RyanMFitz1

Sorry everyone, I have been sick ( much better now).  I will be on the Sky Princess next week.  

Super excited.  Especially having just been sick.  

Does anyone have ( or can point me in the direction of) any new MDR, Room Service, drink ( Plus/Premium) etc menus?  Cruising in 18 days and super excited to be back on Princess.

Thank you all in advance for your help 🙂 

I am so excited more and more.  And now that I told my mom about the lobster tail, she is super excited.  Thank you everyone ! 

Thank you.  My mom loves the lobster tail.  Always been small but she makes up for it for sure.  LOL  

I myself always liked the prime rib option that night as its always been a favoriate "treat" of mine.  

Thank you in 🙂 

I am cruising on the Sky Princess 1/28/23 and been looking at menu's on the ships but don't see if for the "Formal/Elegant"  nights, if they still do the lobster tails and prime rib/steak is still an option?

53 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

I posted the menus & photos for our recent cruise on the Sapphire in my live. They were using Hawai'ian cruise menus. They start about post #297 & include steakhouse & Sabatinis menus.

 

Thank you for this.  After I hit submit, I forgot to put that I will be on the Sky princess.  

Does anyone know where to find updated MDR Menu's for Princess Ships?  I am booked on the Sky he end of January and want to know how much weight to lose now based on how many dinners I plan to eat then  LOL 

Thanks in advance !

18 hours ago, urbanhawk said:

I wish you well on your journey. I had a co-worker several years ago, who went to Thailand for her transition. She was pleased with the end results. Since this is such personal matter, I guess it depends on how open you want to be. Is it anybody's business?  (This is a rhetorical question!) 

 

Sorry I don't know, which cruise lines may be  more open minded/ tolerant..Hope it all works out for you.  Happy cruising!

I agree, is it anyone's business in the big scheme of things.  I have always tried to be conscientious of everyone.   

16 hours ago, hollowgirl said:

Maybe not super helpful but when someone says they don't "get it" in regards to my teen being trans, I let them know they don't have to get it , but if they make problems they can "get" these hands. 

 

Jokes aside, I would assume it's probably the same as anywhere else. Every cruise will have a fair mix of people from all walks of life including allies, LGBTQ , and unfortunately the transphobic.  Do not be afraid of speaking to crew members if you come across a problem with a particular passenger, they are there to make sure EVERYONE has a good vacation. 

Thank you for this positive and first hand account of the issue.  I am confident in myself, and certainly being in the LGBT community no stranger to comments/confrontation.  I have found in the past on cruises, no one pays anyone any mind unless some actions warrants that.  

Much love to you and your teen.  ❤️ 

I thank you all for your feedback.  ❤️ 

As a LGBT cruiser, I am pretty CONFIDENT on the one port NOT to get off at <wink>  Of course more research would need to be done on my part.  

By the time I cruise, I will have all proper documentation in place, that alligns with the gender that I identify with.  

I didn't really think much attention would be paid if I "blend in" like everyone else does.  🙂

I am in the beginning phases of my transition and have a cruise already booked 2 years from now.  Of course we can't predict the future, my question is this:

Based on your experienced, how are transgendered people received on a cruise?  Any line "better" than the other in regards to this?

PLEASE KEEP HATEFUL SPEECH OR NEGATIVE OPINIONS TO YOURSELF.  THANKS 

I am in the beginning phases of my transition and have a cruise already booked 2 years from now.  Of course we can't predict the future, my question is this:

Based on your experienced, how are transgendered people received on a cruise?  Any line "better" than the other in regards to this?  

2 hours ago, Husky61 said:

You really don't need to self help disembark at San Pedro for a 1235 flight, owever for the 4 day cruise you probably won't have much luggage. . We book a private car and make it to LAX easily by that time.  You can also let the ship staff know you would like an early disembark so you are one of the first off of the ship. However, LAX is nothing like STL for convenience. The last time I flew out of STL, I was the only one in the pre-check line.

 

With that said, I am one person that doesn't stress out like many if they miss a flight.  If I miss a flight I get a later one or just spend the night and enjoy a few drinks and a nice dinner, and leave the next day. I do have pre-check and Clear, so security  lines are usually not a problem for me.😃

I like your relaxed method of flying.  The best way by far !

