Homosassa

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I'm also confused. We sailed on the Radiance of the Seas in January 2023. The itinerary was not a one off as cruises had been leaving for a while and were scheduled for the rest of the winter season.

The Jungle Pool is not the kids' pool. The Forest Adventure pool area for the kids is in the limited access children area (I looked at the deck plans).

It would be interesting to have the OP come back and give more information , i.e; bites, distribution pattern of bites, those passengers affected. It appears there was no "OMG! Yes" reaction the OP was looking for.

Interesting? Underwater? The kid's water areas I have seen on MSC ships have less than a foot of water. Some ships have the kid's pool tucked away in the children's club area and is not accessible except through the kid's club area.

I am posting this information for the many cruisers to Florida and other states that decide to spend their time before the cruise on the beach ,sightseeing, or enjoying a meal on the waterfront. In the situation that is reported on this thread, the cruise was out of Miami the first week in July. That means it was during prime "noseeum" season. The bites didn't show up until several days into the cruise according to the video. Someone who is allergic to a noseeum bite (I am) can be bitten and not be aware of it. However, it can take several days (36 - 48 hours for me) for the raised red bumps and welts to appear and the severe itching. It can take several weeks for the bites to disappear. The bites in the photo in the video has the typical appearance and distribution of someone who has been bitten by a swarm of noseeums. It would be interesting to know what activities the woman in the video did in the twenty four hours before boarding the hip. https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/aquatic/biting_midges.htm https://www.coastawhilevacations.com/post/no-see-ums-identification-prevention-treatment

I would be willing to bet you were bitten by no-see-ums, not bed bugs.

Yes, it is a cultural thing. Bread to Italians is meant to be enjoyed in its plain state or might be used to sop up a gravy or plate juice. (And never served with pasta, and never destroyed by butter and garlic as a pasta accompaniment). Butter is not used in many parts of Italy as a condiment or in cooking. If butter is used in cooking, it is a French influence in the northern part of Italy. If butter is used, it is unsalted. Sometimes at breakfast, the fresh bread (not dried out by toasting) is enjoyed with a jam or marmalade. Butter might be used, but more often it is not. Sometimes rusk might be used, but that is twice baked bread, not dry heat toasted. And not all Americans want butter on their toast. I, for one, will sent toast back if it appears at my table drenched in butter. Question: Do you really want a cold by the time it reached your room dried out by toasting piece of bread or a slice of fresh baked bread?

I agree. I am waiting for the 7+ day itineraries to reappear. I also would not be upset if those itineraries skipped the private island. As I have noted before, when we book again I will have to upgrade to Fantasica because Bella is now strictly a guarantee cabin rate.

While you may think they are paid to feign interest, my husband and I were fain to answer the routine question asked of us in the buffet the second day of a cruise about how we were enjoying our cruise. Once we replied very much and went on to say we were repeat MSC cruisers, the officer immediately asked about the previous MSC cruises and what brought us back. At our response that covered a comparison to other cruise lines we routinely have sailed (Celebrity, Princess, HAL, Azamara, Viking Ocean) and that in some intangible ways, the MSC experience was equal to the on board experiences of those ships, the gentleman whipped a little notebook out of his inside pocket of his uniform jacket. He told us he routinely met each day with a group of upper officers to discuss any observations that they had concerning the passengers and any feedback they had received from passengers. "Would we mind answering more questions and, after any discussion by the officer group, answering any follow up questions?" We replied that we were happy (fain) to. No feigning was involved on our part or the officer's part. Everyday after that, he would find us at lunch in the buffet, take out his notebook, and give us questions from the officer discussion. The last night of the cruise we found that delivered to our inside Bella cabin was, at the time, the coveted chocolate ship reserved for the highest tier loyalty passengers (we were gold as we never bothered to status match to any of our high loyalty status on our lines - not important to us). Accompanying the ship was a hand written note thanking us for our time and information. The note was signed by the captain, hotel director, and cruise director, So while your interactions may be feigned, this experience and others we have had have been fained by the crew, staff and us.

We also prefer smaller ships. Try the MSC Armonia, Lirica or Opera. They are smaller ships and hold approximately 2,500 - 2600 passengers each. Unfortunately, if you are looking for a US departure port, they are all sailing from either European or Middle East ports for the next year. The Armonia has sailed from Miam and Tampa in years past. I am hoping she will come back over to the US in the future.

OP, have you tried Viking Ocean? I like them better than Azamara.

I can not address cruising on Carnival with the Zoll Life Vest, but want to offer a suggestion. When my husband was required to wear one for monitoring purposes, he found that after a few washings of the vest that it would roll up from the bottom. The solution was to wrap a wide ace bandage around the bottom edge of the vest to keep it in place.

Actually I have a very good sense of humor as evidenced by the fact that you and Morpheus are proving more and more entertaining as the thread progresses.

I have a theory about the Meraviglia being ported in NYC year round. When I have cruised on other MSC cruises out of a Florida port, it has come up in discussions with fellow European passengers that the airport of entry for them from Europe was JFK with a transfer to a flight to Florida. With Meraviglia being ported in NYC, this will be an attractive alternative to flyingto Florida to board a ship. I also see the January 6, 2024 offering of a twenty day itinerary that included stops in Port Carnevale. I wonder if this itinerary is being offered similar to MSC itineraries in the Mediterranean where passengers have the option to start and end their cruise at different ports on the itinerary (Brooklyn and Port Carnevale being two options for European travelers or closed loop US passengers). Could be interesting to see how the passenger distribution of national origin develops for the Meraviglia.

