bostoncruisegal

We had this booked in February and also had it canceled.  In the end, we also didn't make it to Ocean Cay, so we weren't sure if the cancellation was because they knew earlier the weather wouldn't be good.

They looked fun, we were disappointed we didn't get to try it.

We just sailed a 3-day Magnifica in February.  I never found a Daily in advance, and I unfortunately did not keep mine.

Only theme night we had was white night.  

Day time activities included trivia several times, games by the pool, sport games meet-ups. 

Nighttime included karaoke, silent disco, some game shows (we didn't go so I can't remember which ones), production shows each night, and a late night "rated R" comedian.

Let me know if there is anything specific you are looking for or have any questions.

I'm booked on that Gem sailing, but there are no other ones in Feb.  I assume it's a $$$ decision, just surprising that Royal, MSC and Carnival all kept the weekend cruises and NCL did not.  

Sorry if this has been discussed and I couldn't find it when I searched, but does anyone know why NCL moved away from 3 and 4 night cruises next winter?  I know they tended to be a more party-like atmosphere, but they were a nice quick break at times.

The other lines are still running them most weekends, so it was surprising to only see Norwegian run them occasionally in winter 2024.

9 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

That room in the video is uniquely large. The rest of the OV Panoramics are smaller (which is why the poster above only had one couch).

Oh yes I was referring only to rooms 1150 and 1100, not the whole category.  We prefer the kids to be in their own beds (not sharing a double), so are leaning towards the ultra spacious option with the bunks, but wanted to see if these were an option for us.

For anyone who has stayed in one of these - do both couches pull out?  

Thanks!

43 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

You won the jackpot too...4/14 is now 11 nights...departing on 4/7!  It's going to the Caribbean.  

Not a jackpot for us 😞. The week of 4/14 is our spring break from school so we just had that week.

I guess I will wait for the letter to see what our options are.

thank you!

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

I received a list showing all the changes to the Meraviglia.  Because their IT dept is so "up to date"....nothing is reflected on their website yet.

One cruise...a 7 day...was switched to a 10 day...departing a few days earlier.  Of course the website still has the 7 day cruise available for booking.  According to their letter, if you are booked on the 7 day, you get the 10 day at no additional cost.

I'm wondering what would happen if I booked the 7 day (well, it's there and available).  Would they honor the price.....

 Is there still a 4/14 cruise on the Meraviglia?  We were on that but it sounds like from your post it’s getting shortened.

Love when we catch a cruise ship when we are at Caste Island - great photos!

I was on Liberty recently and I only remember seeing movie listings for the outdoor screen at night.  (The screen was fixed in early March.)

Granted I wasn’t looking for movies so I may have missed them.  I agree that On Air would be an odd choice for movies.

24 minutes ago, Monica887 said:

I seem to get a phone call from the same cruise consultant person each time I log in. And I've NEVER booked anything through her - I usually travel with a family member who does the booking. 

This happens to me as well whenever I log in and search for a cruise.  Calls/emails from a consultant for several days.  I always avoid logging in now.

20 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

Our non-Haven 2 bedroom suite.  We are being spoiled. We were very blessed to get the upgrade from Club Balcony Suite. 
 

The best parts are getting breakfast at Moderno and lunch at Cagney’s . 

I am looking at this room type for a future cruise, but with 4 adults.  I had 2 questions:

~Does the master bed split into 2 like most staterooms?

~I know it doesn't come with 4 chairs, but can you fit 4 on the balcony?

Thanks!

10 hours ago, Qwksilver said:

What was the order of the new menus. That might be helpful.

 

Thanks

We had Welcome Aboard -> Italian -> Caribbean.  My full review is above.

I was just in Cococay this weekend with my friend who needs shade- there were PLENTY of umbrellas and shade.  We left the ship at 10:30am and went over to South Beach.   We were also the only ship in, so I would try to leave on the earlier side if there is another ship, but I still think you will be fine. 

23 hours ago, Cruisin'4Us said:

Would you please tell us more?  Which foods were the highs and lows, and at which venues were they?

Sure!  My notes are below - for context, we were four women traveling for a girls' getaway.  I work in Food/Beverage, so probably pickier than most - and we all eat out quite a bit.

First Day - we had lunch in the Windjammer which wasn't great but as expected.  I hate buffets, and I find cruise ship buffets so random.  Burgers next to beef stew next to pork schnitzel..  But there wasn't another option without paying for specialty dining which was disappointing on Royal.

