Trueblueky

On 1/10/2024 at 4:21 PM, tofubeast said:

We sailed 7 nights on the Seashore from 12/29 to 1/5 in a Fantastica balcony cabin (14241) on deck 14. Our cabin was right next to the ones that bend inward toward the back, so we had an awesome side view of the entire back of the ship and wake. 

 

Boarding was pretty easy (at least in comparison to Miami). We parked at the terminal. We checked in our suitcases and made our way upstairs. Security moved smoothly and we were probably on the ship within a half hour. Unlike our Divina sailing in '22, they did not give us our cruise cards when we checked in. Instead, we found them on our cabin door. (I am not sure I like it that way for obvious security reasons.) Our cabin attendant was FABULOUS all week. He worked quickly and efficiently and he was super friendly. Our stateroom was always in great shape after he tidied it up.

 

The food was good. Not horrible, not AMAZING. Some dishes were more stellar than others. I don't recommend the lobster tails on Elegant Night. They were overcooked, so order something else. Yes, I have had better food on other lines, but even on my more recent RCCL cruise a few years ago, I noted that the food had gone down from what I had remembered. We were bummed to get the earliest 5 PM seating, and unfortunately, our waitlist did not go through to switch to the 7 pm seating. On the nights we couldn't make it to the dining room, we just enjoyed the buffet. We did enjoy Hola Tacos and the Kaito Teppanaki specialty restaurants. I wasn't as in love with the Sushi bar. We had great food servers for all these meals. Everyone was friendly and attentive.

 

Overall, the MSC crew was very friendly and seemed to remember us. Many greeted us as we walked by. We especially adored the staff in Venchi. Get the hot chocolate with whipped cream. TRUST ME! Yum. 

 

The photographers on the ship were excellent. We were able to get some very special photos from this trip that we will cherish. We did not pay for Wifi, but for some odd reason, I-Message on our Iphones worked the entire cruise (both on the ship and texting friends back home.) The app needs a little work as it crashed a lot.

 

Our ports were Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya, and Ocean Cay. We booked excursions outside the ship and were glad we did. Cheaper and much smaller touring groups. I can't rave enough about Native Choice to see Chacchoben Ruins in Costa Maya and Butts Up for cave tubing in Belize. They were both INCREDIBLE. It also helped that we were gifted with gorgeous weather throughout our cruise...not too hot or humid and no rain. Perfection! Ocean Cay was even more beautiful than our last visit. Trees and greenery are filling in more. I am excited to see all the new additions and changes coming this year (especially since they are more of the simple/elegant variety that keep in line with the serenity of this particular private island).

 

NYE activities were plentiful on the ship. Lots of people were decked out in cool outfits and it was fun just to people watch. There was a big party out by the pool deck (a little too cold out for me that evening) and entertainment in the main area with a countdown. It was funny to see everyone raid the buffet minutes after the countdown. People dressed to the nines running around to get pizza etc. But it was fun, and they also had special cakes and desserts to mark the occasion. 

 

The entertainment was just okay. I wasn't impressed with the dueling piano singers, but the acoustics in that space are pretty bad. Perhaps they would sound better in a room made for music. The illusionist show was cheesy in an 80s/90s kinda way. It was the only nighttime show we went to in the theater.

 

Leaving the ship was pretty easy. We waited in the buffet area until we were called and we were off the ship pretty quickly.  I have no complaints. 

 

Overall, we had a relaxing and fun week. No major things to complain about. People around us seemed pretty happy, too. I call that a win in my book.

Agree that Native Choice in Costa Maya provides great excursions at a reasonable price.

www.bahn.de/en provides train routes in Germany in English. If you know the addresses, you can enter those and door-to-door directions.

This site is good for all of Europe, so you could see Copenhagen to Kiel or Hamburg to Kiel.

Where do you get the list of CD for future cruises?

It's a cold time to visit Alaska.

In Seward, the Kenai Fjord National Park excursion on a small ship is my favorite. We saw dozens of orcas plus larger whales.

We used regular mail, no rush, this year, and it took six weeks. Whatever the delay was must be over.

Several years ago with HAL, we took one that went north of town to a cable car up a mountain and that stopped at an artist village before getting us to the airport in plenty of time for the redeye.

