SeaBrz

Hi! I live in Cape Canaveral and recommend using Enterprise. Their return location is the only company inside the Port and only a 1/2 mile walk to Cruise Terminal 1 (Wonder’s berth). Have fun!

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LOL…Had to go to the Pt Can UPS Store a couple hours ago and saw it in north basin. Thought it looked odd ..thanks for explainin’ 🙃

Hey, Boom -  I’m onboard, but it’s definitely been an interesting 24 hours. The ship is beautiful, staff are great, but I’ve only been able to access remote WiFi until tonight. So until Boom gets back, this letter slid under the cabin door sums it up best:

(Boom - I’ll have red beads on at Coffee Bar - mid morn tomorrow)

On 11/11/2021 at 7:09 PM, boomhower said:

After 726 days it's time to get back to sea!  Like many we had several canceled during the shut down but our time has finally come.  We are a family of three, me my wife and 15 year old daughter.  It'll be the fifth cruise for me and my wife but only the second for my daughter.  We are really excited to try the Dream class out, we've done three on the Elation and one on the Miracle.  We are very laid back cruisers and I take full advantage of the drink package.  Originally we had planned on going early for a second trip to the Kennedy Space Center but with the COVID situation in Florida we will be waiting until another trip for that.  Heading out Saturday morning for our eight hour drive to the port area. Got our COVID tests scheduled for tomorrow morning at Walgreens.  My wife is already done with work but I have one more 12 hours shift to pull tomorrow.  I'm certainly no Sid or Saint Greg but I'll hopefully provide some entertainment.  

 

Here's a pic of my traveling companion, Tony the T-Rex:

 

 

Looking forward to sailing with you, but “the COVID situation in FL” is not so dire … from the CDC site today: 

11 hours ago, gnocchi_mommy said:

We had a 25 hour day yesterday thanks to the time change, but it felt longer 😅 

 

Spent a good amount of time just people gazing in the early day- then caught the Jags game on deck. That was fun, they had the volume cranked and with the way the deck is walled in it had a stadium effect. They had games available in the Red Frog and multiple games on deck.

 

 

 

Lunch at the Mongolian BBQ was so good! The line formed early and the wait was long so if you try it out, just be patient.

 

One of the fun things we did was a Scottish dance lesson led by the cruise director. I’m pretty much the least graceful human being ever born and have zero coordination (years ago in the military my nickname was actually Grace - for an ironic reason lol) but I managed to follow along okay and he was a lot of fun!

 

Dinner was the Italian restaurant, $15 upcharge, well worth it IMO. I think I actually enjoy it more than the steak house even (although we will also be doing that later this week) Our server was super friendly and on the ball. We did the arancini appetizer which is delicious- you have to get it, I had the short ribs which were okay but I’ve definitely had better, my husband did some pasta dish that honestly looked a little suspicious, but he said was delicious. I did the lemon polenta cake and creme dessert and he did the salted caramel cookie thing- all wonderful.

 

Best surprise of the night and my big tip if you will be on the Magic- the Viva Variety! Show in the main theatre with Melissa McLaughlin. This was her very first show ever and she was AWESOME!! She sings tunes from the 40s to modern times and man- she has serious vocal chops. She slayed Whitney! She interlaces her act with humor and personal stories and it just felt like an intimate show, that left us smiling. She’s brand new so maybe this is why or maybe it’s because it’s an Elite cruise so the casino was busy but the theater was only maybe 25% full. Go!!! 
 

One more quick thing- last night was elegant night, and I’d say about 50% of the ship was dressed up. Not many were full gowns or tuxes though, mostly nice pants w/ dress shirts, some with jackets and nice but fairly casual dresses on the ladies. 
 

Throwing in our old people attempts at selfies, haha, we were somewhat dressed up though. 

 

 

Loving every update and you are such a gifted "story teller". After the Magic, I will look forward to reading more of your reviews for any ship. Great photos, too! My BIL is retired USCG and met my sister while stationed at Canaveral in the mid-80's. Coasties are the BEST!

On 11/7/2021 at 7:58 AM, silversneakers said:

Best time to board ship is in the afternoon when all the major crowding has been moved onto the ship. I like to get there around 2pm and can just walk on without crowd aggravation.  People think if they don't get there early they will run out of food (LOL).  

