max996

23 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I typed this in response to another thread, but thought it may be hijacking so I'll start my own thread for discussion about the size of ocean cay:

 

I'm a bit concerned about there being a YC area on Ocean Cay when it's all said and done simply due to size restrictions. In fact, I'm a bit concerned about the size of Ocean Cay even if MSC does not dedicate space to YC. According to MSC, Ocean Cay is only 65 acres. That's tiny. Teenie-tiny.

 

For comparison sake,  Half moon Cay (CCL) is 2,600 acres, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL) is approximately 270 acres,  Coco Cay (RCL) is 140 acres. Granted, these islands aren't entirely developed,  but even if the developed area is close to the total size of Ocean Cay, there isn't any wiggle room for people to spread out. Example, on Half moon cay, approximately 60 acres are developed, but there are an additional 9 miles of beach for people to spread out on (even if just walking/exploring). 

 

I recently returned from CocoCay on Anthem of Seas. Even thought the ship is slightly larger than Seaview (168 gt vs 153 gt respectively), they hold virtually identical amount of passengers at double occupancy (4132 vs 4180 respectively).  I would estimate that CocoCay has about half of it's 140 acres developed, maybe slightly less. If my logic holds true, that means the developed area of Coco Cay equals the total amount of area available on Ocean Cay (with no wiggle room).  Based on persnal experience, It's going to be super tight even without reserved area for MSC. 

 

If MSC reserves some area for YC, it couldn't be more than 10-15 acres could it (25%)? Taking the total amount of usable space down to about 50 acres for the remaining 4000 or so guests. My home sits on 10 acres. I can't imagine 150 YC guests stretching out on my lawn. Our cabin up-north lies is 100 acres. I can't imagine 4000 people fitting there either.

 

Of course, I'm just playing a numbers game that doesn't tell the whole story. Add to that, my calculations could be off so I welcome additional mathematicians to chime in.  Perhaps the space available on Ocean Cay is much more user friendly than the usable space on competition islands, which would make this discussion nothing more than a null hypothesis. However; it's been MSC's business practice to pack more people into less space (as identified by space ratios on all the new builds), so I do think space is going to be a restraint with or without a dedicated YC area. 

 

I'm headed to Labadee (RCL's little slice of Haiti) in a few weeks. It's 240 acres. We're coming in on an Oasis class which is significantly larger than any ship in the MSC fleet. I'm interest to see if it feels as crowded as Coco cay did. 

 

I've been following the development of Ocean Cay since MSC announced (4? 5? years ago). Getting close to the actual opening is exciting. The final product is anyone's imagination, but it's interesting to me and I thought it may be interesting to other cruise buffs :). 

 

I've been looking for information on the actual size of Ocean Cay. Can you point me to the MSC site that provides that information? Thanks. 

I'll be on the Meraviglia sailing out of Miami on March 15th and I'm looking forward to my day on the island.

On 4/29/2019 at 3:49 PM, Cruisergal1208 said:

Oh so sorry to hear this.  It seems very common for someone to pass away while cruising but it still hits hard. It's happened on many of our cruises over the years.  Please let your butler know we are all thinking of him during this difficult time and send our love and hugs. 

I've noticed this too; why do you think that is?

Over indulging on food/alcohol? Too much excitement for some people who may have pre-existing conditions they may not be aware of? 

I love the MSC Yacht Club.

4 hours ago, mickey89 said:

MSC wifi is very fast, better than Celebrity and they were class leaders.  We choose the cheapest package $80 for 3.5 Gig with 2 devices.  Other cruise lines the wifi is based on time not data useage, so much better if you forget to log off you don't lose out.

But don't forget to turn off all the background data hogs. You can consume a lot of data just from apps updating in the background. 

On 4/10/2019 at 6:25 AM, dexddd said:

There are deluxe on Seaside that sleep five and I see one of the other rooms our group has booked is one of those.  The RS has doors for the master so at there is privacy there.

 

I don't recall a Manoj this time around but Vishnu had and said he will be the butler for our room in June.  He is a superman.

 

ETA Fabio the piano guy left - did they have a similar guy?

 

Robert the YC director will have his last week with us before vacation so you'll have somone else.

