Motegi

18 minutes ago, cruisingnewtoit said:

I can't tell from the MSC website if Sneakers bar is the only included venue. MSC doesn't say if the food trucks are included. 

 

 Actually...

39 minutes ago, cruisingnewtoit said:

Is MSC still requiring passengers to pay for the buffet while on the island?

No.  The buffet is included in the cruise fare.

You're gonna love the Seaside!

Speaking of night life we met so many people on our cruise last year on the Seaside.  

Every night was a theme party of some kind.  

There was the White Party like someone already mentioned.  

We also had the Gatsby Party, Pirate Night, Formal Night, and 70's Flower Glory Party.  We knew about them ahead of time so we dressed up for each and it was a real conversation starter with other cruisers and the cruise director staff.

Thanks for the review!

We have been on MSC twice (Seaside and Divina) and have our third coming up on the Meraviglia in December. 

Although we are Platinum on NCL we are really starting to like what MSC has to offer.    We love the design of the ships and find the cruise director staff and service staff to be excellent.    The evening performances have been outstanding too.  

Pam really enjoys the food on MSC too.

We were a little hesitant about MSC initially due to all the negative reviews here and elsewhere but we have had very positive experiences on our MSC cruises thus far.  

Just now, Caroldoll said:

I wonder if it is commercial or water made by the ship?

No, its Aquafina.  

6 minutes ago, Caroldoll said:

I just saw that you can't bring bottled water on to the ship.

If you have the Premium Plus drink package you can get still or sparkling water bottles at any bar.  

If you don't have a drink package you can order water bottles delivered to your cabin.  

3 minutes ago, Caroldoll said:

Wow, I MUST have a large size bottle of water to rinse the ship-created water out of my hair after I wash it.  I initially thought I could bring one on (short cruise) but it looks like that is a no???  I wonder if I can bring a note from my hairdresser?  

 

We are staying in the large Owners Villa--and I wonder if that will matter?

 

I also only drink ice tea??

 

I may have to cancel if I can't get this cleared up.

Ok, well if that is the case I think I would definitely order a bottled water package for your cabin.  

On 10/24/2019 at 6:47 AM, purpleally said:

Not true. You will be charged if you have regular drink package. 

Included with the upgrade to premium plus or whatever they are calling it drink package 

Thanks for clarifying.  I was actually referring to the Premium Plus.  Just forgot to type that.

Pride of America gets my vote.  It was one of the absolute best cruises we've done in the past few years.  

We had a two bedroom family suite with large balcony and let me say that the aft corner balcony was absolutely huge.  It was actually larger than the floorplan diagram on ncl.com and wrapped around the corner of the ship.  We had amazing views of each of the islands from our balcony and enjoyed early morning coffees outside with the family.    The butler service and concierge were fantastic and we really loved our daily breakfasts at Cagney's.  The daily snacks and sweets in our cabin were great touch too!   

BTW, if you decide to go with Hawaii (I hope you do!) for your excursions I would highly recommend that you check out Roberts Hawaii Shore Excursions (rhshorex.com).  They specialize in cruise excursions and have nice air conditioned motor coaches that pick you up right at port next to the cruise line sponsored buses at a fraction of the cost.  They even offer multi island bundle packages based on your itinerary and dates.  We did the 4 island package for under $250 per person.  One excursion for each of the port stops.  The money we saved on excursions for the five of us was enough to pay for the suite.

That sounds very abnormal.  Definitely must make the maitre’d aware of the situation.  
 

Nut allergy can be life threatening.

By the way I cruised with a party of 14 or more twice in the past two years and Carnival never accommodated us properly in the dining room despite multiple requests both precruise and throughout.

From my experience usually the Captain photo night is accompanied by a "Norwegian's Night Out" theme where you can dress up if you'd like.  You'll see some people in formal wear and others stay casual.  I own a couple tuxedos.  So I usually bring one.  Overkill?  Maybe, but I'm usually not the only one.

All of the cruises I've been on have had a "Glow Party" (formerly the White Hot Party) where you can dress in white or neon colors and dance the night away with the cruise director staff and some of the production cast dancers.

They may also have a 70/80's Party as well if you'd like to dress up for that.

4 hours ago, smile145 said:

 

Tonight’s theme is Tropical party for those interested.  Here is tonight’s dinner menu for those interested in MDR menus

 

Excellent!  Thanks so much again for keeping us up to date on the evening party themes!

I have another quick question for you.  Did MSC provide you with any information on what the various evening theme parties were going to be when you received your boarding passes?  Another source said that MSC sends out that information along with the cruise documents.  As far as I can remember from my two past cruises with MSC we did not receive any such information ahead of time. 

10 hours ago, Rsavtechcruise said:

Premium plus does not include the official Starbucks like on the bliss now the ships coffee shop that is another story it is included in premium plus package

We didn't have Premium Plus when we were on the Bliss but we did have it on the Sky earlier this month and were able to order drinks at the new freestanding Starbucks onboard using our package.  Some of the employees were confused as to how to properly enter it and we had to have a couple of the charges corrected at Guest Services at the end of the cruise.  But it was confirmed to us that Espresso, Cappuccino, and Lattes at Starbucks were included with the Premium Plus package.  

It depends.  

