Threedrones

14 hours ago, Jessieasanders said:

We are going on our first MSC mid Feb. 3 nights out of Miami.  

Any tips for us?

 

I can’t find any firm answers on dress codes.  We’ve always cruised Norwegian, so we are used to things being pretty laid back.  What was your experience with the dress code?

 

With such a short cruise, we want to enjoy the ship as much as possible.  What time did you show up at Port of Miami?  What time were rooms available?

 

Any recommendations for Freeport? We’ve never been.  We will be perfectly happy to find a bar near the water, or a beach to lay on.  Either one is right up our alley!

 

thanks for any info you can give!

The dress code is very laid back. If you dress the same as on NCL, you might even be over dressed. We arrived at the port around 11:00 and were on board just before 12:00. Boarding went smoothly...but mostly depends on how long for the previous cruise to debark. Rooms are supposed to be available at 2:00, but we were able to get in about 1:00. We sat on the balcony while the steward put in final touches. As stated, we didn’t venture far from port in Freeport. There is a Senor Frogs right off the ship with a few other bars in walking distance.

As for tips, what you find on the food trucks on Ocean Cay is also at the buffet. However, the food trucks are less crowded with plenty of seating. On board, try the Sports Bar. It only serves food at dinner, but it is a great change of pace. Typical bar food...wings, fish and chips, onion rings, mozzarella sticks etc. they don’t push this venue too much to keep the crowd down. The food is included in your cruise price. The only draw back for us is that the sport covered was cricket, which we knew nothing about (lol)

Freeport seemed in pretty good shape, but we really didn’t go inland. Just walked around the port area. We had been there a few times so decided to take advantage of a somewhat empty ship. You’ll love Ocean Cay.

An interesting experience. Much is different from other lines and much the same  Thanks to postings on Cruisecritics, we were prepared for most things, but surprised by others. The claims of poor service were generally accurate, but with many exceptions. The tales of long waits at dinner were spot on. Even knowing in advance, we were not prepared for the length of the meal. Food is always a matter of taste, so no need to address that point. But food not being hot is not subjective. This problem was consistent throughout the cruise.  A first for us, our cabin steward was rarely seen. We were lucky if the room was attended to before 4:00. There were, however, many pleasant surprises. The private island, Ocean Cay, is the best we’ve been on. Beautiful beaches, very walkable ( though a tram runs continuously), food trucks available as well as the buffet. The Sports Bar provided a great alternative to the main dining room. The ship itself is very well kept up, though poorly laid out. Embarkation and debarkation were pretty typical for Miami. Many offerings for kids. At the prices on MSC, we might bring the grand kids in the future, but can’t see us returning on our own. Feel free to ask any questions.

13 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

The problem is that there is NO WAY to distinguish one from the other.  A person has only to say, “this is my service animal” and case closed. 

Airlines and cruise lines are allowed to ask what task the animal performs, so the case is not closed. Costa, for example, only allows guide dogs for the blind. P&O doesn’t allow for any reason.

On 9/16/2019 at 6:35 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

And there is no certification or paperwork to prove what these dogs do or do not do; so owners can claim anything, and cruise-lines, airports, hotels etc. can do nothing about it. 

While true that service dogs do not require certification, it is not true that nothing can be done about it. A business CAN require documentation when the animal is for emotional support. The documentation is not on the animal, but on the person claiming the need for the animal.

Branch out. Personally, we don’t think Disney is the best line for kids, and the wife and I are Disney fanatics. Granted, our Disney Cruise was just after Disney entered the cruise industry, but our kids, both boys, were much happier on the RCCL and NCL cruises.

We also use AA to return to Cleveland after cruises. And yes, they do seem to change flight times more than others. However, we have never had a problem moving flights at no cost. In fact, we often get better direct flights than we would normally not pay extra for. They are very easy to work with.

32 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

It’s literally the second line of the clause....deviate from....lodging...

 

6. CANCELLATION, DEVIATION OR SUBSTITUTION BY CARRIER:
a. Carrier may for any reason at any time and without prior notice, cancel, advance, postpone or deviate from any scheduled sailing, port of call, destination, lodging or any activity on or off the Vessel, or substitute another vessel or
Page 3 of 13

 

Thank you. I didn’t see the word “lodging”. Mea culpa

4 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

A guaranteed cabin is no different than any other cabin.  They have the right to move you. 

