eagletwo

Don't know about speed outside the Caribbean.  We were on the MSC Meraviglia last week and had good service the entire week.  I have to download huge files from the TSA website and it only took 5-8 minutes longer than at home with very high speed internet.  Just depends where you cruise. 

On 11/3/2022 at 9:39 AM, JAGR said:

The one elegant night was on our first sea day (Wednesday).  No other formal night, but there was an "Italian Night" on our last night.  They had some red and green napkins, but the waiters were not wearing red, white, and green cumberbunds or ties, like on past cruises.

 

Favorite dishes would be hamachi carpaccio with avocado appetizer, surf and turf, lamb, sea bream, and any dessert!

We showed up on "formal night" in the YC on Meraviglia with me wearing a suit and tie and my wife in a beautiful gown.  The rest of the passengers in the  restaurant were in polo shirts and resort casual. Not an issue, just an observation. 

2 hours ago, lsw9658 said:

We’re Yacht Club on this trip and we’re also not ones that feel like we have to rush on the ship. Is there a separate line for Yacht Club we should look for?

Yes, check in at the YC tent with your luggage.  They will give you an MSC sticker.  Proceed through security and head to the YC lounge through a priority lane. Have a great time. YC is the best value at sea.

On 10/29/2022 at 5:36 AM, RudiRatlos said:

There are also USB outlets on Meraviglia (standard 500 mA, slow loading for an iPad...) and other MSC ships built after Meraviglia (think she was the first to have).

 

Just off the Meraviglia. One USB outlet in our YC suite and two US outlets. We bring similar chargers for our phones and other equipment. 

Just off the Meraviglia today. We were in the Yacht Club and had free Internet. I had to work during our cruise and needed to download files from a TSA website for checking the No FLY List, Selectee List and Cleared List for our charter aircraft. It took a little longer to download, maybe an extra 3 minutes per file.  Emails downloaded fairly quickly. Got to have dinner with the IT officer and told her I was happy with the Internet speed. 

Just off the Meraviglia. JT1972 is spot on with what was offered. 

We are sailing MSC MERAVIGLIA on October 23rd.  Put in a upgrade bid a few weeks ago and received a confirmation yesterday morning on a YC1, Experience FANTASTICA Category YC1 - Yacht Club Deluxe Suite. Below is the statement on our boarding confirmation on what to expect.  We are excited.  This will be our second time in the YC on Meraviglia.

EXPYCB - YACHT CLUB: Lavishly fitted luxury suites, 24-hour butler service and dedicated concierge, Dedicated check in & check out. Panoramic dedicated Top Sail Lounge with light food selection, dedicated exclusive sun deck with pool, solarium and bar. An extensive premium beverage selection in MSC Yacht Club areas and in all bars and restaurants of the ship (according to the drink selections available in the different venues), Free minibar service, Gourmet dining in the private MSC YC restaurant with free choice of dining time. Direct private access to the MSC Aurea SPA. Premium Internet package (Browse -2 devices). Free access to fitness center, Open air sport facilities, Broadway-style theater shows, Entertainment activities. Possibility to purchase a dedicate, discounted specialty restaurant package. For adults only: complimentary access to the thermal area for entire cruise, possibility to purchase a dedicated, discounted SPA package, 10% off on all treatments purchased on board.

We are booked on Meraviglia with a Fantastica experience, aft balcony on deck 12 leaving on October 23rd.  Have been on two MSC cruises, both in the YC on Meraviglia and Divina.  With the reviews we have seen, I hope we don't have the issues with check-in, food and service. I am a Diamond member, but that does not mean much during check-in.  Any advice?

On our cruise in 2020 on the Meraviglia, they were ok, not Butcher's cut quality.  Same on the Divina in 2021. Others may have had a better experience.  Arthur even apologized about the quality on the Divina.

We had a cruise out of Charleston, SC 3 years ago to Nassau. Hurricane was slowly approaching the Bahamas on departure day. Carnival decided to cancel  Nassau and go to Key West. On our Sea Day, the Hurricane picked up speed and the decision was made to cancel all ports as they were afraid the storm would trap the ship in a south Florida port. We slowly made our way back to Charleston on a four day cruise to nowhere. Full refund and a free future cruise credit. 
 

Not sure what MSC would do. Most cruise lines will set sail to different ports to avoid going near a Hurricane and not cancel the cruise. 

The challenge would be returning to the US by air if something were to happen. Lots of red tape to get back to the US without a Passport. Not impossible, but if it’s time critical, could be devastating.  

You need a good TA to help you.  

We did a side to side cruise back in November/December 2021.Our Medallions arrived for our Regal cruise two weeks before our departure on November 24th.  The Medallions for our November 30th cruise on Enchanted arrived at our house on November 25th.  Our daughter mailed them to our hotel in FLL and we got them on November 29th.  When we were checking in on board, the Medallions would not work. Had to go to guest services for a new battery.  Tracking the Medallions online was interesting. Seems they were shipped to multiple locations in the US and would take days to move to the next destination. Never did recieve the Medallion wrist band I paid for through the App.  When we stopped by the Medallion service desk on the Regal and told the manager about it, he gave me a wrist band at no charge.  