I am looking at fights from LAX around 12:35 on disembarkation day.  Doing a little 4 night cruise from LA and hoping getting off the ship is quick enough to make a flight like that. 

NEver cruised out of west coast and appreciate everyone advise on this <3 

13 hours ago, xcell said:

Thanks for the review -- we have the same stops on our March cruise.

 

Did your nieces like their first cruise?

 

Sorry to hear about your experiences in Jamaica/2 Ladies -- can't cure stupid. 

Thank you for asking about my Nieces.  My eldest niece, 9 years old started out rough.  Had a battle with seasickness, but she got on top of that and by Monday, she was good as new.  My other niece, 6 years old, you couldn't have told her she was on a ship from land.  They both had a blast.  

10 hours ago, reedprincess said:

I agree with much of your review. We were aboard January 26  sailing also. 

 

To be honest though - we loved Jamaica and had none of the negatives you described.. I read the description you gave of the area where we exited the ship and picked up a cab to my husband - neither of us could relate what you're describing to what we experienced.

We exited the main port area into the taxi /tour area, spoke with a lovely tourism rep who walked us to the cab area, introduced us to the next driver up in the queu, driver had a binder with photos of different options with prices listed - we discussed what we wanted, negotiated the price and away we went. We had a fantastic day, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Got offered some weed a few times, a polite no thanks was all it took to send them on their way.  No other hassling by vendorz or anything -  and yes, we went to Dunn's River Falls on our own, etc. We absolutely loved our day, and are looking forward to returning - with MSC - in December.

 

We also didn't encounter the 2 ladies you described. Thank goodness. They would have received a piece of both my and my husband's mind also.. We met wonderful folks from all over and thoroughly enjoyed the mix of passengers - so many interesting people from all over, it was fab! 

 

We loved our cruise, pretty much everything about it. Food was wonderful, service was great, especially at the bars and dining room, we never felt crowded, etc - although that pool deck on 16 on sea days was amazing - cheek to jowel, I believe is the phrase! Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves though. The pool games were fun to watch! 

 

We'll definitely be back on Seaside, and MSC overall...  Glad that you also enjoyed your cruise itself.  

I wish I would have done an excursion in Jamaica, despite it all.  Unfortunately I am 40 years old and hearing slurs hurled toward me like that is old hat.  But in a foreign country, it does kinda m ake you feel uneasy.  That being said, next time, I will do an excursion.  

I wish I could have met you on board.  I agree the people were amazing on board.  I was so fascinated by the cultures on board. .  

Having never been on MSC I was unsure what to expect, but was so pleased.  ACtually just booked next year Feb 2020.  

3 hours ago, nycfa said:

Going in July.......wondering.....how was getting the tenders in Grand Cayman?  

 

We need to be off early (not a cruise ship excursion) and wondering how efficient they are with tender tickets etc.....

We didn't have any issues getting a tender.  What I didn't know in talking with prior cruisers and staff is Grand Cayman is a hit/miss port.  Depending on how rough the water is, they may skip the port because its unsafe for the tenders, or if the waters get to rough in middle of day, they will nto take anymore from the ship and just bring back.  Found that fascinating.  Its thaat way anytime of year.  

5 minutes ago, psmarkle said:

That is BS that you had to endure that ignorant treatment from other passengers and good for you for speaking up!!

 

I agree, Jamaica is my least-liked island for the aggressive behavior and just all the trask everywhere.  We did Dunns River Falls as part of a tour and still got hustled at the falls area.  A vendor tried to keep our change saying he'd have to go get smaller bills and stop by on our way out.  I immediately pulled out exact change and asked for my larger bill back...he didn't like that at all.

 

Our upcoming cruise, we plan to do a day pass to an all-inclusive resort to separate us from the haggling and hustling.

 

Question:  for Cozumel, did they issue any travel cautions or areas to avoid given the drug cartel wars slipping into the hotel zone (based on articles I've read online)?  I'm just getting concerned about that stop and thinking of staying on the ship.

They didn't issue any warnings about the cartels.  

