If you’re toying with the idea of booking onto the MSC Northern Pearls cruise, or perhaps you’ve just hit the go button. Then let me just say; you have a seriously fabulous time ahead of you!
We recently set sail from Southampton in the UK, onboard MSC’s newest cruise ship; the Euribia. Where the Northern Pearls journey gave us a short-but-sweet glimpse of four different countries. Including Germany, Belgium, France and what turned out to be our favourite; The Netherlands.
So if you’re wondering what the MSC Northern Pearls cruise entails. Or if you’re intrigued about the North Sea crossing, and what to do at the various port of calls. Plus how to get into the cities from the cruise terminals, and lots of other tips. Then read on!
In this article...
Is the North Sea rough for cruising?
Crossing the North Sea in December was certainly memorable. Thankfully the Euribia (and captain) did a grand job at stabilising this enormous floating hotel, as it sliced its way through the powerful waves. Leaving behind it a calm trail of frothy white ripples. You did still feel some swaying at times, but it wasn’t scary or anything traumatic like a choppy ferry crossing. Or worse yet, those mental North Sea fishing boat videos that pop up on social media!
Neither of us have great sea legs, so this was the ultimate stomach strength test for us! Luckily, we never once felt queasy and the rocking didn’t ruin our holiday in the slightest. If anything, it added extra fun to our trip. Watching one another trying to walk in a straight line was highly entertaining!
Crossing the North Sea during the summer months will probably give you a calmer cruising journey. I’m not saying it will be a millpond, but I doubt the waves will match what we experienced in the height of winter. Especially as we had storm Gerrit on the scene.
You’d also be able to use the outdoor pools in the summer. Not only because it wont be Baltic outside, but also because the pools wont be sloshing from side to side, like some sort of malfunctioning wave machine.
We did take these sea sickness tablets when things got extra rocky. Not because we started to feel sick, but more for a security blanket!
How the Northern Pearls cruise works
The MSC Northern Pearls cruise works a little bit like a bus. What I mean by that is; not all passengers embark on the same day, in one particular country.
At each port-of-call, you’ll see some passengers disembarking with all their luggage as the final stop on their holiday. Whilst eager new arrivals will be rushing onboard, all happy and excited to begin their cruise.
This regular switch around means you’ll likely gain multiple new neighbours throughout the course of your time onboard. I guess it’s a true flip of a coin whether this will be a positive or negative thing. For some, it could be an absolute God-send. But for the passengers who’s quiet, no-fuss neighbours get switched out for a noisy bunch… not so fun.
Lots of new arrivals = extra muster drills
Another thing about multiple new arrivals at each port, means extra muster drills!
Muster drills are carried out on cruise ships as a mandatory safety protocol. They are there to familiarise all guests (and crew members) where their muster point is. Then, in the very unlikely event of an emergency, everyone knows where they need to go. Hopefully resulting in a little less chaos and panic.
You’ll find your muster point printed on your cruise card (ours was M), and once onboard you’ll hear an announcement telling all new arrivals to go to their designated muster area. Once you’ve attended, a member of staff will scan your cruise card and you’ll be free to leave. You’re also required to watch a safety video that will be playing on the TV in your cabin. Covering basic instructions of what to do in an emergency, like how to put on a life jacket. Once you’ve done all this, you wont need to do it again.
It’s the law that muster drills are done for all passengers. So because of the bus like system on the Northern Pearls cruise, you’ll hear the drill multiple times throughout your time onboard. Things can get super busy and crowded whilst this is underway, as all the new arrivals are making it to their destination. But these little peaks in busyness are short lived and it swiftly returns to normal again.
Where do you get your shuttle pass with MSC?
You don’t need to prebook or do anything to request these. The MSC shuttle passes (along with an important timings leaflet) will get hand delivered by your cabin steward the evening before you’re due to disembark. They will either be left in your room somewhere, or be tucked into the front of your cabin door.
You can chose whether you want to use them or not, and you’ll only be charged if you redeem it. So don’t panic if you have zero intentions of using them on your Northern Pearls cruise. Just pop it in the recycling bin found inside your cabin if you don’t wish to make use of it.
However, if you do want to use your shuttle pass. You just need to sign it and hand it over to the staff running the coaches outside of the ship. They will tear away part of the ticket for their records, whilst you keep hold of the other part as your return ticket.
The cost of the shuttle varies from port to port, but it will be clearly displayed on the front of the ticket. All charges for the shuttle tickets get added on to your cruise card/account and will be settled at the end of your holiday.
