PistolPete13

Hi! NCL actually leaves from their pier on 48th St, and 11th Ave. (Pier 88). Coming in the day before like you are is the best bet. Lot's more hotel choices and easier access to the Pier when you're staying in Manhattan.

As someone with no priority boarding, I've been able to get on the ship around 11AM if you get to the port around 9:30AM for check in. As for cabin access, most likely after 3PM. This is all assuming there are no issues with the ship arriving on time and all the passengers from the previous sailing being able to get off the ship with minimal issues.

Came across some amazing drone footage of your sailaway.

Received a text message that has pushed back my boarding time from 10AM until noon. Not a big deal, I had planned to get there early anyway. For those that may not be aware, tomorrow is a Federal Holiday and traffic should be lighter than normal. On NCL I've always been able to get a solo table for dinner. Not sure if that is the case for MSC dining. Better pack an extra collared shirt in case my tablemates start to notice I'm wearing the same thing for 10 nights....

I hope that isn't the case with the hash references! I have it on good authority that MSC still has a supply of these pucks and will not hesistate to post multiple photos of them on the SemiLive...

Hi @bedfordmom! I'll definitely be wearing all my heavy sweatshirts and extra t-shirts tomorrow (saves on the luggage space!). Getting to Red Hook Brooklyn is definitely a "thing" unless you want to splurge for a direct Uber. My plan is to take the Staten Island ferry over to Bowling Green (I live on Staten Island), then a quick walk to Pier 11 on Wall St. for a NY Waterways ferry that will drop me off right next to the port for $4. I have luggage but it's carry on size so it shouldn't be too big a deal to wrangle hopefully. My boarding time was changed from 9:30AM until noon and notified via a text message yesterday. Some other folks have had their boarding time move up earlier for some reason and that has caused some angst. Being the "pro" that I think I am, I'm just going to get there as early as possible. If I have to wait, I'll wait. I have a phone and with Internet, I'll pass the time updating the Semi-Live!

No much to add there except to say that I feel you pain with the MSC website/tech! At least you're still able to login, I'm locked out completely because the site thinks I'm coming in from a completely different country!

As a solo traveler I didn't find the RC prices with the single supplement to be that great. Their ships seems to be geared more for the families and kids with all the activities. Nothing wrong with that but I didn't think it would be the best fit for me. May need to eyeball some Canadian sailings on NCL in the fall but only if they bring back the morning hashbrown pucks! 🙂

Hi @mking8288! Yes, I'll be taking the "compact" but heavy setup. There is an outside chance to catch a SpaceX launch on 1/17. I say outside chance because that will be a manned launch and the safety standards are probably much more stringent. What are the predicted sea conditions for Tuesday 1/16 with this cold front passing by?

Hello to all my virtual friends here! It's time for another semi-live but I won't be on an NCL ship this time unfortunately! I wanted to sail again with NCL but the ports and ship leaving from NYC this winter was bascially a rinse and repeat of my trip from last Feb/March with some price increases. I've had my eye on MSC ever since they started sailing from NYC a few years ago and everything just fell into place this year. I do have to say, their pricing is super aggressive. I'm getting an inside cabin for around $120 a day (solo) for this 11 day sailing. I got the status match with them for my NCL points but their benefits at equivalent tier are not as good as what NCL offers. In my specific case I will miss the excursion discounts and the free WiFi minutes the most. Like my last semi-lives, expect my initial observations to be dry and boring since I don't do any type of long form writing like this in my job. Hopefully the real Pete will show up a few days in or after someone cuts me off in line during the embarkation buffet lunch! I'll be embarking on Monday for almost two weeks of fun and maybe some sun while the coldest air of the winter so far descends on NYC. -Pete

