Homosassa

It is not a problem as, in spite of the angst displayed on this thread, the crew will tell you how to access the bow of the ship for the lighthouse light show on Ocean Cay. (Yes, we have been given this information but have never used it).

Like Shipgeeks we are very experienced cruisers and have only traveled in Bella cabins on MSC (that will change because of Bella now being a "guaranteed" cabin class). While many are confused by the lower fares on MSC and expect the mediocre cruise experience of Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian and are disappointed that MC does not meet their expectations, the on board experience is better for food, entertainment and service than the US based big three. We appreciate the fact that this Italian family owned Europe based cruise line that sails internationally with international crew and passengers has not changed to meet the expectations of those afraid of new food and experiences on their US based itineraries. We love the international clientele and staff. We have been wowed on Gala night when some of the non-American guests dress in apparel wore to a formal occasion in their countries (examples, gorgeous silk kimonos and saris with luscious embroidery, the well turned out Scot in his kilt). The Italian food is actually Italian and not quasi "Olive Garden" offerings (reminds me of the cooking done on the Italian side of the family that has never been downgraded to "Italian-American" fare, i.e,; sugar in a heavy tomato sauce sauce, meatballs with the spaghetti, garlic bread). PIZZA!!!!!!! The food offered for the other international clients are a delight and browsing the different offerings on the buffet is fun and delicious (LOL at the recent cruiser who posted she was upset with the "foreign" food in the buffet). We have found the food in the buffe and main dining room to be of a quality and selection that there is no need to book a specialty restaurant (and this may be why there isn't many specialty restaurants on MSC). The staff is European and professional in the manner one would find in Europe. They are not there to be obsequious and your best friend. They are discreet and will help you with any reasonable request or problems (do not start your visit to Guest Services with "On Carnival...." You are not on Carnival). We , too, even as "Lowly" Bella passengers, have had positive interactions with the crew and senior officers. Love the entertainment in the theater - especially the mini opera that is performed on seven night cruises. We appreciated the fare that MSC cruises are not alcohol driven. While they do offer drink packages, the majority of the passengers are not booze cruise driven. We also appreciated that MSC is not "Freestyle." There is no need to stress about prebooking dinners and entertainment before setting foot on board ship.

While the website states minors traveling in a separate cabin "MAY" check in with their parents, this statement may apply only apply to minors that are booked in a separate cabin that meet Carnival's requirements for cabins that meet Carnival's requirements for booking in a separate cabin (age, proximity to parents, location). If your two children are booked under a separate reservation number with your sister, you may find that the minors in that cabin need to have the adult for that cabin present for check in (prevents the possibility of a "no show" adult leaving unsupervised minors in a cabin that does not meet Carnival's booking requirement).

I have been to Santorini on a ship's excursion (another more upscale line on a ship with a passenger capacity of 930 passengers) and here is how the excursion went and would probably be consistent with your excursion once on shore: Check carefully on where the ferry ashore takes you. Is it actually a ferry to the Athinos ferry terminal or basically a tender that takes you to a quay where buses can make it down the cliff side to pick up excursion passengers. That quay is small and only tenders from a single ship can be handled at a time (road on the cliff face is narrow and parking for buses limited), so it will depend on where your ship is in the rotation for the tenders and buses. The later in the day, the more Oia and Thira will have a strong resemblance to the famous woodcutting of Dante's seven circles of hell as people trudge up and down the narrow stairs and passages. In Oia, the buses will let you off at a parking lot at the foot of the stairs leading up to Oia. While there is an area with benches and cafes after the first flight of stairs, there is no place to stop for the rest of the climb (can't stop on the arrow stairs because of the mass of people trying to get up the flight. If you are trying to come back down to the buses, you will need to push (literally) through the people climbing up. Once pass the church on the main square (will be closed to the swarm of tourist, once is stuck in the additional very narrow passages and stairs through the rest of the village.(Reference again the Dante woodcutting for conditions). Upon the return to Fira, your excursion bus will drop you at a square about a fast fifteen minute uphill walk to the cable car. The streets in the lower part of the walk will be wider than in Oia. However, the entrance to the cable car facility is once again off a narrow passage. Once at the entrance to the cable car, the passage will narrow to single file an in non-crowded conditions, will take one to two minutes to negotiate. The cable cars can hold four - six passengers per car, six cars in a group for a total of passengers, a maximum of thirty six passengers in a trip either up or down. The cable cars are not in continues motion, the group of six goes down as the group of six cars at the bottom come up. To load, travel either up or down and unload and reload means a group leaves a stop approximately every ten minutes. That means approximately 360 passengers are transported in one direction each hour, thus the lines of one to two hours at times. Once we were dropped at Fira (and our ship was first in line for the transportation to the bus quay which meant we were at Oia before the swarms of other tourists; those conditions lasted for about twenty minutes), I was so done with the overcrowded atmosphere, we just walked uphill to the cable car and returned to the ship. No line in early afternoon. Santorini is a been there, done that port for me and I would not get off the ship should a cruise call there again. If you decide to go ashore, I would only do it by a ship excursion that includes dedicated tenders to a bus or other transportation pier which doesn't include trying to take the cable car up to a Fira and a walk out to a transportation pick up location. https://www.openculture.com/2018/06/visualizing-dantes-hell.html

When kids sail "free," the passenger fare for passengers one and two in the cabin is usually higher than those without "free" kids.