My advise would be to do the ship sponsored excursion ( they have some fairly unepensive ones)  

Thank you for your compliments.  I speak up for anyone, regardless of anything when wrong is done and ignorance is the prevailing cause.  

Hello fellow cruisers....This will be a review unlike any you will have read, especially in the end......

My family ( 6 of us) went on cruised MSC for the very first time.  2 of the 6, were my nieces ( 6 years old, and 9 years old).  I booked this trip to take my nieces on their very first cruise, and everyone else tagged along for the memory.  Being my nieces first cruise, I wanted this to be EXTRA memorable, we stayed in cabin 15041, balcony room.  My first time EVER in a balcony room.  Not having anything to compare a balcony room to prior other than inside, I felt the room, was very spacious, but tight especially for 4 people.  We made it work just fine, but took some maneuvering.  

When we walked onto the ship, about 12:00 p.m. , the very first thing you notice are the Swarovski stairs and the 3 ( maybe 4) deck high LED wall in the atrium.  STUNNING.  A WOW factor but not overly done and tacky. Our room was ready, dropped off the luggage and proceeded onward to discover our home away from home for the next 7 days.  ( COMMENT).  When you walk in, at almost every bar there are staff wanting to upsell your drinks on us package.  Let me tell you, if you are THINKING about doing that, DO IT BEFORE you get on board.  When you get on board, that "deluxe" upgrade to the frozen drinks/coffee, etc is non-existant.  That being said, to upgrade your package on board is almost 300.00 per person versus the 180 something before you get onboard.  IMO MSC is going to force the other cruise lines to really reevaluate their drink packages. If you take the drinks on us package MSC gives, you DO PAY the nominal 15% service charge, which if you look at the price of a drink w/o it, $15.00 PLUS the 15% you see the cost savings already.  People often think " I will do this on board"....DONT.  Honestly, pay ahead and save yourself money, they do increase the prices on board.  

The decor of the ship is amazing, hands down.  somethings, like the "garage" dance bar, the theme doesn't make sense to the overall design of the ship in general.  But it is what it was and certainly didn't give me a negative impression of the ship, just a head scratch when it came to how that fit into the theme of the ship.   

There are plenty of things to do on the ship.  And I am always happy to see the meeting groups Friends of Bill W and LGBT gatherings.  The bowling alley was fun, not too expensive either.  I will say that getting around the ship is pretty easy.  One of the highlights by far is the 70's party in the atrium.  The music is great, the energy of the crowd is infectious.  You find yourself dancing before too long.  I looked around, young and old alike, enjoying the contagious rhythms of such a great decade of song. 

The food was great, we at in the Impanema dining room and had James, from the Phillipeans and Alicia, from St. Lucia as our wait staff.  LOVED THEM.  I had a great bond with Alicia and truly miss her.  ( IF you have her, tell her Ryan from St. Louis says hello).  I was shocked that there wasn't lobster available at the captain's dinner like its complimentary on other cruise lines, on MSC they have a selection of food that you can, purchase.  Again, that didn't' leave a bad impression to me, was just an observation.  The food I did eat, and it was ALOT, was fantastic.  I have read a lot of reviews that the Buffett food wasn't always good and was the same.  Now, to answer this it's a yes and no.  Yes, the food was the same and not it wasn't.  They had new items every day on the Buffett, but also had the same stuff throughout the week.  The food, what should have been hot, was hot, and cold, was cold.  I ate dinner in the dining room a couple times for breakfast, and that was always nice, and fresher than what you would get on the buffett.  

Let me talk now about entertainment.  All of the shows were fantastic.  They were so fantastic, especially the final show, Starwalker - The tribute to Michael Jackson, was nothing short of THE BEST SHOW ON SEA.  Here is kinda a complaint, but more so from a personal standpoint.  You make reservations for the show.  You see the show 1 time, that's it.  You can't see it more than once UNLESS there are seats available after the show and the usher will let you know.  On prior cruises I have been on, I saw the show sometimes everytiime because of how good it was.  These shows were no exception.  I would love to watch them over and over again.  For me, they weren't long enough.  They were just that good :) 

The islands were great, loved Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  In Grand Cayman, we did a tour that went to Hell and then took us to the beach.  Was nice, did some shopping along the way and back to the ship.  Cozumel is a shoppers dream.  Being a shopper myself, when you get off the boat they have an outdoor mall.  Walk the mall FIRST, see who has what and at what price.  Most of them have the same things, but some stores, are MUCH CHEAPER than others.  Costa Maya, eh, I could do with or without it.  