That's unfortunate about Robert. I think he was the YC Director that started the YC Pool parties. I hope they continue that on our voyage. Those are nice. I've always said YC passengers can party as hard as the next passenger. The dinners up on the YC pool deck aboard MSC Divina are fantastic! 

On 4/8/2019 at 5:08 PM, rjwynn said:

WOW, That's pretty smart max996.  Get the privacy and space but keep the daughters close but also let them have their own space.

Absolutely rjwynn. We're obviously fortunate enough to be able to do that for our family, and for that I am truly thankful. I would like one of the "super family suites" but they have none in the yacht club. I think there are rooms that sleep five on Seaside, but my daughters are a little older now and the mattress on the sleeper sofa is not comfortable for children over 110 lbs and/or 63" tall when there are two battling for sleeping positions. And you already mentioned the adult "privacy." I mean what's the point of going on the "Love Boat" if you can't partake a few times on board with your significant other?

23 hours ago, dexddd said:

I'll put some reading materials for you between the mattresses like the sales guys used to do.

Awesome dexddd! Thank you. They may find it and dispose of it, but you can ask the butler (I hope it's still Manoj - he's the best) that you're leaving it for us and he'll make sure we get it.

Don't forget that you can store your luggage under the bed - you have to lift the mattress though, but there's plenty of room underneath. We put four suitcases under there last summer.

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

 

We go June 22 - which one do you have?

We embark aboard when you get back, June 29th! We'll be enjoying 16037 the week of July 4th. We put our three daughters in the suite next door 16029.

Will there be extras to be paid? Short answer is yes. That assumes you'll be booking spa appointments, purchasing trinkets at the gift shop, buying gelato, etc. There's an ice cream dispenser near the South Beach pool (deck 7 aft), but the gelato costs extra. I like to pay for as much as possible up front as well, so there's not a $1,000 charge applied to my credit card at the end of the cruise. You already prepaid your gratuities and that's great - I always do that too. I'd also recommend adding another $200 a person in on board credits (ODCs) to cover anything else (kids games in the arcade, souvenirs, etc.), that'll give you some additional purchasing power on board before going to your credit card.

Definitely pre-book your excursions now too. You're cruising in June, so the ship will have a full passenger manifest and many of the good excursions will be full.

Using the app to communicate without wi-fi? If everyone in your family has an iPhone, yes you'll be able to communicate with them without wi-fi. I don't know about any other phone. MSC might even realize one day that iPhone users are able to stay in touch this way and shut that down soon too.

My family of five is embarking aboard June 29th; when is your cruise?

1) Does the Royal Suite have free current in-room movies like the NCL Owners suites? I'm not sure. I didn't watch TV.

2) Can you request certain items from the butler such as an extra ice chest and a can of whipped cream for coffee? Yes. My butler delivered a pot of American coffee every morning at 6am with Baileys Liqueur. You can authorize them to enter without knocking and they'll leave it on the counter over the mini-fridge (just remember not to lock the top lock). My wife and I would take it out on the veranda and drink it while the sun was rising every morning. Very nice. 

3) Are there any 3D movies in any theater? Yes, there's even a 4-D theater on board.

4) Are there outdoor movies on any nights? Yes

5) Are Dockers and a collared polo shirt acceptable any night in the YC restaurant (even formal nights)? Yes. 

6) Is the MSC For Me wristband included with the Royal Suite? Yes. Indeed it is included for all Yacht Club passengers.

7) Can the Royal Suite in-room food service order from any YC or specialty restaurant menu like you can in Owners & Deluxe Owners suites on NCL? All except the specialty restaurants. Those items are served in those areas at an additional cost, even for Royal Suite and YC guests. 

8- Do the butlers escort you to shows, specialty dinners and departures at ports? Yes, if you ask your butler they will do that for you. The specialty dinning venues are a real close to the Royal Suites, so you wouldn't need a butler escort to those locations. They are literally 30 yards away, maybe. 

9) Are there any special perks/amenities that come with the Royal Suite different than the listed YC amenities? Royal Suite guests get use of their own private cabana up on the YC pool deck located on the same side of the ship as their suite (port or starboard). Those are available to all YC guests at a price ($59 on port days; and $99 on sea days), but included in the price of the Royal Suite. It comes stocked with your favorite drinks, they'll bring you hors d'oeuvres and cool towels too. Just about everything else that I can think of at the moment is available to everyone in the YC (I'll correct myself if I think of something later - we're embarking back aboard Seaside in the Royal Suite on June 29th, can't wait!).