As others have said as long as the cabins are listed as connecting then you can ask the cabin steward to unlock the interior connecting door.  

However, due to fire safety regulations they are not able to unlock the balcony partition between the two outdoor spaces if you were hoping to connect the two balconies.

On our last cruise with the Premium Plus beverage package both still and sparkling water bottles were included in the package.  Also included were espressos, cappuccinos, and hot or iced lattes at the onboard Starbucks.  

Still water (not bottled or sparkling) and ice is free in the dining room, bars, and in the buffet.  

If you order a bottle of water or a Pellegrino then you will be charged appropriately unless you have a drink package.  

Although some here will say otherwise there is plenty to do in Nassau even without a guided tour or excursion.  

Here are a few of my favorites that are within walking distance from port:

1) John Watlings Rum Distillery (free tours all day long: http://www.johnwatlings.com)

2) Graycliff Chocolate Factory (tours available: https://graycliff.rezdy.com/196486/graycliff-chocolatier-factory-tour) 

3) Graycliff Cigar Company (tours available: https://graycliff.rezdy.com/197018/graycliff-cigar-company-cigar-factory-tour)

4) Graycliff Restaurant (Fine dining with a Bahamian touch: http://www.graycliff.com/dining/) - if you dine here ask for the wine cellar tour from your waiter

5) Bahama Barrels Winery (Wine blending classes offered: http://www.graycliff.com/bahama-barrels/)

6) Junkanoo Beach (http://nassau-beaches.com/index.php/about-me/junkanoo-beach/) Look for Crab and Tings fish shack and ask for the owner Ms Sue.  If you order food or drinks she will provide you loungers to spend the afternoon on the beach.  We like the whole red snapper, conch fritters, and conch salad.

7) Pirates of Nassau Museum (http://www.piratesofnassau.com) - its not the Smithsonian but it's an interesting look into the long and storied pirate history of the Caribbean.  

8 ) Pirate Republic Brewing Company (https://www.piraterepublicbahamas.com).  If you don't do the museum you can still get some pirate history on the brewery tour here.  Its offered twice a day and includes a flight of beer and a pretzel.  The tour guide is usually dressed up as a pirate and is very enthusiastic.

9) Arawak Cay / Fish Fry District (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147416-d216275-Reviews-Arawak_Cay-Nassau_New_Providence_Island_Bahamas.html). Just a short taxi ride from port this is the place to go if you want a casual sit down Bahamian lunch.  There are many restaurants to choose from, the prices are reasonable, and the portions are huge.  Its where the locals go.  I would not advise going there at night though.  

10 ) Nassau Straw Market (https://www.nassauparadiseisland.com/things-to-do/shopping/straw-market) if you're looking for souvenirs or gifts for friends and family you might check here.  There are endless stalls of vendors selling crafts, carvings, shirts, bags, etc.  FYI, never take the first price offered.  All prices here are negotiable.  We often get 40-50% discounts with little effort.  

11 ) If you're looking for high end Swiss watches, jewelry, or designer goods there are many shops on Bay Street just a couple minutes walk from the port.  You can negotiate and get a decent markdown compared to what you would pay stateside and with the added benefit of being tax and duty free.   The Omega Boutique is one of my favorite stops.  

3 hours ago, smile145 said:

Tonight the party is Country and Western.  There is also a black light silent disco.

Thanks so much for the update!

Are there many passengers dressing in the themes?

Also could you tell me what the "Space Party" entailed?

5 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Are those deep fried? I can do wings if they aren't deep fried. Also, which sauce did you try?

I assume that most restaurant buffalo wings are deep fried.  Even if they aren't battered.

We like things hot so we tried the mango habanero, medium, and diablo sauces.  

5 hours ago, smile145 said:

So far we are on night 4 of 10 so I can’t answer completely yet.  We have had 1 elegant night so far.  Tonight was Little Italy in the MDR.

 

There was a Pirate party, Space party, tonight is Thriller party and tomorrow is White party.  I will let you know about the rest of the nights.

Excellent!  Thank you so much!

Wings on the Seaside:

We enjoyed them several times.

6 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I'm struggling to imagine why someone would want anything as banal as a television set in a cabana on a Caribbean island. But sure the request for air conditioning was in jest?

We just rented a private villa a few weeks ago during our stop at Great Stirrup Cay on the NCL Sky.  We had a group of 8 in the villa which had its own bathroom, shower, refrigerator, coffee machine, A/C, sofa, dining table, snack and fruit assortment, and yes, a TV with video on demand.  A few members of our party did turn on the TV and started watching a movie.  However, I spent most of the day outside on one of the loungers or in the water on a floating mat.  

So, yes, some people do like watching movies when on a private island.  Not me personally but everyone has their own preferences.  

Well, even if the island buffet is not completed at least the ship will be docked to the pier so it should be easy to get back onboard for lunch.

Thanks for the tips!

We're looking forward to sailing onboard the Meraviglia in December.

Can you tell me what theme nights you had on your cruise?

How many formal nights?  

Was there a Flower Glory party? White Party? Pirate? Gatsby? 

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the review!

We're very excited be on in December.

Can you tell me what theme nights you had on your cruise?

How many formal nights?  

Was there a Flower Glory party? White Party? Pirate? Gatsby? 

Thanks in advance!