We sailed on the Divina last year in the YC, 3 of us in a very nice balcony suite. We asked the concierge if there were any upgrades available. They took about four hours to respond and told us we could upgrade to the Royal suite for $600 per night. 4 day cruise, I don’t think so. 

2 hours ago, Best Cat Mom said:

This was very enlightening. Thank you eagletwo.

 

I checked Amex Platinum's benefits for travel and was pleased to see that medical evacuation coverage is covered up to $100K: 

You are welcome. Depending on where you need be flown home, $100,000 may not be enough. Europe (say med cruise) to be flown home from Greece to New York, $250,000+. Alaska to New York, $150,000. All depends on timing and aircraft size and availability. 
 

When we took our first cruise in 2005, we went to Alaska. Our family of four spent $10,000 on the trip, not counting airfare and other things we did. Our trip insurance was about $750. My wife about had a cow at the expense. I said “ If one of us gets hurt or sick and we need medical transportation back to South Carolina, if my company gave us the plane and all we had to was pay for the fuel, it would cost $20,000. An air ambulance about $75,000.” We bought the insurance.

It is a personal thing about buying travel insurance. There are so many options and plans so do your research. We never travel without it. 

I am in the private air charter business here in the US. One of my long time clients asked for a price to pick up a relative in Aruba that is very ill, not cruise related, just on holiday. He is in hospital in Aruba with just US insurance that does not cover outside the US and can’t fly home on a commercial flight. A medical flight to bring him back to Columbia, SC is $45,000.  The family has started a gomefund to help get him home and pay for his daily hospital bills in Aruba.

I always buy trip insurance with medical and evacuation. 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/on-board/dining-drinks/drinks-packages

2 hours ago, hamrag said:

Actually, they did. 😉

Thank you.

Hi,

This is our first time on MSC - we are sailing out of Barcelona on the Grandiosa and I am meeting other family members on board. We have all chosen early dining but can I request that we all sit together? Would I do that before the cruise or when on-board?

Does it matter that my DH and I have the EasyPlus drinks package and they don't?

If only two people have a drink package and you want to dine with friends, doesn’t MSC require everyone dining together in a linked booking to have a drink package? I believe the rule is covered in the Terms & Conditions page for drink packages. Not sure if the rule is enforced?

We sail on the Meraviglia Oct 23rd.  I was able to download our documents last night. Last year when we sailed on the Divina, our TA had to down load the documents for us.  Go figure.

20 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

when is she scheduled for dry dock or has it already happened since I'm late to the party.

Love to know myself. 

I am a travel agent and have had issues with printing my own travel documents. As for payments, our agency never keeps payment.  We charge the credit card directly to the cruise line and get instant confirmation on your payment and booking.

1 hour ago, JT1962 said:

As Mogsmom said, there are as many opinions on the food and many things on MSC. Most seem to either love it or hate. I found the food to be comparable to or better than the food on other lines I have sailed (primarily Carnival & Royal Caribbean). I sailed in a Fantastica Balcony and ate in the main dining room, buffet and steak house (1 night). 
 

My recommendation is to give MSC a try. I was pleasantly surprised based on many negative reviews I read prior to my cruise. They have some great rates and Ocean Key is excellent. Worst case scenario is you’ll find it’s not for you, but you may find you have a new option for cruising.

 

Some things I found regarding food: 

 

- There are usually less choices on the dining room menus than other cruise lines, however, you can order multiple items from each section on the menu. 
 

- There tends to be less beef than on other cruise lines sailing from the US.

 

- Shrimp Cocktail, Steak & a few other items cost extra in the dining room on nights other than “Elegant” night. 
 

- The menus are more European than most lines sailing from the US, but I always found items I liked. 
 

- There are almost always a chicken, fish / seafood, pasta, vegetarian and one other meat item on the entrees each night. 
 

- The Steakhouse was excellent. I had the 3 Course Tasting Menu. 
 

Below is a link to my post after my cruise on Meraviglia in January that includes some menus. These may not be the same as what you might see if you book a cruise, but will give you an idea of what they serve: 

 

 

Wow! Best response I’ve seen on Cruise Critic in a long time. Well said. 

On 7/13/2022 at 11:22 PM, vicky3vicky said:

I would like to bring a blender so I can make my smoothies in the morning. I couldn't find it on the prohibited list so should I bring it?

 

Are you the person that asked John Heald, Carnival Ambassador this question on his channel?

Guess we were lucky to get status match from Princess back in 2020. Elite transferred to Diamond on MSC. We have sailed again in 2021 and kept the same status. We have another cruise booked on the Meraviglia in October and have the same status.