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We are doing a 5 night cruise on the Summit in February. When I went to plan some excursions I was dismayed and very surprised at the number of excursions limited to people under 70. Most of them are snorkel or diving excursions, but not all. We just returned from climbing multiple ruins in Greece and earlier this year snorkeled twice a day in the Galapagos but found we don't  "qualify" for many of the snorkel excursions. I gave up and figured at one port we would just do something easy so I clicked on the Royal Elizabeth Botanical Gardens in Grand Cayman thinking that would be a good alternative only to find that too is limited to people between 2 and 69. I couldn't believe it and thought this must be a typo so I contacted Celebrity who referred me to the Shore Excursions group. Today I received an email that yes, this is the limitation because there are 100 steps we would need to climb and there are no exceptions to the limitations. We are willing to sign a waiver but that is not something they will do. Any suggestions for alternatives? I am very disappointed in Celebrity. There is a snorkel excursion we can do in Grand Cayman but we have done it before. We could also do the botanical gardens on our own, Has anyone done this? . 

We are traveling on the Dream 6/25. Our grandson who turned 5 on May 17 will be with us. We were told by our TA who spoke to DCL that if he was not fully vaccinated 2 weeks prior to our sail date (June 10) that he could not cruise. We were a little anxious because of the short window (4 days leeway) but thankfully he got his second done on June 8. If his birthday fell after May 20 there would not be a 2 week timeframe prior to sail date for him to be fully vaccinated so he would not be required to be vaccinated

The options we were offered in the letter were missing a number of cruises that were actually eligible. We were interested in one that was not in the letter. My TA talked to Azamara and found out that the letter was incorrect and we were eligible for the cruise we were most interested in.

I want to cruise as much as many others on this board and hope we will be able to soon. We cancelled a Northern Europe cruise last month that we were really looking forward to and had planned for for a long time. It looks like our cruise we cancelled along with all of the other June Northern Europe MSC cruises, They are no longer listed so the US cruises are not the only ones being cancelled. Positive Covid rates will going to go up and down until and if, most people get vaccinated. Last I looked most positive cases are headed down. Florida positive rates are still considered critical and NY, where I live it recently moved from critical to high. It could change tomorrow.  Summer will probably be ok case wise in most places  but it will return in the fall as people spend more time in doors and we will probably see cruiser issues again or at least restricted cruises if more people are not vaccinated. If you want cruising to open up long term year round, with minimal or no restrictions, get vaccinated if you can. I find the discussions about masks on cruises totally short sighted and pretty laughable.  One cruise may say no mask required but as soon as there is an outbreak, it will change. Masks will be part of the picture until cruise lines can be comfortable the virus isn't being spread. Like it or not vaccines are the only way out.

On 1/20/2021 at 2:31 PM, denali1 said:

The company I worked for (22 years), before I retired, was bought by an investment company, who had no experience in our industry. They ran the company into the ground. They thought they knew what to do, but turns out that they were wrong. Hopefully, that won’t be the case with Azamara   

I also worked for a company that was purchased by a private equity firm. The plus was that they invested considerable dollars in the company so we were able to do a lot of things we could not have done prior to the purchase for about 5 years. The bottom line is that they are going to want a return on their investment. After 5 years my company was sold to a major defense contractor where we remain today. Having worked for the company for over 20 years, things worked out well. I know that some private equity firms will drive a company into the ground as they look to make a profit, but that is not always the case.

Just read this on Yahoo Finance about a change being announced later today by Royal that also includes Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/royal-caribbean-group-adopts-cruise-150000635.html

It indicates cancellations will be allowed up to 48 hours prior to cruise date for cruises through June with credit given for rebook in 2020 or 2021

Thanks for all your replies. I appreciate the local weather info too. I should have clarified - My flights are international for both options and take off after 7pm from MIA or after 9pm from FLL. I've read here that most passengers can be off the ship by mid morning, which leaves us plenty time to make either airport by uber or lift share or even metro rail / tri-rail after a spot of look see. Maybe a hop on hop off type deal. BUT all of this will mean nothing though if DIVINA is kept out of port for half a day or longer. I figure that if she is generally in port on time, at that time of the year, the risk is minimal. Perhaps some past cruisers on her at last year and before can help?

One thing you might consider since your flights are late is that MSC offers some shore excursions on debarkation day but the only port they do drop off is MIA. You debark just after walk offs I think. The bus is right outside the terminal. You put your luggage on the bus and They drop you and your luggage off at the airport by 2 or 3

We just came back and 4 people registered credit cards. None of us were asked for a pin.