Not true. It may have happened over twenty years ago, but is not allowed today. Another cruise practice that was enjoyable over twenty years ago was being allowed to take your pasteboard cruise pass for your ship and presenting it to security at the gangways of other ships in the same port of call. One was welcomed aboard to check out the ships and were told where lunch or other food was available.

There are cruises available from both ports all summer on other cruise lines.

What is the gray colored chunks of meat (definitely not lobster)? Is it monkfish or another fish left over from the day before?

Your assumption may be wrong. Many cruise lines are now using frozen crawfish ("lobster") tails harvested from a trench off the northwest coast of New Zealand.

What are the dark chunks and gray pieces in this presentation? Did they use mushrooms and other fish to extend the filling?

Lobster thermidor is a dish you can make when the boiled lobster is left over and no longer fresh. The heavy sauce will hid any off flavor of the lobster meat. It is also a good recipe to extend the left over meat to feed more people as the chopped chunks of lobster meat an be spread among more people. As you live in a part of the country where fresh cold water lobster is available, you may find not find the overprocessed lobster meat in this dish appealing.

MSC has built its reputation on being family oriented. However, its definition of family and kids' activities do not fit the needs of those who are looking for a drop the kids in the kids program on the first day and pick them up on the last day of the cruise experience. MSC supports the families that think a family vacation is spending time with each other. The kids clubs are well attended, however, the hours that the clubs are open ensure that parents will need to pick the children up for meals. The family activities on the ships are just that - children will not be able to attend without a parent present. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/on-board/cruise-for-kids

Have you ever cruised with a baby? I have and it was a delight that the cruise line (Sitmar) had amenities on board such as diapers, a supervised crib area for naps, and many other services that make the fourteen day cruise a delight.

Carnival is raucous, alcohol driven, and nobody has ever defined the atmosphere as remotely refined. Think very carefully about your choice.

Surely MSC that touts Ocean Cay as a Marine Reserve wouldn't destroy the surrounding sea bed to dig out a larger channel to bring in a larger ship (more passengers) to stress the already fragile marine environment that they say they are reclaiming....

Those passengers don't have to prove they are the smartest ones in the rooms. Other passengers that are present prove it for them.

I once happened by chance to play with a dream team for Trivia. We met at the first Trivia game of the cruise and decided to play together. Turns out we had a wide range of professions, hobbies and interests represented by the six of us. We won every game and were accused of cheating by other. The person running the games started to stand by our group and watch us as we played. He then vouched for our wins for the rest of the cruise.

OP, given the expectations you probably have of an on board cruise experience based on the cruise lines you normally booked, I would strongly advice you to avoid Carnival cruise line (or greatly lower your expectations). You will not find the onboard experience any where near the level you have had on previous cruises. If you have not tried MSC, I suggest you look closely at them for the very child friendly services on board their ships (no surprise, they are a Italian family owned cruise line). https://www.msccruisesusa.com/on-board/cruise-for-kids Enjoy the experiences you new little one will bring - I have never had any regrets about the cruises or other travel we did with out daughter as an infant.

Again, people, the line of storms with strong gusts of wind were expected as a ring of fire arch off the heat dome. Watch one of the videos - there is a section of a local meteorologist warning of the passage of the storm line through Brevard County late Friday afternoon.

Yes, but if you are living here in Florida for the last few weeks, you would have had plenty of information on the lines of storms would were going to occur each day and the time of the probable passage. On the Friday that this occurred, I knew when I went to bed on Thursday night that the line would hit my area (central west coast) around 3 AM and would continue diagonally southeast through the state and be on the southeast coast of Florida late Friday afternoon. The scenario I wrote in my post has been what has been occurring across the state of Florida as different low pressure systems have hit the heat dome and produced the "ring of fire" storms that have been arching across the state.

To add to what BND said in the post about, the entire sequence of events would have happened as follows: 1. A visible line of black clouds approaching. There would be far off thunder and lightening also. 2. It would gradually become darker as the clouds approached. 3. Outflow boundary winds and gusts would hit. 4. Norma Jean from Minnesota turns to husband Billie Bob and says, " Do you think we should go in?" Billie Bob responds, "Naw, it just afternoon shower that will blow over." 5. All hell breaks loose and people say, "Wow That was a surprise!" The ship crew knew that the line of storms was approaching; they just gambled they wouldn't be hit by the worst and could avoid the lines at Guest Services complaining that it is perfectly sunny and calm and why were deck chairs and outdoor services curtailed. Next up, those passengers who are shocked to find that their cabins high and forward or aft can feel motion....

This was not a surprise storm or unexpected. Anyone who lives in Florida and has been watching the effects of the heat dome in the central US and the collisions with the numerous low systems have been well aware of the passage of these storm systems for the last two weeks and have a good idea of when the storms will pass through their area. The ship's crew would also know and expect the storms. The problem would be trying to close the decks in anticipation of the storm's passage when the skies are sunny and the winds calm. Then the outflow hits followed by storm itself. I guess the passengers will now pay attention to tropical storm season when booking a cruise.

One the people on the thirty foot private boat went into the water. Divers had to retrieve the body. The other person on the boat was injured and taken to the hospital. Any one want to lay bets on if either alcohol or drugs is involved in the crash?

I hope the OP makes it on board ship sometime today. The Miami Cut into port is closed because of a collision between a private boat and a ferry at 3 AM this morning. No ships can enter or leave the port.

Go to the roll call forum to find others on your cruise or start a roll call if one doesn't exist. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/403-msc-roll-calls/