Should you use the MSC shuttle or get a taxi?
Which is the better option, the shuttle service or grabbing an Uber or taxi? Well, this will largely depend on how many people are in your party.
As we were here as a couple, taxi’s worked out far more expensive for the two of us. Yet, if you’re here as a family or perhaps with a group of friends. Then you could find splitting the taxi fare works out cheaper per person, than buying a shuttle pass.
If you download the Uber app on your phone, you’ll be able to have a quick nosey to help decide what will work out cheaper before you head off the ship.
Ports of call for The Northern Pearls cruise
Now you know a bit more about how The Northern Pearls cruise works, and what to expect onboard. Let’s take a look at how to get from the cruise terminals into the heart of the cities, because some are easier than others! Plus lets dive into all the best things to do whilst you’re in each city.
How to get from the Hamburg cruise terminal to city centre
For this stop we opted to use the MSC shuttle service. Mainly because it was freezing cold and super windy outside. Plus the hazy sky was full of that horrible misty rain. The type that never fails to get you way more soaked than you think it will.
There are multiple terminals at Hamburg, but we docked at Steinwerder. Where the shuttle coach picked us up right outside the ship, and dropped us off by Binnenalster lake. A journey which only took about 20 minutes.
Alternatively there is a lovely walk you can do to get into Hamburg, which takes just under 1.5 hours each way. The route takes you through Elbtunnel, a 426 meter long tunnel that was originally built to provide a more direct route for the dock workers to reach the Southern banks of the Elbe river. This impressive tunnel takes you 24 meter below the rivers surface, and is well lit up to avoid feeling too creepy! Had we been here in the spring/summer we would have 100% done this walk.
Best things to do in Hamburg
Sadly our Hamburg expedition was a bit of a wasted stop when it comes to site seeing, as 90% of it was closed. It was still nice to take a walk around the manmade Binnenalster lake and admire all the pretty architecture that they have here. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say the cities empty streets catapulted us right back to those eerie Covid lockdown days!
All the research we did prior to our trip had informed us that pretty much everything would be closed, and they weren’t wrong. Due to the law here, nearly all of Hamburg closes on a Sunday. So you might want to check a calendar and see what day your arrival date falls on.
There was a pretty shopping mall we could walk around, which helped us escape from the rain for a little while. All the shops inside were closed though, so I’m not entirely sure why it was open to walk through.
We had a double whammy on our arrival date. Not only was it a Sunday, it was Christmas Eve too! Which also means everything closes.
Hamburg is a popular place for its traditional German Christmas markets, but sadly they were all closed off with their shutters pulled down. Had we got here a day earlier, it would have been jam packed with people full of holiday spirt. It’s easy to picture how these wooden Christmas market stalls would have been magical in the lead up to Christmas. Sadly our dates just didn’t align this time.
The good thing is we turned up equipped with this knowledge, so we weren’t left disappointed. Unlike some others on our coach, who spent the entire journey back to the ship complaining.
How to get from the Rotterdam cruise terminal to the city centre
So don’t follow in our footsteps for this port of call! Do not, I repeat DO NOT buy the shuttle ticket for Rotterdam. Save yourself some euros, and buy a stroopwafel with the money instead. As It is literally a super easy 10/15 minute walk max!
Clearly I didn’t do enough research when it comes to Rotterdam. I wasn’t aware of just how simple it is to walk from the cruise terminal into the centre of Rotterdam. Some things I read said it took over half an hour, which is certainly doesn’t!
Which meant we ended up paying for the shuttle ticket, only to use it one way. As we just walked back to the boat when we had finished our busy day of exploring.
All you need to do is leave Rotterdam cruise port, then cross the beautiful Erasmus Bridge and continue walking straight until you spot the Markthal. It’s about a 2.4km walk.
Easy-peasy!
Alternately, if walking isn’t an option for you. The shuttle takes 5-10 minutes and drops you off near to the Markthal and iconic yellow cube houses.
Ultimate things to do in Rotterdam
We both loved Rotterdam, and we’re so glad that we chose to stay and explore Rotterdam rather than catch a train to Amsterdam. An option thats very tempting for many who disembark here, as Amsterdam is only a 1 hour train ride away. But we figured we’re likely to do Amsterdam as a separate weekend getaway.
Rotterdam is super vibrant and quirky, with interesting architecture absolutely everywhere. We found the city was clean, affordable, and the friendly locals were so welcoming.
