Georgia_Peaches

Www.Bahamas.com according to this site non Covid vaxed visitors must show proof of neg test, which for now is still being required of passenges upon embarkation….at least for now.

Loving your review! We will be on Solstice in March for a Mexican riviera cruise. I’m excited about solstice because It hasn’t been edge-I-fied. I prefer the classic design over the edge class ships. Have read a few reviews claiming the ship looks tired. What are your impressions?

For quite a while I would receive a survey request from Celebrity and among the questions was always whether or not I’d consider a Mexican riviera cruise if one was made available. Every time I responded with a resounding YES! A week ago I got a mailer from them introducing their Mexican Rivera itineraries beginning in September on Solstice. We just booked a 7 nighter leaving out of LA going to Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan…. Plus three sea days. I’m thrilled! Someday I’d like to get back to cruising in Europe but the time isn’t now for us.

I'm sure we would enjoy that very much! Cheers 😀🍹!

I recently read a review about one of MSC's ships that we are embarking on soon. We are trying the Yacht Club to compare with the Haven. To say I'm leery about what's to come based on reviews is an understatement. The last two reviews I've read for the YC on this particular ship are absolutely horrendous. My dread factor for embarkation is at an all time high. One reviewer stated the entire experience was horrible because the YC concierge was unable to adjust the price of their cabin after the travelers found out that they paid more than their travel companions in the same category. An outrageous request IMO and one that I would never make but the reviewer painted the picture that MSC customer service in general and YC in particular, are nothing short of third world entities. Yes, I can absolutely dismiss this type of review as nonsense but you make a very interesting point about one's tendency to over/under inflate a cruise review. Striking a balance is hard. Personally, I never leave a bad review but I will highlight areas of concern if they existed within my cruise experience. Conversely, I'm afraid that I may over inflate my cruise experience because I'm just so damn happy to be cruising that everything seems wonderful. So thank you for the reminder that we all need to temper our experiences so as not to overwhelm fellow cruisers with hyper expectations, good or bad.

That's good to know regarding currency. DH and I secured a bike tour the last time we went to GC. We finished the tour early and went to a beach bar to wait for our ride back to the boat. The ride was taking a really long time (another story) and I began getting a little nervous that we would miss our last tender to the ship. We asked the bar tender to call us a taxi and when it arrived we were told that they didn't take USD. The taxi wasn't equipped with a credit card machine so we had to go to an ATM to get their currency. It was a mess. Side note...we were the last tender to the ship! That was my one experience 5 years ago. Please pardon my lack of knowledge about acceptable currency in other venues and thank you for setting the record straight for other cruisers as I don't like giving bad intel on any port.

They should have never been uploaded in the first place...for privacy reasons. JMO

Go back to the pharmacy and request a new card with the new name. They should be able to do this pretty quickly and easily. I’d take the marriage license to them and explain. Things like this happen more than you’d think.

I only just received an upgrade email a week ago for my cruise at the end of the month. But when I did a mock booking to see the prices of the categories listed in the offer, none were showing as available. I guess cancellations occur but the upgrade starting points didn’t seem too appealing to me so I passed.

I just read your post. Good news all around. I still remain a non fan of GC. Just never had much fun there. But again, I love the direction things are moving in. It makes me feel like we are finally getting back to cruising normalcy.

My take, cut GC out of cruise itineraries altogether. It’s a tender port, last time I was there they didn’t take USD, and a total pain in the butt anyway. I generally avoid a cruise that includes a stop there or at the very least, look at it a another sea day where we just hang out on the ship.

Bourbon and peaches. Soooo good!

Very good point! I think we are just so excited to cruise that I'm overthinking the possible pitfalls.

Totally agree! It's nerve wracking to say the least. I guess if we get turned away at the pier for the wrong test we'll know the rules with certainty. My guess is that in the wake of relaxing testing requirements they wouldn't then eliminate the antigen test in favor of just the PCR thus making fulfilling the testing requirement seemingly more difficult than before the testing relaxation. But that's just me. I think MSC struggles to communicate what they mean clearly on their website because their are catering to so many traveling audiences both foreign and domestic.

The magic number these days seems to be 10. Those who test positive are generally considered not contagious after the 10th day. Most will test negative somewhere within those 10 days. My source is personal experience. We got stuck in Belize before the USG lifted the requirement to test negative before returning to the US. I tested negative on day seven while DH never tested negative. On day 10 they let him come home with a letter of recovery. So what does this mean for your situation? Well if you can determine the number of days it's been since you started feeling crappy, that could be a gauge for when you will test negative. However, if you are feeling pretty bad with only a week out, you may not test negative in time to go. Definitely reach out to your cruise planner to discuss your options. Hope you feel better!

Just found this posted 4 days ago: from this site: https://unitedcruises.cruisehelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044863092-MSC-Cruises-Travel-Requirements-Safety-Protocols

I take this to mean that it was taken by a lab technician. Meaning someone in a white coat swabbed my nose...or in the case of CVS, watched me swab my nose while standing outside my car. I hope this is OK as we are testing on Friday in this manner for our cruise on Saturday.

Wasn’t aware. Thank you for this!!

What does verifying the vaccine card entail? Are they comparing the original vax dates to the questionnaire? I am about to fill out the same thing as OP and was confused. We haven’t had a booster and our original vax was in 2021, so more than 6 months ago. The website says boosters are recommended but I see nothing about them being required. This question makes me a little nervous bc it seems like they want to know if I’m boosterd even though it’s not required.

My understanding is that you can move your cruise forward without penalty under the one change program. Not sure that’s the exact name. I recommend reaching out to your TA just to be sure. Also note it is entirely possible that nobody else in your household will become positive. Perhaps you wont need to postpone? Also, I recommend that you purchase self tests to take with you regardless of when you cruise because one could be negative one day and positive the next. Nice to have a self test on hand just in case. I bought 5 rapid tests from Amazon…pack of 5 for 24.99. Wishing your wife a speedy recovery.

What about a rapid test? You get the results in about an hour. I know CVS does them. We have it scheduled for our upcoming cruise next week.

Wow! That's great information. I am assuming that is for both US and Europe?

I agree it is all very confusing. Did you use a TA or book direct? A TA would be where I would start.

I read this regarding cruises in Europe which indicate that if you were vaccinated greater than 270 before your cruise, you need a booster. If you are within the 270 days and said days don't run out prior to the end of your cruise, you don't need the booster. However, if your cruise occurs in the midst of your 270th day, ie on day 5 of your ten day cruise you've reached 270 days since your vaccination, your card is "expired" and you will need a booster. For US sailings, the wording is such that MSC recommends the booster but I see nothing about requiring it. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Celebrity has been our go-to line for many years but we are trying MSC at the end of the month because their prices are just so much better than Celebrity. We booked a YC deluxe suite for less money than a Celebrity, entry level sky suite. To me, that alone is reason enough to settle for food that may not be exactly on par with Celebrity. I have to say though, the menus I've looked at lately seem to be fish-centric and my hope is that being an Italian based company, MSC will be able to make my not-so-favorite menu item taste delicious.