Agree. I'm a couple miles from Port, but chose a 1:30pm boarding time.

Another follower here! Will be boarding Magic on the 14th so couldn't ask for a more recent review lol! I'm local here and glad the weather cleared up for your sailing today. As you found out during your drive down, the FL coast was like a monsoon all day yesterday. Happy sailing and can't wait to read more. 🥂

6 hours ago, chrpai said:

I did this a few years ago.  One adult and one minor in one room and one adult and one minor in the other room.   Onboard guest services had no problems moving the kids around to be in their own interior across the hall.

 

We didn't have the cheers package so that might have been an issue.  Or we might have gotten away with something if we had.  I don't know.

I’m definitely NOT trying to be the “cabin police”, but did want to mention that legally the ships require an adult 21 or older in each cabin. I sail from a popular Spring Break port and, although I’ve only seen this enforced during that time, it does happen. I had the great misfortune on one cruise getting an adjacent balcony cabin to four teen “Girls Gone Wild” while their parents slept peacefully in inside cabins across the hall. We heard them, but were less affected then people on lower decks. They were reported climbing between balconies and throwing stuff down on lower decks. According to our room steward, after the second night the family was told they were going to be kicked off at the next port if it continued. It was my last FL cruise in March or April.

On 10/15/2021 at 8:40 AM, Schoifmom said:

 

Thanks for the tip on YT.

 

BTW, not sure if you knew, but coffees (unless you add alcohol) and bottled water don't count toward your 15.  It's 15 alcoholic drinks.  All others are unlimited.

Yes, thankfully!😃 I should have clarified it was the cost of the fancy cappuccinos and lattes that is included.

Thanks so much for this great review - both entertaining and informative! I’m booked on Freedom next September for her Panama Canal repositioning cruise from Seattle to Miami (16 nights!). I also have an inside cabin, but after your experience, now glad mine is on Deck 7. Again, appreciate you sharing your experience and I will do the same.

I am also curious. Like you, I will never drink 15 alcohol drinks, but expect to make up the deficit with fancy coffee drinks and bottled water. I keep hearing good things about this Cucumber Sunrise and the Purple Sunset so I plan to try those. Sherri on CruiseTipsTV (YT) has an entire playlist on cruise cocktails. Look forward to more suggestions here, too!

2 hours ago, pghflyer said:

FWIW, I filled out the form at 9AM this morning, and at 6:40PM tonight I had my status match completed and a new voyager number. Cool program for getting new customers who would otherwise tend to stay loyal somewhere else.

Congrats, but I’m curious …. did you already have a booking number when you applied for the Status Match? I’m asking because of a conversation during my Divina cruise last week. A few of us first-time MSC cruisers (including me) were complaining that we were never successful getting our Status Match requests approved prior to sailing. A couple of MSC frequent cruisers chuckled and asked us that same question. Surprisingly, us newbies had all applied for the Voyager Club Status Match after we had booked. Then they told us they hear the same complaint on every cruise and to check our emails when we get home. Sure enough - received my email the next day congratulating me on my new Silver status. I had called and emailed at least once a week since June and only received auto-replies. Are they really financially struggling so badly that they saved a free bottle of water? If so, this process is costing them a helluva lot more in Customer Satisfaction. However, it was quite satisfying, 2 hours later, to receive their Customer Survey Request email. 😂

I’ve cruised the Caribbean islands for 40+ years, but will visit Bimini for the first time next month. Thanks for the great detailed coverage of this option. Nice post!

Happy Birthday, Maureen! I have so enjoyed your positive “glass half full” posts and reminding me that the right attitude can overcome most everything. Also, thanks for getting me more excited about my upcoming first MSC cruise (cruise #30 for me) and I hope someday we meet on a boat. 

20 hours ago, maureencruiser said:

8:30, Someone and I am not even remotely implying it was a member of the crew, not even remotely, yelled out, in a strong Filipino accent , Come on, motherscrubber!

 

Venus, again.

 

 

 

 

At this point, I started thinking maybe it was at 9:00?  But, even the crew thought it was 8:00.  So, I headed out across the beach, heading towards civilization.  Every step I took, the cane would sink about 3 inches into the sand.  I was struggling, sweating, breathing heavily.

