SeaVee

June through October is the rainy season for the Mexican Riviera (Pacific side). It rains every day, and is VERY hot and humid. Sometimes the extreme heat and rain extends into November. Also - "whale season" (humpback whales) are seen December through March --definitely the best time to be there! --Sometimes mother and baby whales can be seen!! :D

As of Dec, 2014...yes....Zumba class was at 9:15 AM each sea day (no port days), in the Club Fusion on the Crown. Classes were well attended. People filled the dance floor, and also moved tables/chairs out of the way and used the lounge area. No fee to attend. 45 minutes to 1 hour. Fun!!

I took the kayak excursion and loved it. The water was clear and we could see fish...and leopard sharks below! Our guide told us the leopard sharks were harmless to people. We stopped at a little rocky beach for a break, and were given delicious oatmeal choco-chip cookies. I was glad we'd selected the *morning* kayak excursion because we had plenty of time to walk around Avalon in the afternoon. (Fun, clean, and walkable little town, with lots of sidewalk-seating at restaurants...shops...art galleries, etc. )

Note: Avalon is a tender port...and our ship's excursion met as a group onboard the ship. If we'd selected a P.M. excursion instead of an A.M. excursion...and wanted to also walk around on our own, we would have had to tender over, then tender back, then meet our group in the P.M. and tender over again. Again...I was soooooo glad to see that our excursion ended right in town, so we could explore at our leisure and then tender back to the ship when we were ready.

I'd asked our guide if those cookies were sold anywhere in town...YES!! They're sold at the "Brew House," right across the street from the Green Pier...so I bought *another* cookie before leaving Avalon. :D

You mentioned early morning. Is there breakfast served there?

There were muffins in the mornings in the Getaway Studio Lounge...so if all you want is a "speciality" coffee and muffin, you could have breakfast either in the lounge or take a plate back to your cabin. The studio lounge does not have hot breakfast, nor yogurt, cereal, etc. The coffee machine had speciality coffees, latte, etc...but no regular plain coffee...just the fancy stuff, steamed milk, mocha, etc. There were cookies and cake available throughout the day. They also had a wine "pay by the glass" machine in the studio lounge...I think people just swiped their cruise card to purchase a glass of wine.

I found the studio lounge was usually empty during the day, ...some solos did gather with the "studio host" in the evenings to go to dinner together. Yes, the door was propped open by the host to allow others in to the nightly meeting. Otherwise, the door was locked to outsiders. Some solos put messages on the white board and other solos "signed up" to attend activities together.

Personally...I really liked the studio cabin. Yes...it is small...but it is so well organized with various cubbies and under the bed storage baskets, that there was more than enough room for everything. The whole design concept was great with cool lighting, and functional space. I would choose a studio again over a larger inside cabin...but of course, would give up the studio for a well-priced balcony!

I'm looking at a cruise to Hawaii from Ensenada. How are most people getting to Ensenada? I don't see an airport nearby. I live in SoCal but I really don't want to drive there. Driving through Tijuana gives me the willies!

Most likely, the cruise line will provide bus transportation to the Ensenada port from the San Diego cruise port. I think it was Celebrity that was bussing passengers last year, anyway.

 

Oh, yes! Had fun tasting the jam samples at the Dona Lupe winery, and purchased 3 jars to bring home. Delicious jam...such a variety of unique flavors..."Chocolate Chipolte" seemed to be our group's favorite, but I especially liked the "guava-persimmon-pomegranate!" ...wish I'd brought home more! Dona Lupe also sells lovely lavender soaps, body lotion...make sure you bring some spending money! Excellent excursion. No problem bringing the "included" bottle of L.A. Cetto wine back on the ship. Also picked up a bottle of L.A. Cetto olive oil. Yum!!

If you are walking the Malecon, when you get to the bridge that crosses over Rio Cuale, you could walk down the steps to Isla Cuale (an island in the middle of the river). If you walk a little ways up the island, you will see THE RIVER CAFE on your right, a nice restaurant for a drink or bite to eat....where you should be able to see iguanas! Ask for a table next to the rail overlooking the river, and tell the person who seats you that you want to see iguanas. There are lots of trees there where the iguanas can be seen in their natural habitat. They've even installed some "ledges" onto some of the trees where iguanas like to perch, but also can be seen up in the tree limbs, or sometimes down on the ground. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in PV! :)

This is an old thread...but it was a fun one!

Here's another:

Zac Brown Band - "Toes"

Any others?

I thought that too, but the cruise line shuttles you from San Diego to Mexico for free.

Really??!! Wow, that's great to know!! Will have to look in to airfare back from Hawaii...hummm... I'll be keeping my eye on this one! :)

....great cruise isn't it?