Again, where is this in item 6?

On 5/22/2019 at 9:05 PM, Ourusualbeach said:

They can.  Read the cruise ticket contract item 6.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/cruise-ticket-contract.pdf

 

It doesn’t mean that it’s right or that they shouldn’t offer better compensation but they are absolutely within their legal right.

Just curious. I have read item 6 twice and still don’t see how it even remotely can be used in this case. Please be more specific. Where in item 6 is a guaranteed cabin discussed?

I have found that the on board offerings are matched by any reputable TA. They are not exclusive to bookings made on board. The only real advantage is the lower deposit, which is not actually a savings. I have also found the lowest price on board to be higher than that offered by TA’s.

I’m also a pop addict. The great thing about Celebrity is they give you your soda in cans. Take some back to your cabin and enjoy.

Definitely reserve early. We waited until 3 weeks out and they were already unavailable.

We did a modified b2b in October. We cruised RC and on our return to Miami walked over to Celebrity Equinox. This gave us a great opportunity to compare while everything was still fresh in our minds. The service and cleanliness of Celebrity far exceeded that of RC. The Windjammer on RC was clean the first day, but hardly touched afterward.  Celebrity constantly was vacuuming and cleaning. Food was better in the buffet on Celebrity but not too different in main dining room. More to do on RC as far as activities. For us, the non smoking casino was a big plus (Celeb). As we are both pop (soda} drinkers, we purchased the soda deals. Celeb is a big winner there, too, because they serve in cans. I agree that the lack of footstools diminishes the balcony setting. Advantage RC.   Overall, we prefer Celebrity, but are already booked on both this year (2019).

we are hoping to do a sunrise tour our second day in Maui off Celebrity Solstice. Do the tenders operate all night. We need to meet up at 2:30 am.

We have the same type of offering on our Southern Caribbean in October. We are considering it hoping that the upgraded transportation and more limited capacity is real and not a gimmick. We never did enjoy the squeezing in of as many as possible no matter the (un)comfort level.

Thanks, everyone. Tremendous help from cruisecritics, as usual.

Thanks, Biker. Just curious, though. If she booked the second guest as TBD, would she then have to pay tax and fees ($200) for the non existent person. Same question on gratuities.

My SIL asked to join us on a Canada cruise next year. She enjoys a balcony cabin and knew she would be paying double. What shocked me when researching the cruise was that a single cruiser is actually paying more than the combined fare for two cruisers. Has anyone else come across this strange pricing?

Lifeboats

Personally, I much prefer Celebrity giving cans of Coke rather than lugging around the RCCL cup when I want a soft drink.

There are pros and cons for both using a TA and for booking direct. We have done both. For a first time cruiser, I think a TA is a good move. After 3 or 4 cruises, however, you’ll probably find you know as much about cruising as a TA. The advantage then is controlling your cruise. If you have a TA, the cruise line will not talk to you. I have recently discovered that RCCL, for example, will offer cheaper fares if booking direct. Explore. Sometimes this might negate any extra OBC you might receive from your agent ( not always). Often the OBC offered by your TA is actually from the cruise line and available when booking direct. Do some research and choose based on the results you find. For me, i’ve Cruised enough to look exclusively at the price. Use cruisecritic. It has been invaluable as a resource.

Someone else suggested doing a ship's excursion that ends at the airport so consider that if you have extra OBC to burn. If you don't and are using luggage valet consider doing an Uber or Lyft to South Beach, enjoy a stroll along the beach, a nice lunch and then Uber/Lyft back to the airport. I can't see paying extra money to sit on a ship with everything shutting down and being cleaned for the next group. Miami is a great place to go out and see some sights for a while. If South Beach does not appeal consider visiting Vizcaya mansion.

We had a late flight recently out of Lauderdale and used a ship excursion to kill time. We enjoyed a tour of the Everglades on an airboat. The ship offered separate buses for Lauderdale and Miami airports. Luggage was on the bus with us and locked up at all times. Very convenient and was a lot of fun.

My wife and I are on that cruise. We are in our early 60s and ..... Sorry, forgot what I was going to say.

My wife and I are on that cruise. We are in our early 60s and ..... Sorry, forgot what I was going to say.