Toddcan

I actually love the late night pizza and ranger cookie options - but Sorrento's is normally just a zoo after 9pm.

I agree there are places to get snacks and such, but those other areas tend to be very busy. And, of course the WJ would be near-empty "just before 9" when it's advertised to close at 9pm. I'm sure the brilliant minds could devise a plan to have foods that don't waste as quickly (packaged foods, etc). Other lines have figured it out.

One of the things that keeps coming back to me is how some other lines have their buffets open late into the night. Typically, the WJ closes at 9pm. I've found a few times (not many, to be honest) where I would have enjoyed heading to the WJ late at night (10-11pm) to enjoy even a limited food selection, or perhaps just some light snacks and a glass of ice water - and sit and relax - it's quite a nice area on most ships, and late at night it would likely be much less crowded. Would this be a draw for anyone else? It would be for me. I wonder if ppl have made a choice to sail other lines (Princess?) who have late buffets? Perhaps grab a plate of cookies, and play cards Perhaps grab a burger and chat with friends around a large table etc etc

Was also on Mariner in August. No tickets needed. First come first seat. And, with it being Mariner, and the fact that they have multiple shows during the cruise - it's safe to say you won't miss the show. IMO, ice shows are the best shows on the ship

Lots of login & web issues lately - and really bad today. I too wanted to look at excursions and I can't access my cruise. I've tried on and off all morning and afternoon today. Still getting errors.

ah, nice! Hey, since we are driving in from Canada (nice drive) and parking right at the port (expensive parking!!), can you give me any tips on crossing into NYC? It will be Sunday morning, so should the traffic be decent? We were just planning on following the GPS-Google Maps. We're coming in from the west.

For us, we drive from Canada (about 18hrs in driving), so it's a choice of driving in cold weather (which we don't mind at all), and staying in hotels, then cruising on a shorter ) 4-6 night cruise from Florida. This is because it's Spring Break (my DW works in the schools), so we only have a week. So, cruising in cold weather is better than driving in cold weather - that's how we see it. We could, of course, fly to Florida but prices remain crazy high for that week. We sailed out of Bayonne last March on the Athemn of the Seas, and loved it, but that has a beautiful Adult-only Solarium that is nice and warm. We'll see in 2 months

Guess I'll bring a sweatshirt to wear with my speed-o 😉

Sailing on MSC for the first time in March out of Brooklyn on the Meraviglia. Looking forward to it! But, I want to make sure I'm understanding the options for the cold days until we get further south on the week long cruise. Obviously, it will be cold/cool in NYC in March. We sailed last year on the Anthem of the Seas which has an amazing solarium that was warm - so we spend 2-3 days there until it got warmer out. The bamboo pool has a covered roof on the Meraviglia - but from the many videos I've watched, it has a much different vibe than the Royal Solariums. Firstly, the bamboo pool area is an all-ages area - not a problem. We're expecting lots of kids and teens since it will be spring break for a lot of schools. But, the odd part is that there doesn't appear to be many loungers - they mostly appear to be tables and chairs in the 2 decks of the Bamboo Pool area. For those who have sailed out of Brooklyn in the cold/cool weather - is this area overcrowded on the cold days? It just doesn't seem like the area to come and lay down and relax on a lounger like a Solarium is. Not a bad thing - but I'm wondering if I understand this correctly. I know when the weather warms up, there is a small adult-only area on the back of the ship with a small pool and no shade - not very appealing? Anyways - please chime in if you sailed in cold weather and tell me about my odds of relaxing in a warm pool area for those cold days. Ideally - in a lounger 🙂 Thanks in advance!

Please remember to write a review when you come back - even a brief one with highlights and OFIs. We'll be on Adventure in a JS in a few months too, and look forward to reviews.

Hello fellow Canuck. If you said you searched and didn't find anything, I'm shocked - it's a very common question. What I find helpful is to actually google it , and not use the Cruise Critic (CC) search - most of the time it will link you to the CC thread that will answer your question.

When we vacation, we actually have a friend/family house sit for our at our home, and pay them to stay in our place. Normally works best for the unattached 18-25 year old crowd. At least this was our experience. If this is an option, it would solve your problem.

100% buy it before you board. It's always more expensive on the ship, unless you have status (Diamond and above) which give you a few free days as a perk. There used to be 2 internet packages (speed differences), but since all ships have switched to Starlink, there is just one type of internet.

I cannot remember seeing an empty cabana on CocoCay - most certainly depends on the date, and how many ships are at port that day. I think $399 for a cabana is an awesome price on Coco Cay - you're not talking about those silly day beds - these are cabanas with food/bar service, ice and water, floating mats, a safe, ceiling fan, electrical outlet, etc.