We just returned from the Seaside and had cabins 11001, 11002 and 11003. MSC initially had 11002 and 11003 as 2 bedrooms/2 baths that sleep 5 but changed them to 1 bedroom/1 bath that sleeps 4. We talked to our room host, Ani who was the best we have ever had on a cruise. She said many people were upset that there were not 2 bedrooms and I am sure her tips suffered. She really worked hard to make things work for people but none of the issues were her doing and she understood why they were upset. To make it worse, if you have 4 adults, the sleeping arrangement for the 3rd and 4th person is bunks in the living room and when converted, you lose the sofa (but do have a coffee table with chairs. This was not a problem for us because there were only 2 adults in these rooms and 1 or 2 kids. The living room and bedroom in these 1 bedroom cabins are huge as is the bathroom and the closet. Unless I had 2 couples I would prefer these rooms over 11001 but the balcony in 11001 is pretty amazing.

11001 definitely sleeps 5. There are 2 bedrooms each having single beds that converts to a double, it was great for our 4 adults and a baby but would also be great for 2 adults and 3 kids. The balcony in this cabin was terrific and looked out the front of the ship. One morning we sailed into a double rainbow. Access to the balcony is though an air lock which does take away from the floor space.

There was a very large closet and a second smaller closet in the interior bedroom. The interior bedroom also had a bunk that comes out of the ceiling. When the beds are made into a double bed in the interior room, it also held a pack-n-play next to the bed but with very little room to spare next to the beds. The high end pack-n-play came with a thick covered mattress and bedding. The baby slept really well on it.

The front bedroom was roomy but had minimal drawer storage and no closet. There were 2 end tables with 2 drawers in each. It also has a dressing table and some extra out of the way counter space which we found useful. This bedroom has a large floor to ceiling window looking out front.

Having 2 bathrooms with 4 adults was great. Neither was huge but they had sufficient storage. One had a tub/shower which was great for bathing the baby, and the other just a small shower. The heavy hooks inside the bathroom were great for holding a multi-pocket toiletry bag.

The living room layout is a bit odd in this suite in that it is pretty narrow with a large oval table and 4 chairs that takes up too much space at one end and a sofa with wall mounted TV next to it. The room would be better with a smaller table and swivel on the TV. We did some rearranging and made it work.

The entry hallway was an extension of the living room so we had lots of floor space for the baby to crawl around but none of it is very wide

For anyone who will have a baby in a pack-n-play - the ones provided are excellent. They fit easily in the 1 bedroom. In the 2 bedroom it could go in the living area or next to the beds made into a double. There will be little extra room if you do that but it worked for us.

We were also on this cruise with 8 adults, 2 babies and 2 14 year old girls. We were in 3 Grand Suites on deck 11 at the front of the ship. There was lots of space and storage in all 3 rooms. The center suite was the only one that would reasonably sleep 4 adults. You definitely felt the motion in these rooms but the views from 11001 were great.

Guest Services for us was fine. We went immediately after boarding to get an issue corrected and the person was efficient and corrected the problem quickly.

Everyone loved using the wrist bands and had no problem with them.

I can agree with much of what others on this cruise experienced on this sailing but I think we would give the cruise an above average rating and look forward to a future cruise on MSC. Stateroom attendant was the best we've had on our many cruises. Some of the bar tenders were great, but overworked. Others were average or a bit below, especially in the jungle pool bar. They tried but often mixed up orders. We enjoyed the food in the buffets for breakfast and some lunches, and while we could have used more variety we were fine. There were things people had never tried. I especially loved the danish bread that was available every day. Everyone in our group loved the pizza. It was annoying when they ran out of coffee mugs however.

Room service was good but limited as on many cruises we've taken. There is no service charge for Aurea guests. If you order coffee and want cream or milk make sure to ask for it or you will just get sugar.

We ate at Butcher's Cut and Teppenyaki and really liked both a lot. The shrimp cocktail at Butcher's Cut could be an entire meal for me.

We loved the spa and the thermal area and wished we had more time there. The massages were great.

As for entertainment, we found the shows great and enjoyed a lot of the music. We almost never saw the 2 teenagers. They spent all of their time in the teen club and begged us to stay until midnight. The Baby Time (time with parents in the baby facility for kids under 3) was wonderful. The facility was the best I've seen on a ship and the staff was great. The only issue we had was know the times it was available. The provided pack-n-play in the cabin was high end with a very comfortable mattress.

We were really glad for the change in itinerary to Grand Turk. It was beautiful and worked better for enjoying the week.

I'll try to post a more detailed review in the review section.

As for the closed pool, 2 people in our group say that it had been drained so there was some kind of problem with it.

There is a Spa package for teens on the Seaside you can pre-book for $59 ($104 on board)

We have this booked for our 2 14 year olds on our upcoming cruise.

TEEN PACKAGE

Fragrant face treatment | 30 min.

Magic Touch massage | 45 min.

