mimic them, and listen to the enrichment port guide sessions while on board. We didn't have any firm plans for any of the ports; we just had an idea of what we would like to see. This may be a little scary for some, but we prefer the self-guided trips instead of following a group and tour guide. Japan has a fantastic taxi service, with large vans for bigger families waiting at each port. If the port was within walking distance of the city and there was no exciting attraction, we would save the money, walk, and explore. However, if the taxi line is too long, you may need to be flexible and take the ship's shuttle bus. You will undoubtedly save by doing this, but make sure you return at least two hours before the ship's departure time. I always confirm the departure time just before leaving the ship to ensure there aren't any changes. I also take a picture of the port address so I can show it to the taxi driver to get back. They sometimes have maps and a return card address with this information at the port welcome team. Have fun. You are going to love it!

Yes, there are tables for two. If you are assigned to sit with a large group, find the maître d before dinner and request a table for two. The best time to do this is on the first day and around two hours before the early dinner in your assigned dining area. They may need a day to make the arrangements but should be able to accommodate you. Remember, there may be a lot of other people doing the same thing. Always buddy up to the maître d and remember their names. Hope this helps.

Thank you

Thank you George! It was great talking to you about your cruise journeys. I hope to see you again.

Our Divina food video can be found here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHvMZ6GFaq-XfJY This video was taken on a Transatlantic trip, so it wasn't full (the way we like it). I also like to video early mornings when fewer people are around.

Wir hoffen, dass Sie Ihre bevorstehende MSC-Kreuzfahrt genießen. Wir sind mit vielen Linien unterwegs gewesen und hatten noch nie ein Problem mit MSC.

We reserved our shuttle by calling MSC Cruises. USA (877) 665-4655 - UK 0203 426 3010. Provide your booking number and ask them to add the shuttle service. Hope this helps. :)

thank you , we just added after seeing your advice , very helpful information feel lackey to find your video explaining this process and availability of the service, again thank you very much

Thank you! Yes, we found reaching the same attractions as the cruise's excursions affordable and accessible. We knew what we wanted to see and usually took a taxi unless the line was long or the taxis were unavailable. The Taxi service was excellent, and they loved sharing information about the area. This was primarily done with Google Translate on our phones. The ship will sometimes have a shuttle service that will take you to the downtown area and provide times to return throughout the day. The cost was $20 per person; they will charge it to your room bill. We always plan to return to the ship at least two hours before the debarkation time they set just to be safe.

@thankfuljourneys Brilliant thank you for getting back to me :)

Thank you for the question. We didn’t use any ship excursions. It is very easy to get around to the top attractions from the ports with a little research. We used taxi’s, buses and the ships shuttles depending on situation.

Iceland is next on our list! We made videos on the Preziosa, and it's a fantastic ship. We also made a transfer video sharing our port transportation experience. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWO8nGN_ibqHjtEsi=RhSjtzhhvg28pToG Enjoy your trip!

Hi, I think I have answered your question in another post but this video may help with getting onboard. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWO8nGN_ibqHjtE

Welcome aboard!