Those are awesome prices!! Our didn't fall when we go close to the cruise - they sold out.

Not so much with CocoCay, since the cabanas are a more recent option, but while scanning for cabana pricing during this Black Friday sales event, I'm reminded of the history of Cabana Pricing. We love Cabanas and tend to rent them, but not at these prices. Wasn't what... 5-6 years ago (maybe longer) where there were several posts here lamenting the jump of Labadee cabanas from $250 to over $500. And that was before the "Beach Bungalow" ones on Columbus. Ah, the good 'ol days. It was only last year where we paid $800 for a South Beach Cabana on CocoCay, and now they are $1,600. In Aug, we paid just around $1,000 for a Pool Cabana at CoccoCay, but we filled it with 8 ppl. Those are also $1,600 The floating cabanas are $3,999 - for a day. Yup, I get it - supply and demand. Come on people - stop demanding - how long can this post-covid "revenge travel" last? 😉

We sailed in August on Mariner with a few infants. Sterilizers are not available Pack and Play units are provide - they are small, but our grandkids were fine with them. You need to request them through special needs contact (I forget the email).

Looking to book a deck 14 balcony on the Venezia, but I can't find any videos, or good photos. Anyone sailed in one of these balconies? I understand some of the balconies are a European style (much shallower that traditional Carnival balconies), is this true across the board on this ship, but only certain decks. Any information / experience / opinions anyone can provide on these cabins is greatly appreciated.

I've booked only 3 of my cruises through a TA, and found they offered reduced rates. My problem is that I check my cruise pricing way too often, and I will call to get a price reduction of even $25. I would feel I am bothering my TA with these requests, which is why I book the majority of my cruises over the phone with Royal directly. Now, Ken brings up a great point - all group rates are refundable - I did not know this. I'll have to consider this in the future Serious question - I know we cannot message people here at CC - so if we like the style of a CC contributor here who we know is a TA - how would be reach out to them without breaking CC rules?

Or, book one of these sales now. If the Black Friday sale is better, then cancel this one, and buy the new one. That's the beauty of planner items - you can cancel and get your money back.

Just a heads up... there are a few threads already started with examples of better-than-average price reductions on some onboard activities and packages. Just this week, I grabbed a $13pp lunch at Giovanni's, and just today I see The Key at $18.99 per person. I grabbed both. The Key includes internet. I previously grabbed a 20% sale on internet, and even compared to that pricing, The Key reduced pricing was only $4 pp/pd above the cost of the internet package, so I pulled the trigger. Check your onboard activity/package pricings - they seem to be unusually better-than-average this week. BTW, this sailing isn't until Aug 2024.

This thread should be fun. The whole ruckus a few months ago was that the container was actually labelled Cream, but the forensic analysis, eye witnesses, and whistle-blower staff allegedly produced contradictory data.

Anyone know when National Steak Day is? What about National Shushi Day?

Thanks! I booked a lunch for $13.99 pp for our next sailing

Just booked our first MSC cruise (7 day Meraviglia out of Brooklyn), and I have some general questions. I'm quite familiar with booking the main lines, so I wanted to know if there are any differences I should be aware of. Specifically: 1. Can I book an excursion, and if I change my mind, cancel the original one and get my money back? Royal Caribbean allows full refunds up to 48 hrs before the excursion. Same/Similar with MSC? 2. Finding information on Ocean Cay is tough. Specifically - is there a map showing where the extra-fee cabanas are located? I see some beachfront ones only available to the Yacht Club, but there are some available to everyone else - where are these, and how far from the beach/ocean are the non-yacht club ones? 3. Specialty dining - sounds like there are some very recent changes put into play - no more unlimited specialty dining packages, but simply 3-4-5 night packages that specifically tell you which restaurants it includes, and you can only go to one restaurant one time as part of the package. I'll do more reading on this one. I'm looking at the $140 package which gives me 3 nights - Steak house, Taco place, and the Seafood place. But, generally speaking - do people find the MDRs decent? Just looking for general opinions here on the lay of the land. 4. Internet - The only feedback I have seen is almost 100% negative. I get it - ship wifi is sketchy at best, even with Starlink on the Royal ships - it's never "like home", but I would like to know if it's really as horrible as I'm reading 5. Adult only areas on the Meraviglia. From what I think I learned, there is a 2-story "Solarium" with a retractable roof, but it's all ages? This is only confusing for me because Royal Caribbean calls there adult only area the "Solarium". I see an adult only area on the top deck (16?), with a small pool, but all of the loungers look to be in the direct open sun. Is there any place for adults only to be on deck but have some shade? 6. Shows - do we need to book anything in advance, or get tickets? Thanks in advance everyone!