shipgeeks

You can also walk there from the ship, about 20 minutes. You can see the whole stretch before you leave the ship, to get an idea where you'd like to go. Most likely, the further along you go, the quieter it will be. We've gone there many times, and never felt that it was unclean.

I believe not, according to what I read when we did it a few years ago. The excursion involves a van at the beginning or end, and seats are limited at both. I can't imagine doing it as a walkup.

We have always used the cruise line transfer. It gives us priority disembarkation, staff who know exactly where to take us, and peace of mind that it will be there. I'm not sure, though, whether an 11am flight qualifies for this. I recall there was a cutoff start time, in order to guarantee that you will make the flight. Our flights were usually 1pm or so, and one time we arrived at the airport checkin counter before they even opened. The airport is huge; from arrival to departure lounge could be a couple of hours.

We don't buy "things" for our cruise or our cabin. I see so many articles here and elsewhere, listing "the 56(!) things you must buy before your next cruise"; sometimes I wonder if it is an Amazon ploy to sell things to naive first-time cruisers. Door decorations, cabin decorations, power strips, hanging storage bags, magnetic hooks, magnets, fake candles, laundry baskets, special clocks, towel clips, mattress toppers, lanyards, ducks, personalized tags for ducks......

We sailed on Enchantment four times las year, and did not notice any smells. We were on Deck 4. When this question comes up re any ship, a solution that's worth a try is to pour a glass or two of water into one's bathroom drain (not in the shower, but elsewhere on the bathroom floor). If that drain has become dry, it can develop an odor.

I, too, find it mind-boggling to think that people change cabins/bookings like this. So, to balance us, who in 50 cruises have never changed any element of our bookings, there are people who change, and change, and....... But I have never returned/exchanged anything I bought at a store or online, either. If I'm satisfied initially, I remain satisfied. Re upgrades, we have been upgraded twice. Due to budget, we booked an inside cabin for our Alaska cruise many years ago. Circumstances led to us being moved to a balcony, with no price increase. More recently, we requested an OV cabin for a Carib cruise, but our TA noted that balconies were cheaper, so we took that. In both cases, we learned something important for us: We Do Not Like Balconies. We much prefer a window that is not obstructed by all that metal, and we don't have any interest in being out there. It's really nice to fine-tune one's likes and dislikes.

Any further news? Has she done more trips?

Agreed, RC's oatmeal raisin. Yum.

Hello! I suspect you will get lots of advice stating that Yacht Club is the only way to sail MSC. We disagree. We sailed Bella, which is the "lowest" category, and we were just fine with that. I do recommend studying the four levels of booking. Each has its perks. For example, we prefer set dining, so Bella or Fantastica were appropriate for us. If spa access is important to you, then Aurea might be your choice. Most of the negative reviews seem to be based on short (3- or 4-night) cruises. When we sailed, we did two 7-nighters, B2B. Many of the schedules now show longer cruises - 10 or 11-night - but when you look closely, you will see that is a 7-night with a 3- or 4-night, which, in my opinion, is a negative.

Well, I resent that assumption! Our experience: Us, to server: "Does RC "take care of you" with Diamond drinks?" Server: "Yes, sir." Us: Continue to slip $1 per drink, or occasional $$$ to regular server, throughout the cruise. Prepay all gratuities at booking. Add additional $$ to other crew as appropriate. Never ever remove.

I can't remember which forum it was on; RC or other?

Of course. Cruise ships are not Third World hotels, with a sign in the bathroom stating "non-potable water".

Stated here fairly recently by Chief Engineer.

Never any different from any other time or place.

???? Bathroom sink water and WJ water are pure and delicious. We've been drinking them daily for 30+ years.

???

Two US and two European.

We agree that we enjoy a good dinner table with others, but for us, we prefer that it be the same people for the duration of the cruise, so we can go beyond the first night "Where are you from?" and "How are you enjoying the cruise?" conversations. We've been fortunate in that even the very young (20s) tablemates on recent cruises have been excellent conversationalists, at most bringing out a phone long enough to check on a show time or similar.

The video attached to another RC post on this evacuation notes how much safer a ship is than an airplane, in this situation.

BTW, the last time I recall being asked that, the "island" was Gibraltar, after a number of days crossing the Atlantic. Then the same lady asked "what island?" again after our day in Naples.

Yes, I've heard that, too! "What island were we just on today?"

We are ship geeks, and we tend to choose our cruises for the ship more than for the itinerary. I know this is not universal. Sharing a cab back to the Cozumel port a few years ago, we asked the other couple what ship they were on. (Ours?) "Gee, I don't know the name. It might be a Carnival." Pulling in to port: Is one of those yours? "Huh, might be. I'm pretty sure ours is white." We never found out whether they got back onboard the right one. Then, this morning, our driver mentioned that he was just on a cruise, so of course we encouraged further conversation. What ship were you on? ".....I have no idea. Hmmm. It might have been NCL or Royal Caribbean. Let me see if I can remember anything." He never did. Are we the only ones who know things like this, lol?

We will be on the Vision cruise right after yours! We love that ship, and Baltimore sailings. We've done six cruises since they resumed; have never used the app (nor a smartphone). We were always able to do the checkin without it, until our September cruise. For that one we were instructed to just show up at the terminal with our booking number. (As it turned out, we were unable to do the cruise, not our choice, so I can't comment on how that went.) We've never had a problem having paper menus, paper cruise compasses, etc. The biggest changes we've noticed are an increased number of young adults aboard, and, probably due to the year spent in pajamas and sweats, and working from home, the more casual feel overall. One of those is a demand for faster meals in MDR, with some unable to appreciate a dinner that lasts more than 45 minutes. It is still a wonderful way to spend a week or more!

I don't think so. The four cruises this year, and one next September, are the only ones. Have you ever sailed out of Baltimore?

As has been stated above, our TA has always been able to put in our request. And recently, there is an email just a few days before sailing, in which you are asked for your preference. If all else fails, just tell your room steward the first day.