shipgeeks

DL was busy to not so busy on Enchantment and Vision over the past 18 months, due in part, I'm sure, to the Concierge. Jayson on Enchantment, and most recently Romana on Vision, were fabulous, and created an excellent atmosphere that drew good people in. In both cases, the drink servers were wonderful, too, so it had an every day draw for us and many others.

And flying in a skirt is even better than slacks, in that respect!

Are you sailing with RC? Departures are now around 3pm, unless something causes a delay. Passing under the Key Bridge is about half an hour or so later, (fun to watch!) then another bridge some time after that, but still in daylight. I don't think we've ever been aware of the CBBT, but it would be after dark. In returning to Baltimore, we always begin to see the lights of the bridge and tunnel shortly after dinner. It's worth going out on deck then to view the lights and the entry into the bay.

But not having a guarantee of dining time is not exclusive to MSC. We always request a certain dining time on other lines (RC, HAL, Celebrity), but never know for sure until we board whether it is locked in. We chose early with our Bella bookings, found that we had 5:30, but were given a change to 7:30 when we requested that. The late option was 9:30 or so, to accommodate the European and South American passengers.

If not using the app, there will be a box saying "view boarding pass" and one saying "view luggage tags". We print straight from there.

Re Vision, does anyone know what date in September Clo leaves? I'm hoping she will still be aboard through September 23.

Announcements will be in multiple languages, but will be brief: "Ship is now cleared to go ashore", but not "art auction/sales in the shops/bingo blah blah.....". It is best to use the planner to keep track of desired activities.

Thank you for answering! The confusion of the two cities comes up on a regular basis here. Your cruise sounds wonderful! I'm curious to know what ship/cruiseline you will be on.

She has not been near a hot tub or pool since. Thank you, all, for your thoughts. I've just been curious whether other cruisers have had a similar experience.

Beds can be separated by cabin steward. Shows and activities are less language-dependent, as there will be many nationalities aboard, so something like love & marriage show might not be offered. Fewer comedians, more visual shows.

Free drinks in buffet: coffee, teas, juices, milks, iced tea, water. The water in the cabin tap is fine; if we want water to carry somewhere we just take a refillable bottle. Water in MDR will be provided by waiter and/or pitcher on the table.

Before we sailed to our C/NE ports, I looked up each one online. Each one had a useful website that I got a lot of info from.

I got a nice map in the visitors center in Portland, right at the end of the pier. Regarding St. John's, are you sure you are going there, and not Saint John? They are different ports, and the second is the more usual cruise ship stop. There have been stories of passengers booking a rental car in the wrong one!

Not required, but some will and some will not.

Apparently, different cruise directors choose to use different names. Formal, and Dress to Impress, seem to be the most popular in our experience over the last 18 months. We always dress up on those two (or three, on a 12-night) evenings; some do, some do not. What ship will you be on, and how long?

Health questions the day before (not weeks before) is normal. And we always just do ours in person, at the terminal.

What "experience" are you planning to book under? If Bella or Fantastica, you will be assigned a dinner time, and you should show up at that time. (If the time you are given is unsatisfactory, you can speak with a dining room manager and ask to be changed.) If you book Aurea, you will be able to show up any time within the open hours of your dining room. Apart from that, your "anything else" might include the fact that the cruise will not be a duplicate of other mainstream cruiselines, due in large part to the fact that American passengers will probably be a minority. We really enjoy that, some do not. Shows are more visual and less language-dependent. Some foods might not be exactly as you are used to them. Service can be a bit more formal and a little less effusive.

Agreed! I just brought two cashmere sweaters out of the cedar chest, in anticipation of my September C/NE cruise. And my silk turtlenecks were perfect under sweaters on our AK cruise.

I notice that in the dining room, one dessert is a normal, and sufficient, size. In the buffet, they are smaller, which is good, because if I can see them, I'm going to want to try different ones. Oh - anyone remember when all the MDR desserts would be displayed on a rolling cart, so we could see in advance what a "daquoise" or other exotic item was?

We got ours at Guest Services on the ship, and then didn't have to spend any time looking, nor studying the loonies and toonies. There was an exchange rate, of course, but great convenience.

The rash first appeared a few hours after sitting with her lower legs in the hot tub. She and her doctors are just trying to eliminate some possible causes, as nothing else has yet done so.

An acquaintance claims she developed a rash after sitting in a hot tub for a short while, and it has reappeared from time to time over the last year, without using a hot tub again. Is this likely, or even possible? Her doctor has found no explanation for it. Anyone else experience this?

Not a very direct answer, but in recent years I gave up using sunscreens, and just wear a long-sleeve rashguard when I'm out in the sun. Easy on, easy off. I see a lot more people wearing them now, including crew members.

Sea days on our AK cruise were my favorite part! We spent all our waking hours up on the top deck, just watching the scenery go by. We had been given a balcony, but only used it once the entire 10 days.

Separates definitely have advantages! And I might add that a flared skirt, not too short, not too long, can be way better than pants when it comes to restroom logistics, especially when the restroom is not private, or is a tree somewhere. I was glad I had mine when I trekked in Nepal. But I still like my dressy black jumpsuit, and my two daytime, patterned, walking Promenade Deck jumpsuits. Fortunately, I always cruise on somewhat smaller ships, so I can always head back to my own cabin any time I want a bathroom break.