Homosassa

It isn't just Miami Beach.... Remember, when visiting in Florida and driving a vehicle, to assume that the person in the car next to you may have a gun which may be used if they get po'ed. Just let the idiot cut in, flip the bird or whatever their inadequacies demand for their self image.

Seaweed on a beach is a normal part of life for anyone growing up on the coast.

You are not missing anything. There are many people who think a cabin on an upper deck is more desirable and would not consider the lower decks. They are willing to pay more to be in the least desirable locations of the ship - high, forward or aft. Unfortunately, there are cruise lines who have figured out that inside cabins that are low and amidships are valuable real estate and have increased the fares for those cabins.

Do some research and learn some facts. Sargassum provides shelter and food for many species of sea life. It would be an ecological disaster if it was gone.

It is much ado about a naturally occurring event. I guess it comes as a surprise to some that the ocean has seaweed, waves (yes, your ship can rock and roll), jellyfish, and sharks.

Perhaps a good therapist and drug prescription is the answer....

On cruises where passengers can embark and leave the cruise at different ports, your arrival times will vary. There needs to be time for the disembarking passengers to leave the ship and clear local customs and immigrations. The time for disembarkation can be much later than the early times for a full ship turn around. Those customs and immigration official also then have to be available for newly arriving passengers.

You haven't cruised enough then..... Yes, there are excursion on other cruise lines with restrictions for adults only.

There is way more to the story that this simplified version and, please, do not get sucked in to the drama. There is a reason for the matter in which the OP's post being responded to by frequent readers of the MSC forum.

Because the main description is just a general description of the excursion. Just as with anything thing else, one must do read the additional information that is always provided. Any excursion on any cruise line I have cruised (and there have been many lines and cruises) will have a general description of the excursion and the specific restrictions or addition information elsewhere on the booking description.

Oh, please..... Are you familiar with the OP's ongoing complaints with MSC and threats to make all staff miserable on board ship?

It deserves a refund and a complimentary booking in the best suite on the ship (being met at the YC check in and escorted by US federal authorities could be arranged).

The fares may be lower now but what were the fares for the cabin you wish to upgrade to at the time you booked your original cabin? The low fares you see closer to sailing usually have the caveat that they are for new bookings only. Your request to upgrade may be based on the fare of the cabin without a "new booking" or what it would have been at the time you booked.

Cruise etiquette (and is many times enforced by the MDR) is that if you are assigned a fixed time, you show up at that time (may be given a limited amount of leeway on arrivals measured in minutes; usually around fifteen minutes). Sailing time is different than back on board time. Everyone needs to be back on board approximately a half hour before sailing and that can be earlier at times.

Be very careful. Depending on how far out you are from your cruise, your request can trigger a cancellation and rebooking scenario (the only one time changes I see mentioned in the Terms and Conditions are name changes and departure dates, not cabin changes). Don't try to change anything at this point.

MSC has many different categories of ships with different design features. It would be difficult to make a general statement for all ships and itineraries. We cruised with a couple where the husband needed either a scooter or walker to get around. Once the reservation was made (accessible cabin), he was in contact with special needs and arrangements were made for his needs. However, ship design did limit his ability to access certain areas (the pool was one of them) and he expected nothing different. One accommodation that might be of interest to you is that he could only embark and debark the ship at a gangway that was different from the one normally used by passengers as the gangway was smooth (no ridges or other features that help retain footing on a steep slope). In some ports it was lower down and the one used to load items on the ship. Do not plan to use any special gangway available for Yacht Club guests; it may not be suitable for wheelchair/scooter/walker use.

I wouldn't count on you being able to switch cabins once on board and I don't know who told you that you could. As JT1962 mentioned, MSC would consider this a cancellation and rebooking if done before the cruise (clearly stated in MSC's Terms and Conditions available on the website). A cancellation fee would apply and rebooking would be at the current rate. Once on board, several posters have stated they tried the cabin switch game at Guest Services and it was denied. You mentioned a Concierge so I don't know what class cabin you booked, but switching can be especially problematic if cabins are at different experience levels.

If being gluten free is a medical necessity and not a life style choice, make sure that the need for gluten free food is noted on your reservation. There will be special precautions taken with your food (pre-ordering the day before for all meals with an option for delivery to the buffet). Otherwise, day of meal choices will be limited and buffet options limited for those who are life style and not medically necessary.

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Just two notes: The ADA is a United States law. It does not apply outside the USA in other countries. For cruise ships that operate from the US, the ADA mainly pertains to the having cabins on board ship that are accessible. It does note that cruise ships have other regulations of ship design or safety issues that negates accessibility under the ADA. Read the Terms and Conditions on the MSC website. There is a compete section on Fitness to Travel and Passengers with Mobility Issues. It includes the statement that there will be areas and sections of the ship that passengers with mobility issues can not access or use. It also notes that ship staff or crew (employees) will not lift or carry passengers.

Surfjock 27, have fun! Depending where you live, your biggest challenge will be the Highway 19 slalom/mogul course on your drive to port.

I am not sure. I have read on this forum that it doesn't matter if a card was entered during on line check in and that it still needed to be done at the kiosk on board. In any case, make sure your card knows that the hold for credit will come from a European bank. (French, I believe). As far as your question about the muster drill time, the drill will be held sometime around 4 PM. Guests that arrive late will have a muster drill either after sail away or early the next day.

Absolutely tell the bank about the foreign request (I believe it is French). It will not only be the hold request for funds that is put on the card when the card is registered, but also the final bill at the end of the cruise. Tell them the cruise line is MSC. I learned the hard way by notifying my card of the travel dates and the countries to be visited. My card was promptly rejected on board at the kiosk because of the foreign transaction. I promptly called the help number for the card and got a notation about the foreign bank The card was promptly accepted when I tried again. This is the reason I said to do the kiosk first thing when boarding. Any problems and you can still easily reached the issuer of the card.

Why would an Italian restaurant have either item on the menu? They are not Italian, but are quasi Italian American fare.

Check the red tide reports before heading out to any beaches. The highways around and in Tampa are no worse for traffic than those in any other major city. Just avoid the rush hours and you will miss most of the back ups.