There is so much to do in this artistic modern city, from taking a thrilling ride on the Euromast, to finding the hilariously bad Santa statue. We even took a boat ride over to the village of Kinderdijk to see all the traditional wooden windmills. To learn more about all the fun stuff we got upto here, take a read of my article: 10 best thing to do in Rotterdam.
How to get from Zeebruges cruise terminal to Bruges city centre
Be aware that for the Bruges day, you actually park up at a cruise terminal in ZeeBruges. Which is a fair distance from the inland medieval city of Bruges. We’re talking the best part of 20km away, roughly a 3.5 hour walk.
Because of the distance from the cruise terminal, we opted to play it safe and use the MSC shuttle ticket. Being first-time cruisers (and a smidge naive) we just assumed that it would take us right into Bruges like the Hamburg and Rotterdam shuttles had done on our previous stops.
Well. It doesn’t.
What actually happens is the shuttle takes you along the coast, for a 15 minute ride to a town called Blankenberge. From there, its down to you to organise catching a train into Bruges. Luckily our coach dropped us off 5 minutes before the train was due to depart, so we hot-footed to Blankenberge train station before the queue built up.
The train to bruges only ran once every hour (when we visited in December) so we needed to be near the start of the queue to buy a ticket and catch it on time. Otherwise we would have had to waste an hour in Blankenberge, and it didn’t look like there was all that much happening there.
Tickets were dirt cheap, nothing like getting a train in the UK! We’re talking under 10 Euros each for a first class return ticket!
Remember to factor in your return train time, so that you don’t miss the last shuttle back to the port.
If you don’t want to use the shuttle, just outside the port there is a tram you can catch which also takes you to Blankenberge for you to catch the train.
What are the best things to do in Bruges?
Strolling around Bruges is like stepping inside a real life fairy-tale. There’s medieval buildings and old cobbled streets absolutely everywhere in this compact city.
Because of the train situation you’ll want to get off the ship early doors to pack the absolute most into your time here. Obviously there’s the unlimited Belgium chocolate shops that line the streets, pretty canals to explore, plus the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
For a detailed list of the best things to do, and the best things to eat in this olde worlde city; here’s my list of 12 best things to do in Bruges.
Be aware that it gets ridiculously busy here, especially during the afternoon! Another reason to drag yourself out of bed early for this port of call.
Is it easy to get from Le Havre cruise terminal to the city centre?
You can see the city of Le Havre from the cruise ship, so walking over is an option – but I have to say, it’s not the prettiest of walking routes! Had we of visited during the summer then we would have strolled in anyway, and soaked up the summer rays along the half and hour walk.
Even though we had a sunny Decembers day, it was deceptively cold. So we opted to use the MSC shuttle which only took about 5 minutes and it dropped us off between the Town Hall and Le Volcan.
If you do want to walk your way in to Le Havre, this is the route you’ll need to take.
What are the best things to do in Le Havre?
Le Havre was our least favourite port of call on The Northern Pearl cruise. MSC actually class this stop as Paris, but thats a 3 hour coach drive away on a good run. So we avoided that option, and stuck with exploring Le Havre.
Sadly this grey concrete city just isn’t overly pretty, and it’s not at all what you imagine when you picture France.
However, we still managed to have a nice afternoon exploring the sites of Le Havre. We had fun spinning around on the ferris wheel, caught a ride on the funicular to the upper part of the city and admired the shipping containers that you can spot from the boat! For more ideas on things to do in Le Havre, check out my detailed guide on 11 best things to do in Le Havre.
Is the MSC Euribia cruise ship nice?
You can do the Northern Pearls cruise on a few of MSC’s ships, like the Virtuosa or the Euribia. We were onboard their newest and most environmentally advanced ship, the beautiful and stylish Euribia.
The Euribia is absolutely ginormous, and you feel the size of an ant when you’re stood beside it! This 19 deck mega ship has the length of over 3 football pitches, and comes with an impressive Mediterranean themed gallery area, and the longest LED dome at sea.
With 5 swimming pools, waterslides, a sportsplex and games area. There is plenty of things to keep children, teenagers and adults entertained.
If you want to learn more about the cruise ship itself, check out my Euribia cruise ship review where I cover the cabins, food, entertainment and so much more!
Enjoy your Northern Pearls cruise
We thoroughly enjoyed our Northern Pearls cruise and our time onboard the Euribia. It was such an easy, fun and stress-free way to explore four different countries in a short amount of time. I hope this article has helped you to plan your time on the Northern Pearls route, and given you some fun ideas of things to do whilst you’re away.
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