Yes, *great* itinerary! :D

Getting the Brazilian visa is a bit of a hassle, though...need to get it in advance of the cruise from the Brazilian consulate, or use a visa service for additional $,...but the visa is good for 10 years once obtained.

I think this is a great deal. Celebrity Solstice-11 night Hawaii repositioning cruise (Ensenada to Honolulu) on September 23, 2013. Solo inside- $1152.12 and balcony- $1527.12. I have a hold on a cabin while I decide.

Good price...but leaving from Ensenada, Mexico makes it a bit challenging for many. Sounds like you already have that piece figured out?

I thought the 2 options were disembarking on 6/11 in Rio after overnighting on board or continuing to Santos and disembarking on the 6/12. I didn't see any option to disembark upon arrival in Rio.

Correct. For the MSC South America cruise sailing from Miami on 5/24/14, I believe the two options are to disembark in Rio on 6/11/14, or a day later in Santos (Sao Paulo) on 6/12/14.

MSC is very solo friendly...:D

I can't wait!! I'm booked on the NCL Getaway and MSC Divina as b2b cruises...both huge and newer ships...and my first time with both lines, so will be able to make a good comparison. I'll be looking for the best in each experience and am sure I'll have a great time on both!

Decks 9 - 13

 

110 standard balcony cabins have been converted into smaller balcony cabins with "shallow" balconies.

 

 

The smaller balcony cabins with "shallow balconies" are priced less than those with larger balconies. Great for solos!! :)

Hi, I have a same issue of paying double on a solo cruise. I just started solo cruise and notice NCL has studio room on EPIC and BREAKAWAY for solo cruiser. It is a small room but paying less then double on a inside cabin. But I would like to have more choices then only 2 cruise ships...

Coming soon is one more...NCL's GETAWAY...brand new ship to be sailing Caribbean cruises from Miami....will also have the studio cabins for solos. :)

Last place I would want to be is in a soccer stadium. Plus I don't find the game fun to watch up close on tv so in a possibly broiling stadium seat (although it is winter in S.A. then) and far from the action it would be torture. Anyway, it's at the very beginning of the games so maybe not so crowded yet. I don't think 2 days would be enough time in Rio. Right now, hotels aren't booking this far ahead so I'll have a look once they care on the market. This whole cruise is really up in the air and I only booked because it was only a fully refundable $100. deposit. I won't bother with the roll call yet since I'm not 100% committed to the cruise yet.

I see...and I suppose you'll probably have a better idea if you want to keep the the South America cruise (or not) after you complete your "Divina Debut" cruise. Happy cruisin'!!

...In the meantime, I would like to spend some time in Rio after the cruise but World Cup starts on 6/12. The major games aren't until July so maybe hotels will have availability and rates won't be crazy.

Another option would be to disembark in Santos a day later. Probably a comparable price to pay for one more cruise day vs. paying for a Rio hotel? Then you could stay on the ship for both days in Rio, using the ship as your "hotel," ...unless you're looking for even more time in Rio or maybe to attend some of the World Cup games...good luck! (come join the roll call.) :)

I don't know if I should thank you or not because I'm booked! The price is good once you realize it's almost 3 weeks so it comes to about $89./night. And the deposit was only $100. with final payment not due til March so I can afford to be a sport and reserve a cabin. Plus they had handicap and it's right near the elevator making it even better. Other cruise lines would charge a lot more for a deposit.

WhoHoo cruisepup! Welcome aboard...come over on to the roll call (there aren't many of us yet)...hope some more solos will join us. :)

I think it's interesting that MSC put the tiniest balcony cabins at mid-ship...and put the most expensive Yacht Club *exclusive* cabins as far forward as possible (Divina). It's great that solos have a lot of well-priced cabins in several categories AND good ship locations to choose from!

Here is the itinerary:

 

Date Port Arrival Departure

05/24/14 Miami, United States 19:00

05/27/14 Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islan 07:00 18:00

05/29/14 Bridgetown, Barbados 08:00 18:00

05/30/14 Saint George, Grenada 08:00 18:00

05/31/14 Port of Spain, Trinidad and To 08:00 17:00

06/04/14 Fortaleza, Brazil 10:00 20:00

06/07/14 Salvador, Brazil 08:00 23:00

06/08/14 Ilheus, Brazil 08:00 18:00

06/10/14 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 08:00 23:59

06/11/14 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 00:01

 

There is also a bit of a senior discount for this as of now at least

I did find this cruise on the MSC-USA web site...funny...it's not listed as a Caribbean cruise, nor a South America cruise...it's listed as a "Transatlantic!" This itinerary isn't what I'd consider a transatlantic...nevertheless...that's where MSC-USA web site shows it, with the option to disembark June 11 in Rio, or June 12 in Santos (Sao Paulo). :) Decent prices for solos...there is a small roll call started...anyone else in???