On 6/22/2023 at 10:58 PM, KnitPicker5 said:

I misunderstood the title. I thought TA meant transatlantic and the thing that would be different from other cruises is that you may have several 23 or 25 hour days.

TA means Transatlantic. Leave from Florida, arrive in Spain, stay a while, fly back to Florida.

DW and I take several medications. We plan to stay in Spain for a while after the cruise. What do you do with medications? I figure to bring 4-weeks, just in case. What do EU and Spanish require?  Bringing original pill bottles doesn't make sense. Do you need copies of prescriptions? Photos of bottles? Is reentry to US an issue?

So, we'll need dollars in the beginning and euros at the end. Does the ship's ATM accommodate that?

MSC has overnight stays in New York City, Bermuda, Lisbon, and elsewhere.

What are the rules for that night?

Costa Maya cruise terminal can get crowded when the big ships are in town. Mahahual is a $4 cab ride and uncrowded.

We've been to Chacchoben from there also.

I feel Belize City requires a tour. We've been to Altun Ha and Lamanai from there.

12 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

They do close down one side for cleaning during off hours and will only have one station open. It would be unusual to have all drink stations closed down at any time during the cruise though.

That was my experience in April. One station was open on Lido early. Crew is working to clean up from the night before and get ready for continental breakfast.

Your body will adjust to the time change.  Summer days are looong in Alaska, compared to NM.

On 5/2/2023 at 8:42 PM, Rik2084 said:

We’re on the Meraviglia now and we had our gala night yesterday. I was surprised at how many people were dressed down. There were men in T-shirts and shorts and not one word was said. So I wouldn’t worry about how you’re dressed.

Good to know. One less suitcase to pack.

On 5/4/2023 at 10:07 AM, skittl1321 said:

I haven't been to Asia, but I've never had trouble finding ketchup or toast in either Europe or South America.

Of course not. The second they recognize you're American they bring a bottle of catsup for you.

There are ok excursions out of Freeport, but the cruise area itself is not worth getting of the ship.

If you walk a little uphill in Nassau, you can see historic area and avoid the aggressive sales.

Recommend the hop-on, hope off in Key West. Stop where you're interested.

My favorite tv channel on Carnival is the one with the map that shows our location.  We were on the Magic this month, and that channel is much below the previous version. No slide showing miles travelled, current speed, etc.

When did that happen? Why?

Aren't there self-service laundries aboard?

Just off the Magic today. We don't gamble, but love that the fourth deck casino is non-smoking because you need to get to fourth floor MDR somehow.  The route thru the 4th deck casino is straight.

The route thru the 5th deck casino (smoking) meanders. 

The 3rd deck has the galley, so it is not an option for walking the length of the ship.

Which terminal does MSC use?

23 hours ago, Cyn874 said:

It's a bit unnerving to me because I'm sailing on the Sunshine in May.

What are the odds there'd be two deaths in one year? 

You can have mine at Serenity. The balcony chairs are always free.

On 12/28/2022 at 9:47 PM, CajunOyster said:

 

Depends on what you're counting.  You're right that they're fourth in most categories like fleet size and daily departures.  I think they're still third in passenger count though.  Either way I still think they're TBTF though.

First in passengers carried within the US.

If you think they're too big to fail, remember Eastern, TWA, PanAm.

On 12/5/2022 at 2:27 PM, Out of Iowa said:

Thank you for sharing.  Your viewpoints reinforce what SIL and her hubby thought:  they did Princess in Alaska (for some reason) and said Alaska was great but no reason for them to choose Princess again.

For an Alaskan cruisetour, Princess and HAL are best. The land portions are about the same. In fact, the Princess lodging at Denali is beside the HAL one.

We sail Carnival for most cruises.

27 minutes ago, Joanne G. said:

I agree.   And I wish more people posted reviews.   I am looking at excursions for my upcoming Pride cruises in Europe, and there are very few reviews.   I know that Carnival hadn't had a ship in Europe for a while, but, as far as I know, they did sail this past summer, presumably with many of the same excursions offered for next year.   The excursions are pretty expensive, so it would be good to know peoples' experiences.   

 

I will be posting reviews in order to help others make their decisions!

You might look at Costa's excursions in those ports. They may be the same.