Manichic | for her

Hair Crazy (shampoo & cut) | for him

And don’t forget to call your credit company to let them know you will be using it on the cruise. One of our family found out the hard way. It was on a different cruise line but applies here. She gave her credit card when they embarked but when she went to leave the last day she was refused exit because her card was declined. The credit card company had detected unusual activity, tried to call her and couldn’t reach her because her phone was off so they put a hold on her account. She had to go back to guest services to get it resolved.

I understand people wanting an “American” experience when they cruise but there are others like me who enjoy something different. We will be sailing on the Seaside in 2 weeks and will be traveling with family who are not as adventurous as my husband and me. That is one of the reasons we chose to cruise on MSC. It seemed to us that it had something for everyone in our party.

When many in our family travel, we love to expand our horizons. When in a foreign country or even a different part of the US we always look for opportunities to try the local cuisine, and meet and talk to local people about their life experiences. This has been the highlight of many trips we’ve taken.

In France we loved eating at a local lunch spot where we were the only people in the restaurant who were not vineyard workers and the only ones who spoke English. While I loved Denmark, I tried the pickled herring, but once was enough for me.

I never cared for opera on TV but one time I had the opportunity to see a live Italian opera in DC and found it incredible. The talent required to sing opera well is amazing and hearing it live was a very different experience. Would I get a season subscription? No but I would go again.

I don’t expect to have the same level of experience on MSC as I’d get in Italy. I’ll save the in depth Italian experience for another trip, but something with a flavor of Italy sounds very appealing. I also don’t expect to absolutely love everything MSC has to offer, but am really looking forward to our upcoming trip. Should MSC address real issues? Absolutely! But I would hate to see MSC totally Americanize the entire experience. For that I can go on a different cruise line.

Buttergate lives on!

 

;p

Would this crazy thread be 152 comments long if the package said Land-O-Lakes Unsalted Spreadable? They both have the same ingredients by the way.

There are spa treatments for teens. We purchased them for our 2 teens so the spa is accessible to them.

I can't believe I read through all 50+ posts on this thread. All I can say is wow.

Thanks so much for your review. Since one in our group has the same cabin as you, it made it even better. We're looking forward to our trip in just 31 days!

Kid's Menu in the MDR

 

I think the 2 little ones traveling with us will love this menu - we live in the US. I just passed it along to my daughter and daughter-in-law and they are thrilled with it.

We are looking to do an everglades tour after our February cruise with a drop off at FLL. Viatour does offer the excursion booked directly with them for a 4 hour Everglades airboat tour.

Look again in the cabin layout I️ tried to draw. Sorry it’s not to scale. Actally, cabins 11007, 11005 and 11003 are in a little enclave at the very end of the hall. 11001 is just before you get to the end of the hall, then as you turn right the door to 11001 is on the left. It is definitely not connecting to 11003 but close enough within a few steps.

 

 

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Thank you so much. We originally hoped they were connecting but this will work out fine

Tall-Cruiser, where was the living room tv in 11003?

see posts 555 and 565 in this thread for very detailed photos of the layout.

With one more day to go, we have had a great cruise and to some extent I️ wish it was a back to back. Entertainment was excellent. You don’t want to miss the show in the main theater “Timeless” especially if you like Michael Jackson stuff. It’s one of the best I️ have seen.

 

Since you will be occupying all three GS on deck 11 a quick heads up.

The cabin Steward, Ni Putu (called “Ani”) is really good. Exceptionally nice and thorough, and works really hard. She goes over and beyond to meet your needs and we were very impressed. She has 11001 and 11003 as part of the many other rooms she takes care of.

 

Your cruise will be here soon, so get ready to have some fun.

 

Good luck and have a wonderful cruise.

 

 

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Thank you for the information! A good cabin steward can make a big difference. Did you happen to notice where the door is for 11003? I heard it is not as close to 11001 as we might expect.

One of our granddaughters who will be with us is a big Michael Jackson fan so we'll make sure she gets to the show. We are all really looking forward to the cruise.

Thanks again.

GS 11003 Balcony photos.

Sometimes in life if you are nice to people and ask/request nicely you never what good comes your way.

 

So I️ asked nicely and got......well the rest of the square feet.

Nice to know - thanks!

Bathroom is separated from bedroom. The bed can be split and the room is very big to add a small blow mattress.

 

I️ have not seen anywhere where the correct room layout for 11003 or 11002 have been shown. So here is a rough draft of what you get.

 

 

 

Let me know if it’s not clear.

 

 

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Thanks very much - we have 11001, 11002 and 11003 in February. This and the photos that have been posted helps a lot.

Photos of the forward end cabins will likely be posted before our Feb 17th cruise but i’m happy to post pictures of 11001, 11002 and 11003. We have all 3 booked.