Sorry you didn't have a good time. My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed our cruises aboard MSC Seaside and Divina. We're embarking aboard on June 29 for our next voyage. Our last one was aboard Divina in the Yacht Club. We're in the YC this time as well, and are really looking forward to it again.

Have a great cruise Lisa. My family and I have moved exclusively to MSC after years on Disney and I know you'll have a great time.

3 hours ago, kevinrobedm said:

Your on board credit is just like a bank account with money in it.  For everything you do on board it is charged to the same on board account.  When you purchase something on board (or use a specialty restaurant or shop) they add 15% gratuity to it and charge it to this account. The balance is then decreased by the amount of the purchase until there is no credit left.  At the end of the cruise if you have a negative balance (used all your credit and still have charges in your account), you have to pay if you have a positive balance (you still have some of your on board credit left ) we had it go back to the credit card we registered with MSC when on board.  If you don’t have a credit card registered I am not sure what the policy is. I am also not sure if this is the policy all the time as we were also told we would loose any onboard credit if we did not use it. Perhaps it matters the type of onboard credit you have (you put money on the account, or got an onboard credit from MSC, etc.).

This is great explanation about how OBCs work on board. We’ve done three cruises with MSC and the only thing I’d change is the last part of your reply. If you don’t have a credit card registered against your account, nor have you deposited cash at guest services (or registered a check card directly from your bank), you will not be able to make any purchases on board the ship at all. All transactions are facilitated through your cruise card (or wristband) and must have one of three payment methods backing it up – even if you’re in the Yacht Club and you try to get a drink at the South Beach Bar on deck 7. The bartender will need to swipe your card, and for yacht club guests you’ll get a receipt back to sign with a balance due of $0.00 (not required inside the yacht club enclave – they just bring you your drink). Everyone needs to link one of those payment methods to their cruise account in order to make any purchasing transactions on board.

Now, let’s say you have purchased $1,000 of OBCs prior to your cruise using your AMEX card, but you only use $750 during your week onboard. The remaining $250 balance will be returned back to that same AMEX card you used to make the purchase 1-3 business days after your cruise ends. This has happened to me each time without a problem. I didn’t use a TA however, so I’m not sure what happens if you made the purchase through an agent. Through MSC these transactions are made from their HQ in Europe and are usually in my account first thing Monday morning following the end of the cruise.

11 hours ago, Amaya042605 said:

I have cruised on a couple RCC and on the Norwegian.  I am looking at the Meraviglia and I am a little skeptical. I have been reading a lot of reviews and my questions are:

 1. Can you get tap water in the MDR? If not, what complimentary drink can you get?

2. When I book (with a travel agent), will my cabin be guaranteed? Can I pick my room?

3. Is there any other complimentary places to eat other than the MDR and market place buffet?

4. Does anyone have a picture of the MDR menu? How many appetizers, main courses and desserts are there to choose from?

5. How is the food in the MDR and buffet?

6. Is there a teen club?

 

thank you for your advice

 

 

 

The only question I can answer for you is #6: yes there is a teen club on board. We always sail in the Yacht Club with MSC because the price really can't be beat when compared with everything you get. In the Yacht Club, you'll have access to a private restaurant just for YC passengers. All drinks (including alcoholic beverages - not including "Premium spirits" are included), wich includes as much water as you can drink all over the ship. If you book with a YC suite with a TA, yes your room will be guaranteed and you'll be able to select the room that best fits your desires.

19 hours ago, jd1966 said:

First time MSC cruiser. We are on the Seaside on March 9 (7:00 PM departure). My boarding docs state that my "Check-In Opens at 16:15)". What time do they really start the boarding process?

We've cruise MSC many times - they usually start embarking incoming passengers around 11:00am. MSC does like to separate incoming passengers into groups so that everyone doesn't show up at once, but you'll be able to get on board if you arrive at the port at noon. Definitely don't wait until 4:15pm.

We have booked two suites for our family of five in the past. We're cruising Seaside June 29th and have two Yacht Club suites booked this time. But the Seaside does have what they call Super Family Plus suites that can sleep up to 10 people.

