Touringmom

5 hours ago, jamon said:

If you have an easy drink package, can you use it on ocean caye without a charge? and can you get the standard drinks that the easy drink package allows?

Didn’t have drink package but those in our party found getting. Few drinks paid individually was much cheaper than a package. 

6 hours ago, catergirl said:

just wondering what additional costs on the private island ocean caye? food? drinks? thanks 

Food at buffet and food trucks free. I’ve cream shop and bars are paid. Food tucks did not have any drinks. We bought bottled water and soda at beach bar. 

On 1/5/2020 at 8:37 PM, Reds4life said:

How crowded was the pool area? Splash park?

Heavily used (pool more than splash pad) but not Nearly as packed as other ships I’ve been on. If you go later afternoon -after 4 or so when early diners have gone to get ready- it’s more open. 

7 hours ago, need2cruise said:

Was wondering about the sauna/ steam room situation on Armonia...are there any complimentary sauna or steam rooms or is it like the thermal suites on the newer ships

Sorry did not use spa so cannot answer this one!

On 1/2/2020 at 6:37 PM, Reds4life said:

Is there still mini golf?

I never went up to Deck 13 but according to the MSC website it is still there!

We ate at the food truck on OC last week. There was not really a line at all. It did close at 3 PM but it was free. Hot dogs, burgers, veggie burgers, brownies and fries. 

The beaches shut down at 5pm when we were there last week. 

We were on the Armonia last week. I actually think fewer people dressed up for formal nights on MSC than Carnival. We wore nice clothes, but not formalwear. (IE dresses for women and Khakis/collared shirts for men) I just saw a picture of myself someone in my family took - I was sitting at dinner in my dress and noticed that there’s somebody sitting at a table behind me in a t shirt. So clearly there’s a mix. I saw ONE tuxedo all week. 

3 hours ago, cellfree said:

Touringmom glad you had a good trip.  We were on Armonia in September before dry dock and are going out again in 12 days.  Have been wondering about dry dock - we thought ship was in very good shape except for flooring on poolside deck area - so I suspect that was changed out.  Have cruised various size ships and various age ships - have never met a ship we didn't like.  Looking foward to Armonia again.

Yes the flooring looked fine to me so I assume it was replaced! 

16 minutes ago, aprilF said:

I was on the week before you.  Did they fix the shattered glass pane on the pool deck near the midship elevators.  Thought it odd that was not fixed during dry dock.

There was a broken pane near the outdoor area of the buffet but I would have called it cracked not shattered. Does that sound like it? That was the only one I noticed, I think. Maybe it happened after dry dock? 

3 hours ago, SpringfieldFam said:

Thanks for the tips about making extra space in the cabin. We will be on the Armonia in late February, travelling with our 5 sons. Were you on board with kids? Were there enough interesting activities for them during the day and anything you would definitely recommend for kids or stay away from? I also see there is an arcade on the ship - is it free to use the machines?

We did have our daughters with us. Their cousin was on this trip also, so they did a lot of card playing together. Yes there is a video arcade – right outside the teen club if I recall correctly. We did not use it so I don’t know if the machines are free or not. There are not a ton of activities on this trip aimed at kids. There are lots of movies however in the movie theater during the day that would appeal. There are also places for sports up on the top decks. We did a lot of reading, trivia, etc. With only two sea days most of the time is spent off the ship or at dinner and shows in the evening! 

We cruised on Armonia Dec 23-30. Had a good trip. A simple ship but in very good repair (although I had assumed it would be redecorated in dry dock it was not, but I couldn’t see any issues that needed repair whatsoever, so it looked good.) Food was good, but leaned toward European choices, which was a good thing for my family and we enjoyed. I was nervous that cabin would feel sooo small (ocean view) but it was fine because we did the beds as 4 twins, bunk bed style, rather than a queen and 2 bunks. This gave us much more floor space. We also brought an over the door shoe organizer, over the door hooks, and a lot of extra hangers from the dry cleaner, so that helped us take better advantage of the closet space. 
Any questions? 

We are booked with a smaller group- 3 rooms - and were told that because our reservation numbers are all linked to each other that we would be seated together at dinner. I plan to go to the maître d’ upon boarding just to find out. We booked our excursions online for those that we are doing together. For those, we are not “together “per se, but we all booked the same thing individually.

We are sailing MSC for the first time over Christmas with extended family. I am bringing small gifts for everyone but also wanted to bring some fun Christmas candy for the kids. I read on MSC‘s website that no food is allowed to be brought on board. Do you think they would allow candy? Toblerone bars etc...

This is why I am always hesitant to sail on the larger ships and we tend to sail on the smaller ones. You’re just in competition with a whole lot less people for space on beaches, excursions etc. if are with 2000 people rather than 4000 or 6000. We are going to Ocean Cay on Armonia which is the smallest ship to visit the island. 

We took a kayaking excursion in Freeport to Lucayan National Park. Highly recommend! 

 We’ve never done this before, but we’d like to decorate our door on our upcoming cruise for the Christmas holiday. Are the doors on the Armonia magnetic?   Does anyone know of any rules MSC has regarding door decor? I know carnival puts rules on their site but I didn’t see any for MSC unless I missed them.  

Always choose the option to make a new booking and you will get through ASAP! 

Thank you! Unfortunately there are just 2 family suites on the whole ship but they were booked. All other suites and balcony rooms are a max of 3 people. Good thing we are a close family! 

Hello!

1. Can Armonia cards be punched to wear on a lanyard or do you need a pouch?

2. We have an ocean view room for our family of 4 - any storage tips from people who have seen this room in person? It looks so tiny especially without a balcony to put our sandy stuff on after excursions but there were no available balcony rooms for 4!

3. We are traveling with extended family so there are 9 of us in total. Will we get one big table in dining room? We have the early seating. Our reservations are all linked. 

Will they take American dollars?

Will they take American dollars?

The kayak excursion was fantastic. The beach you end up on is amazing and basically empty. If I ever go back to Freeport I’m doing it again!

Is the Armonia a Smart Ship or will it possibly become one after the late Nov dry dock?

We are not drinkers but husband loves diet soda. On Carnival we were able to bring our own (one 12 pack per person) and I think on another line we bought a refillable mug. Can we do anything to get soda only on Amonia? We don’t want to buy a drinks package as we don’t want to pay that much as he just wants diet soda. He would just drink a few a day.