lakelorain

What ports do you prefer?  Bermuda is very different from the Oasis ports.  Which ones have the activities you prefer?  We've done both with our grandkids and their parents and the kids loved them both.  Think about what you and the grandparents would like to do.  The kids will have a ball on either ship.

We always put polo shirts and capri's in the bag with no problem.  We try to wear light colored clothes at the beginning of the cruise and have them washed because dark colors tend to come back a few shades lighter. 

We used a doctor's office.  It was a NAAT test.  The results were emailed to us in about 8 hours.  It was on the medical facility stationary and had the appropriate information.  It was accepted by RC and also MSC.

San Giorgio at the port has free bus to ship.  Bob's Limo is a good company for transportation from the airport to the port area.

4 hours ago, Pstreet12 said:

And it's worth noting that the medical staff is quite limited:  1 doctor and 2 nurses.  There's only so much they can do, no matter what care they may want to offer, they are limited in the things they can do for #_________ of patients.

Not true. Read this. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center/medical-center

We are also loyal to Royal(37 cruises, D+).  We were on Meraviglia early November.  It was our 3rd cruise with MSC.  I agree with your evaluation. 

We also loved Butcher's Cut but were able to get water when we requested it.   Must depend on who your waiter is.  

I noticed the buffet was a little sparce.  It wasn't like that pre-Covid.  Probably, the selections will improve when the ships sail full.

When MSC first came to the US, people complained that the food was too spicy.  Now they use very little spice as a response to those complaints.  

I also notice the shows were different since covid.  No aerialists, gymnists etc.  Shows were much more conservative.  I hope they go back to their regular productions.

All in all, MSC is a great cruiseline.  I hope they expand in the US outside of Florida.  

Thanks for your review.

On 12/9/2021 at 2:31 PM, c-leg5 said:

The site was working recently when I tried but won’t allow one way,  or B2B, or flexible cities, dates like it use to. So far it has been fairly useless for our upcoming trip.

For a b2b, I've had luck looking at booking the second cruise and just adding in days up front. 

If you are choosing a cruise based on ship alone, Anthem wins.  Much better entertainment, food venues, activities etc.  

Harmony

Anthem

Liberty

Explorer

Jewel

20 hours ago, CaroleC said:

How can I find out if my OBC is refundable or non-refundable?

When you are on the ship, on your account on TV or your cell phone there will be a R or NR next to your OBC.  R = Refundable, NR = non-refundable.  It may not show up on your account until day 2.

Fill out this form and send it to RC. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs  They like to know if people need special foods.  Some of the GF food is made in the GF kitchen but the bread is brought in.  

1 minute ago, alyssamma said:

Just to be clear, the buffet is for lunch and depending on the ship can be large or small. Regardless, there isn't really "kids" food on it.

Breakfast too.  I consider hamburgers, kids food.  If you ask, when you board,  for chicken nuggets, they will get them for you.  You can also order room service for free.  

39 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

 

Looks like you haven't read the whole thread, so I quoted the relevant post from the OP above to help you! 😉

I did read the whole thread.   I mentioned that the YC has a buffet, in case the OP didn't know.

On 9/24/2021 at 7:16 PM, alyssamma said:

I would suggest printing it out and then scanning it in (or taking a pic on your phone) and sending that.

 

Alternatively, you could call customer service and ask them.

That's exactly what I did.  If you used a Travel Agent, the Agent must forward it to MSC.

Yacht Club has it's own buffet.  It's small but has plenty of choices.  Whatever your children want will be available to them in YC.

MSC is an Administrative nightmare.  However, I like their product.  My travel agent deals with them for me so I don't have the headaches many of you have.

5 hours ago, styles27 said:

Yes that was our experience. The first morning when we woke up I was seeing people with suitcases getting off the ship   
I didn’t know what was happening lol 

Then as the cruise went on each night we saw luggage in the halls or actually near the concierge desk in the YC so I asked what was happening and that’s when he explained how their cruises work in the Mediterranean/Europe. 
 

It was definitely strange. To us at least.  lol

Other cruise lines do this in Europe also.  We have done that several times on Royal Caribbean in Europe.

I thought I understood this double points thing but all of you have made it so confusing that we need to find a 6 year old to explain it.  LOL

Just tried to message them and it said my booking number doesn't exist.  I pulled it from their site so I know it's correct.  However, it took my message without the booking number.  I put my message in question format and then explained why it was so important. 

I have little faith that anyone of any importance will see our messages as I always get a form letter back from them and they never respond to anything I ask.

Sure hope MSC will accept the Binax test.  Closest rapid testing site is 75 miles away.  PCR is taking 3 - 7 days right now in my area.  

Thanks for the amazing review.  We have cruised MSC in Fantastica and Yacht Club and loved both.  Cruising Yacht Club again in October.  My husband has limited mobility and since Yacht Club is self-contained, it works best for him.  Past cruises on MSC were on Divina and Seaside.  Looking forward to Meraviglia this time.  Wish MSC went out of more ports in the US.  Appreciate you posting the menus and great pictures.  

Agree, it's repetitive.  However, it's upbeat and gets people up and dancing.  I wish they would update it.  Tired of the same old Village People routine etc.

Thanks for your play-by-play.  When will you know if the ship passed the CDC's review?

On 7/24/2021 at 3:54 AM, kilkoyne said:

 

Were you able to complete check in? I was having a hard time but then noticed MSC auto-populated a "1" in front of my contact phone number causing an error. After deleting the "1" I was able to check in. 

Now waiting to see if they send me an email with my ticket info.

I had the same issue with the "1".  Took me awhile to find it.  

5 hours ago, suebcoop said:

I could use one of each of those.  I have duplicates of Freedom, Oasis, Navigator, Adventure & Allure if you are interested in doing a swap.

  Sue

I have a Serenade that I'm willing to trade for Oasis.  Still in box.  If interested, contact me lakelorain at gmail.com