Dinner - MDR (we only had dinners in the main dining room since it was a short cruise)

Escargot was ok - it's usually one of my favorites, and this one was lacking some flavor.  No one liked the crab cakes, it had a weird breading on it.

Entrees - we all had the Fish and LOVED it!

Desserts - each night we tried a few, and nothing ever stood out.  All good, just not stars. 

Second Day -

Breakfast in Chops (we were in a Suite) -  typical breakfast food - everything was great!

Lunch - we had chicken sandwiches and burgers from the South Beach Snack Shack, and they were very good!

Dinner - Italian Night - 

Apps - Carpaccio was under seasoned.  Polenta Fries were great.

Entrees - I had the Spiced Lamb Kofta and it was one of the best things I ate all cruise.  My friends all had the chicken parm and said it was just ok.

Third Day - we ordered room service breakfast, and it arrived an hour before we asked for it and it was cold and greasy.  Definitely a mistake on our part.

We ended up stopping in the Suite Lounge and they had a much more expanded Continental set out than we expected, so that was great.

Dinner -Caribbean Night - I had the strip steak - it was fine, and then split the chicken korma - that was excellent.  Overall the Indian selections were great- spicy and flavorful!

Also, the Pizza was very good in Sorrento's.  Every night, it had a crisp crust, hot, and not greasy, very happy with it!

23 hours ago, Qwksilver said:

We're on her in 30 days or so. Any other comments or concerns about the ship? How was your cruise?

 

TIA

Qwksilver

Cruise was awesome!  I thought the ship was in great shape especially considering her age.  Crew was fantastic.  The only negative was the food.  Overall it was just ok, with a few highs and a few lows.

The food didn't take away from our great weekend though.  It was a fabulous short getaway and I wouldn't hesitate to sail on Liberty again.

Let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer.

22 hours ago, Cruisin'4Us said:

Do you recall which movies?

I know we walked by one night and it was "Lyle, Lyle Crocodile," which is a fairly new movie.  I believe I also saw later listings with more adult content, but I can't remember the exact titles.

23 minutes ago, colesc15 said:

Thank God. I was worried I wouldn't be able to watch Cheddar news or whatever the stupid channel is that they have on and plays the same 8 cat clips all week. 

Haha, yes I couldn’t figure out the reason for the screen all day, such weird stuff on it!

They did though have movies every night on it.

Just off the Liberty this morning and the screen at the pool is working and the construction from last cruise is complete.  

On 9/19/2022 at 1:18 PM, JesseLivermore said:

 

thx. will see if I can combine w/ free heros discount and just pay resort part..

Would you be able to update on the board how it worked out?  Looking into that possibility as well.  Thanks!

I've sailed on both post-renovations, and I feel they are pretty similar. 

One bigger difference is that the Sky has Starbucks and the Sugarcane Mojito Bar, and the Sun has more specialty dining restaurants.  While the Sun doesn't have The Local, the Sports Bar serves the same food.

We had a balcony room both times and I don't really remember any difference, except the Sun still has the old-school hair dryers on the wall, though I have heard that since they will also have a regular one in a drawer.

For me it would come down which port of departure was easiest for me to get to, and itinerary.

We sailed on the Sun last year, and had a great time!  As long as you go in with proper expectations - smaller ship, none of the crazy extras, etc.  Service was excellent, food was good, and the ship itself looked to be in great shape, especially considering her age.

You can definitely use the App to pay (I did it on the Sky), but make sure you reload before boarding.  I couldn't reload and my app wasn't showing the correct amount on my account.  It was fine, as the app still works with their system, but you won't know your balance.  (I only had the social media internet plan.)

We just got off the Sky as well.  We were on a 3 day weekend cruise, so it definitely had the party atmosphere, but that was expected. 

There is not a dedicated piano bar.  The Atrium bar did have piano music 2 nights, but super small and not the best to relax at.  But there were a few other live music options each night.

I thought she looked in great condition!  I never sailed her prior, but we had no issues, and really enjoyed ourselves.

On 6/9/2019 at 11:11 AM, macaroni said:

So are kinos or Vionic the most comfortable sandals? Is the store in key west kinos or Vionic? I’m confused...I need good arch support so would love to wear sandals again. Thanks!

 I am not familiar with Kinos, but I have flat feet and I love Vionics.  They have excellent arch support.  I do size down in their shoes as an FYI.