Hello all, Starting my semi-live review of a 11-night Caribbean round trip from NYC on the Meraviglia starting this coming Monday, 1/15/24. Some background info. Still consider myself a rookie cruiser with 38 nights under my belt since my first cruise in 2019. All of the sailings had been NCL out of NYC. Here is a link to my last semi-live back in Feb of 2023. NCL didn't have any interesting iteniaries from NYC this winter and they were sailing with the same ship as last year so I decided to give MSC a try. MSC has been on my radar since they came into the NYC market a few years ago with some very aggressive pricing. For this sailing the price and ports hit the right notes for me so it was a go during the "Black Friday Sale" this past Thanksgiving. I had not been tracking prices so I'm not sure how much of a sale it really was but it fit my budget and time frame so here we are! So far my experience post booking has not been great thanks to the very clunky website that MSC has. Just for some background, I've been in the software and IT field for over 30 yrs so I've seen and problem solved a lot of issues on similar client facing systems. That being said, here has my experience been so far: 1. Online booking and payment was straightforward. I had created an online account and status matched my NCL rewards for the equivalent MSC early last spring. I found that the benefits on MSC were not as extensive as what I got with NCL. No matter. 2. 30 days before sailing and it was time for Web Check in and this is where the fun begins! I'm not a big fan of mobile apps so I start the check in process via the website login. I completed all the requirements EXCEPT for the photo (the website didn't recognize my webcam for some reason) and linking of a credit card to my account because that option was never present on the website. No big deal right? Once the web portion was completed, I received a confirmation email that was completely in Italian. Again, no big deal, google translate. 3. I download and install the mobile app to my iPhone to complete the missing items in the check in. Take a horrid photo, and link a credit card to my account. 4. Once that process was completed, I log in back to the website to try and get my e-Docs. No go. Each time I press the button to send the docs after entering my email address, I'd get an error pop up. I ended up calling customer service and they were able to generate and send me the big PDF file to my email. 5. I'm a bit of a planner so I wanted to book a few excursions beforehand but was unable to on the website. Error messages would pop up or no excursions would be listed for the port. I continued to check every day and on the third or fourth day, the excursion screen worked and I was able to book two of them. Payment make and email sent to confirm. 6. At this point I should be all set. A few days later I tried to log back into the web account just to make sure nothing has changed because the entire process had left me feeling unsure about the website. This time around I was unable to log back in with my user ID and password. It would kick me out saying I need to connect from the right country. There are two other threads happening here with others having the same issue so I won't rehash the details here. I'm still not able to login but my mobile app works and I'm not about to "rock the boat" this close to my sailing! The booking # login still works but you're limited in functionality with that login. So at this point I have hard copies of all my paperwork and plan to book one more Costa Maya excursion AFTER I get onboard. Packing has commenced and I look foward to seeing how MSC will compare to my NCL experience. If you haven't fallen asleep by this point reading, let me just say that I look forward to having you along from the cruise! If there are others that are on this sailing and would like to add their experience to this thread, please feel free to do so! -Pete

I had the exact same thing happen with my excursion confirmation in Italian and this was back at the beginning of December. Maybe sure the excursion is listed on your eDocs after you complete checkin 30 days before sailing.

Same error on the website for me here after I completed check-in via the mobile app in order to use the camera for the photo and link my credit card. I tried all sorts of devices, ISP providers, and even VPN's to no avail. What a mess their IT systems are. I'm too close to my sailing now (Monday , 1/15) to try and fix everything. I have hard copies of all my paperwork for boarding just in case and my mobile app still shows a valid boarding pass. Maybe this is a sign they only want me to do a one and done cruise with them? LOL

When is your sailing? I have a 1/15/24 sailing and was only able to book excursions for some port stops and would error out on others. I wouldn't stress too much about it. Make a note of the name of the excursion and just book the day you get onboard. That's my plan at least. -Pete

So strange. I was able to book a solo on the Meraviglia for the 1/15/24 sailing about 3 weeks ago. I wonder if this is part of their website / IT booking issues. I had a ton of issues trying to complete the check-in process.

And remember, the menus are the same in all three of those dining rooms so if one is packed, head for the other two.

Happy Holidays to all! I came across a tidbit from the facial site this morning that NCL may have finally locked down the Apple iMessage communications hole on the Getaway (not 100% sure of the ship, too many things happening today!) I'm 22 days out from my first MSC cruise from NYC to FL and Mexico. I will definitely start a semi-live and post a link here. For whatever reason, as an IT guy, I seem to have to most issues with website bookings! After the MSC checkin process, I had to call to get my boarding pass and luggage tags emailed because the website just wouldn't send without bouncing an error back at me. Try to book an excursion? Error. To add insult to injury, I'm completely locked out of the MSC site right after completing check-in because it thinks I'm trying to login from a browser outside of the USA. I've cleared all my caches, tried different browsers, laptops, home, office, Starbucks, no go. Phone support has been no help. I guess someone really wants me to be one and done with MSC! The NCL website has given me plenty of grief over the years, but I've never been completely locked out! I have all my paperwork and the mobile app still works. We'll see if I can get on board in 22 days...

I had the same issue after web check last night and had to call today to fix it. The country of origin field was missing for my passport even though I distinctly remember picking it from the drop down menu during check in...

Thanks for this information. I'd never thought about the impact of all those trucks lined up to restock the ship and idling. NYC has some pretty strict laws on idling cars and I've even see local news reports of some people making $$$ reporting violators and getting a cut of the fines levied. I guess commercial vehicles could be exempt? Shore power is another surprise to be because I would assume that is a given. I'll be at the Brooklyn terminal for a sailing next month for the first time and will look for the connections and differences of that location vs. MCT.

That sucks. Caribbean weather this winter has been rough so far...

MSC would like a word with you... LOL

Yikes! I've never seen such a detailed menu breakdown like this. Of course the first item I read is rectal exam, ugh. I'll never complain about the menu prices at Cagney's again!

For the first half of 2024 I believe the Merviglia is based out of NYC. They've been advertising several B2B cruises originating from there this winter.

I found this great video showing all the good spots on the island.

Spectacular weather you're having so far!