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Published: October 22nd 2012
You can never get to your embarkation port too early The Monterey was due to sail on the evening of September 1 so we had planned to take the London – Paris – Milan train on August 30, travel on to La Spezia on August 31 and board the ship on the morning of September 1.
We checked on August 27 and were told that the sailing date had been brought forward to 0100 on September 1 so we would need to board on August 31. No problem there. We would still arrive in time at La Spezia. We would just need to forgo the night in the hotel we had booked in La Spezia.
When we logged on in London on August 29, however, there was an email from the shipping agent announcing that the sailing had been brought forward again to 0200 on August 31 and we now needed to board on August 30. Big problem: on August 30 we would still be in Milan!
There was a mad scramble for the Seat 61 website to see what our options were. There was a train from
Milan to La Spezia which would get us there at 2330. We rang the agent in La Spezia and confirmed that this would be ok. They would arrange for a taxi to meet us at the station and take us directly to the port. TrenItalia have recently introduced ticketless travel so we were able to book a seat on the train without needing to physically have a ticket, only a booking code. Brilliant concept - every country should have it - but it was going to be a long day.
Be patient and flexible. Nothing goes to plan We arrived at La Spezia at 2330, tired and worn out after leaving London at 0530 and changing trains twice. The taxi was there to meet us and took us to the docks. We went through a cursory customs and immigration check and were left at the dock gate to wait for a mini-bus which would take us to the ship. There was no seating and no shelter. We were still standing around at 0130.
There was no-one there who spoke any English so we had difficulty finding out what the delay was.
One of the security guards took pity on Sylvia as she was becoming angry at the lack of facilities and let us sit in his car. (Sylvia told him 'she was an old lady and should'nt have to sit on the ground!!'😉 Shortly after he said he would take us to the Monterey. When we got to the wharf, we discovered that it was still in the process of docking. We were able to board about 0230 but it was closer to 0400 when we were able to collapse into bed after nearly 24 hours on the go. Probably not a big deal when you are 20 but not so easy when you are our age.
We eventually cast off about 1500 on August 31 only to anchor about a kilometre offshore while repairs were made to one of the ship's plates. At the time it seemed to be just one more delay to be tolerated but later, in the Atlantic, we were grateful the time had been spent to ensure the hull was safe. We finally sailed out of La Spezia harbour at 0600 on September 1 more than 28 hours later than we had been
told. Over the next week we learned that these delays are common and timetables are mostly fiction based on wishful thinking.
Ship facilities Obviously details of each ship will vary but I believe our ship was representative of most of them. Registered in Monrovia, Liberia, M/V “MSC Monterey” is a container ship, owned by a German company but chartered by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, Geneva. Built in Romania by Daewoo in 2010, it can carry up to 2474 containers. It is 275 metres long, 32 metres wide and 61 metres to its mast top. It is capable of 30 knots but its general service speed is 24 knots. It usually sails a circular route between Italy, Spain, Portugal and the east coast of the USA. We travelled on the sections between La Spezia and Boston. There were two other passengers, a Swiss couple, who were travelling on to New York.
There were three cabins for passengers. Each has a sitting room, a separate bedroom with a double bed and a shower/toilet. The rooms were larger that we had expected. The sitting rooms were furnished with two sofas, two lounge chairs, a
low table, TV, DVD player, radio/CD player and plenty of desk space. There was also a refrigerator. The bedrooms had wardrobes, cupboards and drawers and we were able to empty our bags and hang or store all of our clothes. The bedroom had a large window to the front and the sitting room had two windows to the front and two to the side so there was always a feeling of spaciousness and light.
As well as these personal facilities there was also a small gymnasium with weights, walking and cycling machines, a table-tennis table, a sauna and an indoor spa pool. Sadly the last two didn't get any use during our trip due to the weather. There was also a communal lounge room, which contained a library of books, DVDs and games, which could be borrowed.
