I'manewbie

I went back to read the letter again and it says box office on deck 6

We are sailing on the 10/15 NCL Encore. I just recd an email that they are canceling our Choir of Man reservation. Has anyone else recd this or am I just special? They suggested we go to the ticket office on deck 6 but never mentioned if there was another performance of CofM that we could catch.

Hope you have a great cruise. My dh and I will be on Musica on the Oct 8th cruise so keep her looking good! :)

Don't forget to come back and tell us how it went!

Thx for your advice. I hate to keep hijacking this thread but what time would i tell the taxi service and do you have a recommended service to use?

Thank you - we appreciate your advice!

Thx Bea - we had planned to self disembark (we travel light) as soon as we can. I'm assuming a taxi would be the quickest way to get to the airport. I don't know what we were thinking making such an early flight reservation!

What time is the ship due to arrive at?

According to the itinerary 9am.

Can you comment on disembarkation back in Venice at the end of the cruise? I have a 12:15pm flight and am getting antsy. Any recommendations are appreciated :)

I am in the US and when signing into my account, I went to the Enhance your cruise section and then selected the dining and drinks. There was an option for mineral water in the dining room. It was free.

Thanks for doing this. I hope you have a fantastic cruise! We are on the Oct 8th sailing, so I will definitely be following this post.

That's the way it worked for me...but not without multiple phone calls. Be persistent!

Uuugh. OP here. I had planned to try customer service again today but the family(me included) has come down with what can only be described as the plague. It is unsettling that getting conclusive info is so difficult. And let's just say that my stomach doesn't need to be more unsettled...

Thank you all for sharing your experiences.

Thanks for your reply. I called MSC yesterday to ask a few questions and was told:

1)they will let us depart with our carry on luggage at any time

2)there is no government discount, just military discount

3)water will be served at dinner, no further action needed

Since these answers seem counter to what I've read on cruise critics I think I'll call again on Monday. Really shouldn't be this difficult...

Thank you so much for your response - I'll give them a call tomorrow!

I'm new to MSC but not to cruising and have a cruise on the Musica out of Venice booked for early October. I'm almost too ignorant to even know what I don't know at this point but one question I have concerns disembarkation. My husband and I travel light and always carry our own luggage off the ship - will we have an assigned time to do this or will it be like other cruiselines where we go either early or at any time? Starting to worry that the combo of Bella and a 12:30 flight might lead to problems... Oh and I still am unsure if we'll be allowed water with dinner. Thanks to all who can enlighten!

DH and I are taking our first MSC cruise on the Musica in early October - so please be trailblazers so I can learn all that I need to know!

Doing a little more research - found this info on another condo's listing

https://www.vrbo.com/728622

Fancy a 5 star pamper day? For just $59 per person (under 12's half price) become a day-guest at the Gran Bahia Principe resort: Breakfast, lunch and dinner in any of the resort's restaurants, use of the resort facilities, kids club, activities, shows, tennis, sports zone and Hacienda Doña Isabel (disco and bars) - Alcohol is included (Purchase day-passes from the Hotel at any time)

So maybe the price to become a full day-guest fluctuates by the season idk? I kind of remember it being $75 pp - our "kids" are 25 and 18 so the 4 of us would have to do the adult rate and that just wasn't in the budget - but it might work out for you guys.

I don't know how to send a private message - here is the place we stayed at https://www.vrbo.com/4049977ha

It is part of the Grand Bahia Principe which is an all inclusive (and for the week we stayed would have been around $4k for our family of 4) we stayed at the Tao condo for $100 a night,( the condo owner had wrist bands for us to wear when we wanted to cross the road to the AI part of the resort)and was allowed the use of the beach and pools at GBP - i think GBP charged $75 pp/per day if we wanted to go on their meal plan. We declined that offer because we had a car and really enjoyed going out and finding restaurants in the little town of akumal. We also drove up to Playa del Carmen (about 30 min drive) a couple of nights to walk on 5th ave, eat dinner and people watch. From Playa you can get a ferry to Cozumel. Tripadvisor's akumal has a pretty active akumal board and there is a webcam i used to be obsessed with which is right in front of the Lo Hai restaurant - you can see the snorkle class meet and head out into the water.

PS - i think the GBP has a kid's club but i don't know if the condo renters can use it. They also have a casino. I guess it's like a ship on dry land!

https://www.locogringo.com/akumal-beach-webcam

Funny you mentioned a land vacation...you know how when you read reviews on CC you feel like you know the family - my family and I went to Akumal Mexico in January. I found a beautiful 2bed/2bath condo at tao inspired living resort for $100 a night on vrbo. We flew into Cancun (southwest flies there) rented a car and it was about an 1 hour 15 min drive to the resort. We stopped in Playa on the way to go to Walmart to load up on some supplies. Tao is part of the Grand Bahia Principe Resort - so we had access to all of their facilities - except their food - that would have been extra. The beach at Akumal is supposed to have excellent snorkling (we're not snorklers or spellers!) and the condo had an infinity pool. We ate breakfast in the condo but ate lunch and dinner out at the very inexpensive restaurants in the town of akumal. one place we ate at several times - 3 shrimp and avocado tacos, rice and beans and a coke - $3.50. Anyway - I thought of your family when I was on this trip. It was different than a cruise but it was a good different. Just something to think about...

I'm loving the pictures Mitsugirly - but the more I see the sadder I'm becoming that I had bronchitis during my cruise last June. We managed to get to Horseshoe Bay but I just didn't have the stamina to go exploring the St. George beaches. Your review is making me think about another trip to Bermuda! Thx!

Thank you for putting so much time and effort into these reviews! You do the community a great service by offering so many pictures of the ships. My favorite part of your review (and I'm guessing I'm not alone) is reading about your family - I really feel like I've gotten to know them! Probably an unhealthy attachment but when updates were dribbling out during your cruise, all I could think about was how Sakari must be disappointed that the pools were closed the first few days of the cruise.

So excited to see your review Mitsugirly! I was on the Dawn a week after you and came home with bronchitis just like you - can't wait to read your comparisons of the two Bermuda cruises!

My family of four has sailed in inside cabins several times and it was fine until this last cruise in June on the Dawn to Bermuda. I came down with bronchitis on the first sea day - a really nasty, loud cough - that kept everyone awake. The more I would try to suppress it, the more I needed to cough. I got stuck with the short bed in the middle and basically spent the nights wedged up against the edge of the mattress next to mine. Anyway - not an experience I soon want to replicate! Also, there are so few places on the Dawn to find a comfy place to sit!. I was longing for those loungers in the old Spinnaker on the Pearl.

So tldr - it's doable if conditions are perfect - bring your sense of humor!

Mitsugirly - i' m so sorry that you got sick. I was on the cruise after yours and I too got bronchitis - day 2 for me. As the week went on, I heard more and more people coughing. It made me question how often the linens - particularly the duvet covers are cleaned. I've been home since Friday night and am feeling a bit better except for the back muscle I pulled during one of my coughing fits. I say we both get a mulligan on the Bermuda cruise and get to go back!

I searched on youtube for "Snorkel Park Beach Bermuda Island Beach Party" and there is a lengthy video up of the event. Not exactly the way I'd want to spend my time ...certainly not for $40 per person.