Eric G.

One of the excursions I went on was the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins. This was a highlight of the trip for me, as I'd never seen ruins like this before. About an hour on an air conditioned bus to get to the site.

The 3rd specialty restaurant was Hola Tacos and Cantina. I was really impressed with this place. It's more casual than Ocean Cay or Butcher's Cut. There's an all you can eat option for around $18, where you can just keep ordering off the menu if you want to try different things. (The all you can eat option is available with your specialty dining package.) Everything was delicious. I probably would have eaten here more than once had I known how good it was.

2nd specialty restaurant was the Butcher's Cut. It was very good as well. I'm actually not really a steak guy, I went with salad, the chicken and the cheesecake. All were good.

On 9/21/2024 at 2:26 PM, FLCruiser97 said:

Sailing tomorrow on this ship. Thanks for the pics.

Have a great cruise!

10 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

You can use the Casino and your cruise card as an ATM.  Go to a slot machine, buy credits funded from your cruise card. Immediately cash out and take the ticket to the teller.  No fees

Thanks for the tip! This worked, but they wouldn't let me cash out for the full amount without playing some game first. I played some 40 cent game and then cashed out. But the guy in the cashier cage said if I just needed cash, there was a machine on the 6th deck that would let you charge to your room and get cash.

8 hours ago, GonzoWCS said:

Thanks for this review.  What was the cost and how long was the "behind the Scenes"?  TIA

 

Cheers

 

 

Hmm, I can't remember the cost, but it should be listed on the excursions section of the site. If I had to guess, 30 to 45 minutes? They take you backstage of the theater and then the lighting and sound booth, then through the whole laundry section, then food storage and prep.

There's actually a second one on a different day that shows the bridge, etc., but I had to cancel that since it overlapped with my Cozumel excursion.

2 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

You can use the Casino and your cruise card as an ATM.  Go to a slot machine, buy credits funded from your cruise card. Immediately cash out and take the ticket to the teller.  No fees

I don't think you can last day though...I'll give it a try.

We are on our last day at sea, headed back to Port Canaveral (sad face).

The things I wish I'd packed but forgot:

1. Aloe Vera lotion. I usually forget an area with the suntan lotion, and burned the backs of my legs while snorkeling. The ship store completely ran out of aloe lotion (I guess I'm not the only one that burns) so bring plenty!

2. Water shoes. I kept meaning to buy some, but put it off and forgot. They were a necessity at one of the excursions. Fortunately a store in Cozumel had some at the last minute.

3. More cash. Between the markets and tipping, I burned through what I brought, and found out later that the ship does not have an ATM.

OK, I just found out there *NO ATM's* on board, so bring plenty of cash for tipping, etc.

5 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

Just a tip, in case someone reading doesn't know...

Those magnets will hold up to 20lbs more weight when attached via the ceiling (normal force: the force perpendicular to a surface) contrary to the wall (sheer force: forces parallel to a surface)

We use them both ways, because they both have their uses!

Good to know...also make sure you buy neodymium magnets, they're much stronger than the old ones. 

4 hours ago, MonsterJoe said:

THanks for the review.  Could you say more about OC restaurant?  Nobody ever seems to review that one - just Butcher's Cut.  We are big seafood fans, but haven't got to the restaurant yet.

Sure, I don't know if you saw the photos above of OC, but I  thought it was great. Everything was fresh, service was excellent, it's pretty fancy and I felt underdressed in my shorts and T shirt, but nobody kicked me out. There's a wine list, I had 2 glasses of wine that were not charged since I have the drinks plus package. 

I have nothing but good things to say about it.

You probably know this already, but most cabin room walls are metal. You can organize smaller items with some good magnetic hooks.

I opted for the 3 restaurant specialty dining option. That includes the Ocean Cay seafood restaurant, the Butcher's Cut, and Hola. Last night was Ocean Cay. I chose the salad Nicoise, tuna, and creme brulee. All were great.

Just saw the "Divas" show. It was good. Theater was packed!

11 minutes ago, lahlah57 said:

What are the temps like?

Hot! In fact, there was an extreme heat warning day before yesterday. I packed too many long pants, and not enough shorts.

I think it's been in the 80s.

I like balcony rooms, but decided to save a little money and go with a standard window cabin.

I went on the on-ship excursion "Behind the Scenes" this morning that showed crew-only areas of the theater, laundry, and food stations. It was fun if you like to see what goes on in the areas you normally can't see.

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

So glad you are enjoying the buffet. How are you liking the rest of your MSC experience?

Having a great time, really. Not much to complain about. I like the ship, my room is nice. I do wish you could switch devices with the internet plan, but other than that thing a are fine. This morning I went on the Behind the Scenes excursion of the ship, that was fun.

If you look at photos or a map of Ocean Cay, it looks deceptively small. It actually takes a while to walk back and forth to the different areas, fortunately there is a tram you can ride between major areas.

I did the snorkeling equipment rental and had a good time. If you want to see fish, go to Bimini Beach.

We spent the night at Ocean Cay, then left the next morning around noon. Good timing, as just as everyone needed to get on board, a big thunderstorm came in.

Looks like they've started on another island (?)

Ocean Cay, yesterday

OK, so I've never done one of these before, apologies for the lack of knowing what I'm doing 😅 

Currently on the ship, we left Ocean Cay yesterday and are on our way to Mexico. I am pleased so far, this is my first MSC cruise, previously cruised Princess and RC.

I'll try to answer any questions or take pics if there's something you're curious about.

I just wanted to follow up now that I've been on the ship for a few days. I'm happy to report that my fears were unfounded, the buffet has been great. I ate at the MDR one night, and it was good, but I think prefer the flexibility and variety from the buffet. Nothing I have had is something I would consider 'bad' and it's not any worse than other line's buffets I've been to. There are different items every day too. Some pics:

Just wanted to follow up as I am currently on the ship, we left Ocean Cay yesterday, headed for Mexico. I opted for the one device browsing, which came with my ticket if I recall.

I have been impressed with the speed and reliability in general. My last Princess cruise had horrible internet. I decided yesterday to upgrade to a 2 device package so I could use my laptop as well. Unfortunately, I could not get my laptop to connect.

They allowed me to downgrade back down to a one device package, since my laptop wouldn't connect.

One other note, my phone would not connect initially, and it turned out to be because I had set a manual DNS (ad blocker) and I don't think their network plays well with other dns entries. As soon as I told it to use default dns I could connect.