Nashna

Thanks for your suggestions. I have not been to Boston in many years and are not familiar with the pier area. I have been to most of the tourist stops, so looking to hit Fanuiel Hall and, Boston Common. How easy is it to get to the T from the pier?

That is good to know. I'm not happy being around smoke. I wonder if MSC allows this when the roof is open. I can't imagine they would allow smoking if it were a totally enclosed area. We shall see...

Drats!... I figured that would be the case.

We enjoy hanging out by the YC pool. However, the weather in Canada and New England will be too cool to use the outdoor pool. Thanks for the elevator tip...don't need a slip to ruin our vacation.

We are booked in a concierge stateroom on the Vista, Windward Islands, January 31st sailing. Does anyone know if this sailing is included in the sale?

The Bamboo indoor pool is located in the solarium according to MSC's Meraviglia deck plans.

Thank you for your reply. My first MSC cruise was in an Aurera suite, and I used the top deck on that Divina sailing. I am also familiar with Celebrity's solarium as I recently spent hours on a rainy sea day in one. The Meraviglia calls the indoor pool area you referenced the Bamboo Pool, which is located in the solarium. I was interested in finding out more about the use of the solarium as our stateroom is in the YC on the 16th floor, just outside of the solarium area. It would certainly be convenient to use.

7-days out of Miami last July, I can't remember which one of the Seas he was on. He was not particularly upset at the ruckus the passengers caused. He and his wife are in their forties and travel quite a bit. He actually said it brought the other passengers together as they exchanged the latest gossip provided by the potty-mouthed girlfriend regarding her lout of a boyfriend. MSC handled it well by immediately isolating him away from the other YC passengers.

We will sail on the Meraviglia to Canada and New England this fall. Since October will be cool and we have several sea days, we think the pool Solarium might be a nice way to spend part of the day. Has anyone used the solarium onboard Mera? Are there any restrictions as to age? Is it heated? How crowded can this get? I noticed that there were only loungers on the second floor, is it a problem securing one? As always, I value your input.

They were so good. I'm sorry to hear they are no longer in the mini-bar.

My son had an unruly passenger onboard with him last July. The man was seen at the White tent lugging a large, empty Coleman cooler. He asked for ice and a case of beer to be brought to his room every morning. On day two, he and his girlfriend got into a huge fight, and he had to be restrained by security. He was under house arrest and could not leave his stateroom until disembarkation. The drunk's girlfriend had a potty mouth and attempted to elicit sympathy daily from other YC passengers in the Topsail lounge. My son, his wife, and most of the passengers kept a wide berth away from her. As you can imagine, this was the talk of the cruise.

I got the impression that the other folks had visited Halifax in the past.

On a recent Caribbean cruise, we met several Canadians who had visited Peggy's Cove; they all said it wasn't worth the travel time and there were too many other interesting things to do in Halifax.

That's odd. We were on the Edge in January, and no tender tickets were needed. The Edge was using both sides of the ship for the local tenders. Perhaps if it is windy, the tenders are limited.

I can take a guess as to the ultra-luxury brand you referenced. While we totally enjoyed sailing on Regent, Windstar, and Azamara in addition to our mainstream cruises, our Seabourn cruise was not as enjoyable. Fortunately, we did meet some fantastic fellow passengers on CC before the cruise. These lovely people made up for some of the entitled folks we encountered onboard Seabourn.

Taking our first Oceania cruise next January...I hope you are an example of the type of passenger who sails on Oceania.

On the Edge in January, my prime rib looked identical to your son's. It was tough... definitely not a prime or choice cut. We decided to splurge in Fine Cut to get a good meal. My husband's filet was great, so at least one of us enjoyed their meal. Charging $65.00 per person, Celebrity should be making enough to provide a decent cut of beef.

Enjoy every moment...we all deserve to be pampered every once in a while.

A 7-day Apex and an 11-day on Edge in January 2023. The Retreat was sold out for both sailings. We sailed in a Sunset Veranda. We have done Aqua in the past but chose to have a large veranda over the infinity balcony. We had sailed Apex in January 2022, so our comparison was recent. We absolutely enjoyed the entertainment on both ships. Captain Tsos was fantastic on the Edge. Where X has really gone down is in the poor food choices and quality. They did not offer filet mignon; lobster was tiny and $9.95 for a second one, tilapia over swordfish, no more prime rib, and the sirloin steaks were thin. Room service continental breakfast was complimentary anything else was $9.95. Bar service was slow as they were understaffed...I counted three in the packed theatre. We ate in the specialty restaurant to get prime rib, and it was tough... not prime or choice. The prime rib was perfectly cooked, it was just a cheap cut. We had planned a 2024 cruise on The Beyond but cancelled that one and booked Oceania instead. Celebrity made these changes on January 1st, 2023. From the numerous complaints we heard onboard and on CC, Celebrity has a problem.

The YC Concierge will take care of all that once you board. The concierge will greet you by name and offer to make all those arrangements. We found them to be delightful. You are in for a treat. We had booked an excursion before boarding. Our butler knew we were going on an excursion and offered to escort us to the bus. Passengers going on the excursion were to meet in the theatre; our butler said we could save time and just meet the tour outside the ship. So instead of spending 30 minutes waiting, we sipped mimosas. Our butler was in contact with the excursion officer who called when the passengers were leaving the theatre. Our butler took us off the ship, directly to the bus to board, introduced us to the guide, and ensured we were the first on the bus. This is another example of how the butlers work for you...One night, I ordered a glass of wine in the Topsail Lounge, and we decided to have our drinks on the veranda instead. I picked up my glass and left the lounge when another butler saw me. He was aghast to see me carrying my own drink, asked what I was drinking, and said he would deliver it to our room. He showed up within a few minutes with a full bottle of wine and two glasses. We didn't think we needed a butler...until we had one.

Good to know. I wish MSC were still embarking from Manhattan. We are taking Amtrak into NYC and are staying in mid-town.

We are sailing a Canada/New England cruise from Brooklyn in October. What setup do they have in Manhattan?

We use Marriott points and did stay at the Marriott Biscayne Bay in 2022. I wasn't that thrilled with the hotel's restaurant choices. We did get upgraded to a higher room category and could see the cruise ships through our window. This time, It looks like we will be staying at the newly renovated Marriott Marquis.

How is the MSC terminal in Brooklyn? Do YC passengers have a special drop-off area?

We decided to do the Charlottetown City Highlights double-decker bus tour featured on Trip Advisor. Many reviews mentioned that it was a great way to see the city's highlights and get some local history. The tour is just an hour, so we plan to go back to investigate the sites that interest us and find a nice spot for lunch. Our card won't be charged until two days before our arrival, and we can cancel up to 24 hours in advance. The $26.00 charge per person is certainly reasonable. I'll keep checking this site to see if something more interesting comes along.