 

Finally, I came to a bar.  I must have looked like Robinson Crusoe struggling off that beach.  

 

I had a Sea Breeze.

 

Awwww…my namesake drink. Others often think it’s because I’ve lived near the ocean all my life, but it’s really from THIS wonderful refreshing tropical drink. So enjoying all your updates!

 

56 minutes ago, ISLABONITA said:

Miracles of Miracles just received my status match to Gold ! Still having issues login in though to see the Voyager's Club status since June 8th. One more thing to keep me busy emailing!

That’s great! Encourages me to keep hoping.

8 hours ago, ISLABONITA said:

I just had a reply to 3 of my emails all with incorrect references to what I had submitted.  I sent the forms for both husband and I back on June 7th and he got his only after I submitted each separately in July, then he got Gold and I did not, both Platinum on NCL.  The most recent emails were to certify that my husband was granted the match status, no reference to me, nor the  login issues that I sent screenshots of and not recognizing my account #.  I think some clerks working on the status match are better than others, also the Europeans seem to get it done much quicker. And another point I sent hard copies of my information to the Florida office with no response to a Jeffrey Lee and then get another email telling me that their website is not receiving the submitted forms and to email them instead, then a subsequent email telling me that this is not the correct information and to submit via their website. In other words they ( US site) does not know what they are doing!

IslaBonita - After over three months of trying, I also have been unsuccessful in my attempt to get Status Matched. To add to the insult, their auto-reply emails with a broken link add to the frustration. I’m sailing anyway next week, but future cruises will likely be with lines that appreciate my business. 
 

Canned Response from MSC:

We have received your email and will respond as soon as possible. In the meantime, feel free to visit MSC Voyagers Club - Overview for more  information regarding The MSC Voyagers Club.

Awesome review and cannot wait to read more! Happy Sail Away!

18 hours ago, mlbdude said:

I noticed that too.  But I saw absolutely no masks.  I think while it was just uploaded it may have been filmed awhile ago.

Yeah, MLB, I have since considered that possibility. Pretty deceitful if true. 

11 hours ago, LeCommandant said:

You’re welcome 🙂 …..  Most of people I have encountered did not about the VPN trick, so I think MSC does not take a big risk. MSC seems to allow VPN because of people requesting it for “home office” onboard MSC ships (MSC even did a marketing campaign about “home office” onboard their ships!). 

Thanks so much, LeCommandant! Will try it out when I sail next Sunday and report back with results.

Gotta say I’m a bit shocked after just seeing a video showing all the unmasked folks roaming in the Calumet buffet (not at tables). In fact, didn’t see anyone masked including the servers! I hate wearing a mask as much as anyone, but not sure my comfort level has recovered to this point yet.
 

(YT video by “In The Loop”’ - titled “MSC Davina Tour ….” time stamp 8:28 is buffet)

40 minutes ago, LeCommandant said:

Just to clarify a few points according to my personal experience last week aboard the MSC Seaside.

….

4) By using a VPN, you will be able to watch videos/streaming without any restriction, even with the “Browse” package. 

 

Excellent advice! I’m particularly interested in this VPN possibility. I’m sailing MSC next week with my iPhone and iPad. The iPad is WiFi-only, but I use both behind the same VPN account (Nord, if that matters). I only purchased the one-device Premium package thinking I could hot-spot, but you answered that 😊. Now I’m intrigued with how MSC, stingy about more than one MAC id, handles a VPN wall … have they just not got around to figuring out how to block it? Apologies, OP, for jumping in here, but thanks for starting a very helpful conversation.

1 hour ago, smplybcause said:

GymHi everyone! I'm on Divina's first cruise back and first cruise out of Port Canaveral. I got internet included in my package so I can post... remains to be seen how much I will. 

 

Checkin wasn't the best because the computers went down right when we got to the front of the line. So it took a lot longer to checkin, but once I got to the guy it was pretty quick. Passport, test, card ticket, health survey, photo, done. You deal with your account online. 

 

Everyone was so nice getting on board. They were very glad we're back. 

Nice double tugboat water salute!

Lucky you! I’m watching from Fish Lips. Strange to see nobody out on starboard balconies. How many passengers? I’m sailing her in 10 days. So have fun and keep her GREEN 😊. Look forward to your updates.