Be prepared to entertain yourself Although the crew were always friendly and helpful, their job is to run the ship. Generally they do not have time to spend with passengers (though we did get invited to join in a karaoke session and a barbeque).
If the weather is conducive to it,
you can always sit out on one of the decks and read or snooze or gaze at the sea but you can only stare at the sea for so long before you realise that it doesn't change significantly from hour to hour and there is not a lot to see once you are away from land. You can visit the bridge but mostly nothing happens there except when the ship is docking (and you can't be on the bridge then) as the ship is mainly run by computers.
We both have Kindles (a wedding present from friends) which we loaded up with books before we left the UK. We borrowed loads of DVDs from the ship's library but we didn't bring any music so our cabin was very quiet for most of the day. If you want background noise other than the ship's engine, you need to bring your own.
While it may be possible to leave the ship when it is in port, this is not guaranteed. Ships may arrive in the evening and leave before dawn. We were fortunate that at both our stops – Valencia and Sines – the ship birthed
early in the morning and stayed all day so we were able to disembark.
Travel from shipside to the port gate can be dangerous. Enormous cranes and gantries are continually on the move, loading and unloading. Trucks speed back and forth delivering and removing containers. To the untrained eye it seems chaotic. If you are lucky, there will be a minibus or security van to take you to the gate. Otherwise you will need to walk. This can often be a long distance.
Cargo ports are not usually close to the centre of a town so you will need to arrange for a taxi to take you in to town. You will also need to get a taxi back. Ensure that you have directions to give the taxi driver for the return trip because many of them will not know how to get to the cargo terminal and will try to take you to the local ferry/cruise terminal instead.
Ships crew wear overalls for a reason. Freighters are working ships. Most external surfaces are either greasy, sooty or salty – sometimes all three. Don't expect to wear your best clothes
and keep them clean. Be prepared to get your clothes, hands, hair, footwear, etc., dirty at some time each day if you don't stay in your cabin. While the crew do clean down the external parts of the ship from time to time, it is not high on their list of priorities. That said, the inside of the ship was spotless and thoroughly cleaned every day. Though you are responsible for your own cabin, the steward will vacuum the floor if requested and will remove any rubbish you accumulate. He (and it is almost always a he) will also replace towels and the sheets on your bed – but only once a week unless you ask especially.
You need to be reasonably fit See the section above about shore visits.
Most freighters do not have lifts (elevators, for US readers). Ours was eleven floors from the main deck to the bridge. The dining room was on the 2
nd deck; the passenger cabins were on the 9
th deck. Assuming you only attend meals and skip morning and afternoon tea, you need to ascend and descend seven floors at least three times
a day.
There is no walkway to get on (or off) the ship. You need to climb a steep, moving ladder from the dockside to the main deck with only a flimsy and probably greasy safety line to hold on to (though there is a safety net to catch you if you fall!). If a crew member carries your bag onto the ship – or even better up to your cabin - remember to tip them lavishly as it is not part of their duties.
You don't get a choice of food While the food on board is good, choices are limited. Specialised diets are not catered for.
Generally passengers eat what the officers eat. On our ship the majority of officers were European/Scandinavian so the food was biased towards their tastes. I believe this is true of most freighters.
The crew were mostly Philippine and they had their own meals. We were able to negotiate with the cook to share some of the Philippine meals but not many.
Unless you are travelling on a predominately Indian ship, don't expect vegetarian food.
Sleep when you can As we were travelling East to West, there were constant time changes. Most days were 25 hours long and after a couple of these you start to suffer from boat-lag. Your body says you should be up and about but the clock says you still have two hours before dawn. I suspect it would be similar (but reversed) going West to East. The conflict comes because the ship's routine sticks to ship's clock, not body clock.
We found the only way to deal with it was to sleep when we felt sleepy and eat when we felt hungry, even if it meant missing out on a meal from time to time – just remenber to let the steward know.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Fascinating
Sounds like a hurry up and wait situation. Interesting they kept changing the times. Looks like you're having a grand time and the rooms are much larger than I would expect. Can't wait to hear more.