I cruised the Med on MSC Orchestra last April and enjoyed it quite a bit. The ship is beautiful and most of the crew spoke English. However, if you're not used to spending time around Italians, which most of the customers were, it can be a bit of a culture shock. We were familiar with things like pushing your way to the front instead of standing in line, but I could see it turned off the other 15 or so Americans on the ship.

 

Also, since all four of us bought the wine package, we shared two bottles at dinner and then the waiter opened two more bottles and handed them to us when we left the dining room. He said as long as they were opened in the dining room, they were included in the package. We then went to the nearest lounge where the bartender cheerfully handed over four wine glasses.

I'm looking forward to meeting people of all nationalities...the different culture mix should make for interesting people watching! Also, I'm guessing that we'll have a larger percentage of Americans on the Miami departures than you experienced on your Med cruise.

Thanks Podie for posting the wine tip. Note to self: Buy wine package! ;)

Unfortunately the more I learn about MSC the less appealing it is becoming. They have the worst website for booking and you cannot view your booking on it. Then I learned that have to purchase water and coffee at dinner in the mdr :mad:. Then I requested an extension cord and distilled water for my cpap machine and they told me I have to bring my own (RCCL and Celebrity provide both). And best, if you book a gty they can move you to a different cabin during the cruise. This has to do with their European cruises where passengers board in more than one port. This won't happened to me on the Divina since I have an assigned cabin and I don't think people will be boarding in Pt. Canaveral. So, not exactly deal breakers yet but not thrilled.

Agree the MSC-USA web site needs some updating! When I called and spoke with the MSC-USA representative, I was told that "free" drinking water WILL be provided for the Caribbean departures, including my South America destination cruise, since it originates in Miami and includes Caribbean ports. I'm expecting some "differences" for sure...but booked for the itinerary and decent solo prices. It does appear that MSC is making some adjustments to accommodate the "North American" passenger. I've cruised with Celebrity, HAL, and Princess...and have had great cruises so far. I expect some differences on MSC, but am keeping an open mind, and hope for another excellent cruise experience.

Please post a review when you return from your Divina debut cruise...looking forward to hearing more! :)

Maybe not a bargain on a per night basis but the 3 night cruise on her on 11/20/13 has single insides are $422.06-$458.06 including taxes and port charges. Since this is the debut cruise out of Miami there will be a fireworks display at sailaway (I think you need to book late seating dinner if you want to see it and still have dinner in the mdr) and complimentary "Diva-tini" cocktails (you probably get the drink for free but have to pay for the glass :D). The only problem is the cheapest insides are directly below the casino :( so for another $36. you can be on a decent deck in a better location. I thought this would be a good way to try out MSC since it's one of their newest (and biggest) ships and also because the reviews seem to cover the entire spectrum I'd rather just dip my toe before getting all wet.

Yes, cruise pup...lots of mixed reviews (especially from North Americans) about MSC. It will be interesting to see how MSC does when she begins sailing out of Miami. Can't help but appreciate the great solo pricing, and even some tiny mid-ship cabins with small balconies are affordable for solos.

The MSC-USA website is only showng sailings through April, 2014. However...there is a "repositioning cruise" from Miami to Brazil (departure May 24, 2014) not yet listed on their web site, but available for booking if one calls the MSC-USA office (in Ft. Lauderdale). You can disembark in Rio de Janeiro...or stay on the ship for 2 days in Rio and disembark a day later in Santos (Sao Paulo), Brazil. Very desirable itinerary includes Virgin Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad, and several Brazilian ports. Rumor has it that the Divina has been privately chartered to use as a hotel for World Cup team members in Rio, so there are no sailings in June, 2014.

Your idea to "dip a toe in" makes good sense. I decided to "take the plunge," and hope she meets/exceeds expectations! :D

Thanks Stoffel1982. I'll be doing the same...can't wait! :)

Thanks for the cat 6 photos. Did your cabin have a small sofa or maybe(hopefully) at least an upholstered inside chair? Balcony does appear tiny...but yes, sufficient for fresh air and relaxing.

1) Dec 7, 2013: Celebrity Infinity - Ft. Lauderdale through Panama Canal to Santiago, Chile

2) March 16, 2014: HAL Statendam - San Diego to Lima, Peru

3) May 24, 2014: MSC Divina - Miami to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

WooHoo...Can't wait!!! :D