Somehow you and Morpheus think that I need your exception and acceptance. I neither seek nor need it from either of you. I am entertained , however, by the assumption (Ass- U - Me) that your are in a station of life to offer it to me.

LOL - my take on the photo that was posted was that it was the elevator to get to the Yacht Club and it was destroyed to prevent "interlopers" and then being blamed on the riffraff on the lower decks. (By the way, welcome to the riffraff that cruises MSC from a Bella riffraff member).

Yes, I love the desserts are not sugar laden and, for those that are egg and cream based, not cheapened with gelatin instead of being probably prepared with the other ingredients. I have to admit my one exception to the sweet offering are the hot ooey, gooey, cinnamon buns that are offered in the buffet at the pizza bar at breakfast.

While Carnival Cruise lines caters to a certain travel naive segment of the US population and ,therefore, limits the ports of calls to ports that do not require a passport on their closed loop US cruises, I should add a birth certificate and driver's license is not all one needs for all closed loop cruises from the US. While that is all that is needed to enter the US at the end of the cruise, there are closed loop itineraries that leave from Florida and Puerto Rico that have ports of call that require passports from cruise ship passengers. Always check your ports of calls for the requirement of that nation (especially if on a unique Carnival itinerary or a different cruise line).

Reread the OP's initial post and the issue I addressed in my post. The OP was worrying she may not have adequate bridging documentation between her birth name and assumed name upon marriage. I was giving her options on what she could use if she had certain forms of ID available. As I did not know her state of residency and form of driver's license, I specifically mentioned a Real ID compliant driver's license as her name from birth and other assumed names in use throughout her life would have been needed to be documented to obtain the Real ID (and Enhanced Driver's license if her state is one of the five that offer the Enhanced license). Her possession of a Real ID driver's license would put her mind at ease about needed bridging documentation. By the way, Governor DeSantis today announced that a Vermont driver's license is no longer legal for certain purposes in Florida state as a Vermont license may not be proof of US citizenship. And for anyone who missed the announcement that with the pushback of the requirement for Real ID compliant driver's license to 2025, as of May 3, 2023 (one month ago), a TSA acceptable form of ID is needed to fly.

Please do not make an exception for me. From conversations with senior staff who were interested in my cruising experience and the comments made by the Captain of the MSC ship on a Mighty Cruise Ship episode, I am what MSC hoped to attract in the US cruising public - someone interested in a refined cruise experience that was equivalent to HAL, Princess, and Celebrity. It is a shame that the covid travel restrictions and well controlled pricing of the MSC fares has attracted a cruise demographic that is not MSC's target. However, with travel restrictions now being lifted and perhaps a better fare structure for the market demographic MSC wishes to attract, the onboard cruise experience will return to what MSC wants for its passengers.

Oh, my! 🫢 @shipgeeks, how do you feel about being riffraff? Another Bella unwashed would like to know....

Another passing thought about the passenger make up: MSC targeted marketing demographic is family/affinity group cruising. It is international in marketing and the goal for any itinerary sailing is to have an international composition of passengers (Covid restrictions did skew this, but hopefully, things are returning to normal.) This marketing affects the atmosphere on board ship. When one are sailing from a US port, a high percentage of the passengers are from other countries. That means they have the income to afford an international trip for themselves and their families. They are not the booze cruise party cruisers where a cheap cruise fare is the important factor. Their behavior is not that of a booze cruise passenger. Those international cruisers come prepared to dress according to the standards of their home countries. This means Gala night is special (as previously mentioned in a post above) and I have laughed with my husband that the casual wear at breakfast is nicer than what many US cruisers consider as minimally acceptable on Gala night. Many other countries also expect children to behave and do not find it unusual to have their children sit at the leisurely dinner with the family. Those children will also be dressed up to the standard set by their parents.

MSC is culturally set up for dinner to be a time where one enjoys the company of others and leisurely enjoy the dining experience. That being said, MSC does recognize the gobble and go mentality of some US cruisers. If one tells the waitstaff that one needs to rush through the meal service, they will accommodate you as best they can. By the way, here are some other cultural differences in the MDR dinner service : 1. Bread will be offered as you sit down. There probably will not be a bread basket on the table and it may take a while to obtain additional bread later in the meal. If offered bread at the start of the meal, take the amount you want at tat time. Butter may not be on the table. Ask for it if you want it. 2. While wine is available in the Dining Room, bar service for hard liquor may not be available or may take a very long time to receive. Some passengers have reported that they were able to obtain hard alcoholic beverages before entering the dining room and carry them in for dinner. My experience has been that drinks are not allowed to be carried into the dining room.

Your poster information does not give your location. If you are in the USA and your driver's license meets the Real ID requirements, then it is sufficient to tie your birth certificate birth name and your assumed name upon marriage as that information was needed to obtain the Real ID driver's license. If your Driver's license is not Real ID compliant, then your must hope that Ferry Watcher's information holds true at check ins at all US ports. In any case, your problem may lay in trying to reenter the through US immigration with insufficient bridging documentation for the two surnames (it may take a while at Immigration). Side note: If you are flying domestically in the US to your cruise, be aware that as of May 3, 2023, if your driver's license is not Real ID compliant, then your must have another form of TSA approved identification.