This next part is strictly where my review went south and is NOT A REFLECTION of the ship.....

We were in Jamaica, I got off the boat with my mother and brother in law and from the moment you step off the ship, you MUST walk through this "parking lot" that has all these aggressive asses, grabbing you, pulling you to look at this crap or that.  IF YOU DON'T BUY SOMETHING, They will cuss you out.  They called me a *****, white devil, AIDS Fu*ker, etc. not to mention what they called my mother ( think of any derogatory name for a woman, there you have what she was called).  The shops outside of that horrific swap meet in the parking lot, the restaurants and other shops are quite enchanting.  But you have to get through that gate first.  MSC MUST remove this country from its stops, yes the waters are beautiful and scenery is picturesque.  Float by, let people take pictures and you flip those jerks off.  DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT get off the boat in Jamaica.  

And finally, again, nothing that reflects the ship or the experience, but more so, this is merely for information in hopes that someone NEVER treats another person this way. 

On my Jamaica day and being THANKFUL I was back on board, I went up to the pool to catch some sun.  Had some great conversation with this husband/wife from Spain and on the other side, a charming mature middle-aged gay couple.  Behind them. 2 middle-aged women from the East Coast ( USA).  Lovely day, sun out, laughs etc.  The husband of the one man, simply asked this, " Can you put lotion on my back, I don't want to get to much sun".  In which his husband did just that,  NOTHING VULGAR, or in poor taste.  The ladies behind them went absolutely insane.  Slinging hates speech toward the 2 men. They went as so far to get the ship staff to have the men removed because to quote the one lady " This is a family ship and fags have AIDS", she insisted the pool be drained, and cleaned because she didn't want to catch "THE AIDS".  The men were mortified and while ship staff was very direct in stating they would not do any such thing, and that the couple has every much right to be on that ship as anyone else...That wasn't good enough for me.  This is something very close to my heart, I am 40 years old and have seen TOOOOO many people die from AIDS, my uncle being one of them.  I gave those ladies a mouthful, with pride, tears running down my face.  I respect people's opinions, religion, etc.  But I do not now or ever accept ignorance.  this is 2019 and if you do not know about the HIV/AIDS virus and how its transmitted, you deserve whatever verbal lashings you get spoken from your ignorance. So let me tell everyone, you CANNOT get AIDS/HIV in a damn pool, even if you have a cut.  It is scientifically impossible.  Please, get educated, there is no excuse not to be.  Because you could cross someone like me who has no excuse not to give someone the education of a lifetime.  

In whole, I LOVED the MSC Seaside.  I will cruise MSC and the Seaside again.  

Hello fellow members.   

Going to Costa Maya next week on the MSC and we've never been big on cruise ship excursions, but more so "doing our own thing" and going to a beach/shop/lunch type thing.  My question is:  

Are there any beaches close by where the ship docks, within walking distance?  What would you recommend that isn't so costly but still nice. 

Thank you in advance 

Hello fellow cruisersCan anyone point me in the right direction of where to find pictures of any Handicap Accessible room pictures.  Currently I am having surgery on my back end of November and booked right now in a regular balcony stateroom

I have seen a few video's on youtube with cruisers posting VLogs about their cruise regarding the Fantastica balcony bathroom. Does anyone know or can answer, is there a tub in the bathroom for Fantastica Balcony rooms? This would be such a perk if so, especially for my young nieces.

Thanks in advance !

Thank you everyone !

Here's a question....Most, (if not all) have those pamphlets or next day schedules they leave in your cabin at night for the following days activities. Does MSC do that also? Can anyone point me in the right direction of a link possible for any that have been uploaded for the SeasSide ( or even others).

Thank you in advance

Can anyone recommend any hotels near port of miami that can accommodate 6 people in a room ( 4 adults/2children). Thanks in advance