1 hour ago, HeavySeaman said:

I heard that one of the best things about MSC is the blue shower gel in the dispenser. No?

I've heard that too, but having compared it against H2O during our last couple of cruises I can honestly say that I much prefer the H2O. The MSC bath wash is fine, nothing against it at all - but the H2O Sea Salt just smells like it belongs on a cruise ship during a trek through the Caribbean.

8 minutes ago, champagne123 said:

 

We bring our own all of the time....but I have to say, I just looked this up and it is $18!!!!!  Holy Cow!!!  Does the soap have gold in it?  

LOL! That's funny. No, there's not any gold in it. It is expensive, which is why we buy one bottle for the cabin to use during our 7-night cruises. Just a little cherry we put on top of our cruise vacations. 

It smells great though. Sometimes, you can find it at Marshall's for less than $10. But we usually pick up a bottle at the Ulta near the Miami airport before boarding the ship.

Yes you can bring your own. We always bring our own, no matter which cruise line we're on. Our preferred choice for our cruise vacations is H2O+ Sea Salt Body Wash. We discovered this while cruising aboard the Disney Fantasy Concierge years ago and love it. It just seems to go with the Caribbean Seas. It's still a liquid though.

On 1/1/2019 at 11:53 AM, LisaLisa87 said:

 

Room Pic 5 by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

 

 

Room Pic 2 by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Room Pic 1 by LCT Flickr, on Flickr

 

Hi Lisa, one more question. When the sofa was pulled out into the bed configuration, was it difficult to get in and out of the door to the veranda? We sailed in the Royal Suite with only two our three daughters the last cruise. All three of them will be in a deluxe suite in June, so I'm just curious.

8 minutes ago, LisaLisa87 said:

Thanks for your contributions to this thread. I hope we're on the same sailing one day!

 

Aww, shucks Lisa. Thank you.

On 1/4/2019 at 8:48 PM, LisaLisa87 said:

I'm going to wrap up my "10 Worst" list now. I'm kind of regretting my format, as I don't like having a bunch of complaints clumped together! I'm thinking I should have alternated between my favorite and least favorite aspects of the cruise. In any case, I'll keep the details to a minimum, as it's really the first three on the list that will factor in to our decision about whether to sail with MSC again.

 

4. Layout of Ship

Compared to other large ships we've been on, we found the layout of Seaside to be choppy and somewhat confusing. We also felt that the ship could have benefited from some larger public spaces. A lot of the venues seemed small relative to the number of passengers on the ship. We were a little baffled by the Garage Club. There were rarely people in that space, and we it's not clear what the intent of it was. The arcade seemed like an afterthought -- not much to do there. And what is La Boheme? Was this intended to be a restaurant at one point? I think the thing we missed most vs. RCCL Oasis class is the spacious, open pool deck. The pool deck on Seaside felt chopped up and was so crowded the couple of times we walked through the area that we decided to avoid it. 

6. Elevators

Thankfully we're able bodied and were looking to add to our step counts, because the elevators were a big problem on this sailing. Most days, 3 of the 4 forward elevators on the starboard side were out of order. And for whatever reason, the priority service feature did not seem to work at that elevator bank. The few times we tried to take the elevator, we waited for a long time, only to find that the elevator was packed like a can of sardines when it finally arrived. It was a long walk from decks 4, 5, and 6 to deck 16, but at least we burned off some of the calories we consumed!

Another great review LisaLisa. I’d like to add my two cents on a couple of your points.

4. Layout of the ship. You are 100% correct about the ship's layout. My wife and I feel the same way about Seaside and Divina. They are both very beautiful ships; especially Seaside with all the polished chrome and mirrors everywhere. But it is very choppy and confusing. I usually have my bearings by day 3 of our voyages on a new ship, but I was still running into dead-ends on day 6 of our first Seaside voyage. At times there seems to be no rhyme or reason why a particular corridor would end, forcing you to cross over from port side to starboard to continue your journey fore or aft. And sometimes you’d have to go to another deck to get from bow to stern. A little annoying at times, but it always provide a means to see areas of the ship that you may not have otherwise. I didn’t use the MSC for me app to help navigate around because I really try to unplug on our cruise vacations – I guess I’m a gluten for punishment, Lol. And "crowded on the main pool deck" is an understatement! I don’t think I’d ever cruise MSC outside of the Yacht Club (or Concierge aboard DCL). 

6. Elevators. I had the priority elevators figured out from our times aboard Divina, so never had a problem with summoning one whenever we were trying to get to a show or one of the themed parties in the atrium. The trick is to NOT push any buttons when you’re calling for the elevator. Simply scan your wristband or cruise card and the elevator will come to you (unless there’s a YC passenger in the elevator already). Then when you board the elevator, scan your YC cruise card (or wristband) again and press your desired deck and it’ll take you straight to that deck. However, like you if we were only going 2 or 3 decks up or down we’d just take the stairs. I think I only used the priority feature twice in the entire week. Once after the muster drill on day-1; and another when we were running late for the Michael Jackson show.

31 minutes ago, LisaLisa87 said:

I was incorrect when I said that we ate at the restaurant 5 times. We didn't go night 2 because we went to the Teppenyaki restaurant for my birthday or night 3 because we ate in San Juan. On the last night, we decided to try the buffet on deck 8. The selection and quality of the food were pretty good! I know the staff in the restaurant would have been horrified to learn that we had chosen to eat at the buffet, so we kept the info to ourselves.

I would mention that to MSC. They take pride in the Yacht Club product, and if they started to get enough reviews from YC passengers saying they had decided to eat in the buffet instead of the YC restaurant then they'd take action to address that. Because you're right, if the maitre d' knew that some of his guests were choosing to eat at the buffet instead of his restaurant I'd like to think that he would have been horrified and would want to take corrective action.

To talk about the deck chairs at the YC Pool Deck - my wife is a teacher, so we always cruise during the busy summer months (June or July) when there is a full passenger manifest. It is a surprise to hear that you had trouble finding three deck chairs together at times. In our past experiences with MSC Seaside & Divina, we never had that issue. Finding a table to eat over by the bar and grill is almost impossible on Seaside because I think there are only 3 or 4 tables available anyway. But we have always been able to find deck chairs even on sea days at 1:30 in the afternoon. The problem is that people need to stop trying to save chairs. If you're out sunbathing, swimming, whatever then by all means grab a chair. But when you leave for a spa appointment, or to go grab lunch at the restaurant, don't drape a towel over the chair in an attempt to save it for when you get back. That's just wrong. If people stop doing that, I think the problem would go away - in the YC at least. On the main pool deck - no chance. 

10 minutes ago, LisaLisa87 said:

Life has been busy, both at work and at home, so I'm going to have to elaborate on my "10 Worst" list piecemeal.

 

More later!

 

LisaLisa, I must say that I love your writing style. Your word choices make it very easy to follow and it tells us everything about your experiences. I've been to these ports before (so maybe that has something to do with it), but still . . . very nicely worded review of your experiences. I can't wait to read the rest.

9 hours ago, abisha said:

Hi.. Is there somewhere where I can find a drink price list?  I am trying to decide if I should get the drink package.  

 

With regard to excursions, there does not seem to be many listed at all.  Does MSC not offer many excursions, or are you best to use independent tour operators?

 

Are you allowed to bring any bottled water or wine on board on embarkation day?

I belong to a Facebook group for the Seaside and we have accumulated pics of just about all the drink lists & packages posted there. Not sure if you have a Facebook account or not, but that's an option for you. Deciding whether or not to purchase a drink package or not depends on how much you plan to drink on your holiday. If you (and your spouse) plan to drink a couple of beers, maybe a scotch throughout the day, a glass of wine with dinner, and an after dinner nightcap each day, then I'd recommend getting the all inclusive package. Because one or two people (husband and wife) drinking that amount can come to a fairly hefty bar tab at the end of 7-nights. And I prefer not to worry about how much I'm drinking throughout the voyage. Premium drink package - then pop the cork and enjoy the week!

Excursions: You can select from many excursions at the MSC Cruises website. Just log into your booking and select the port of call from your itinerary and view the one that interests you. Many of them have videos that provide a preview of what the excursion is all about.

Bringing liquids on board: No. MSC does not allow bottled water or any other beverages to be brought on board.