ESCARGO

Are you doing the Cozumel Bar Hop again?

On 2/2/2024 at 9:14 AM, JamieLogical said:

 

It's hard to believe I am only 9 days away from my next MSC sailing on the Divina. This one really snuck up on me! It doesn't help that work has been CRAZY busy for the past couple of months and I have been horribly sick for the past week and a half. Between those two things, I really haven't had much time or energy to even think about cruise planning. I just started working on my packing list about two days ago!

 

Last night I ventured out of my house for only the second time since Tuesday the 23rd. I mustered enough energy to go grocery shopping and picked up a few things from my packing list that I needed. I am hoping to be able to get my first round of laundry done today. But the countdown is on!

 

For this cruise, I will be sailing with my husband on the Divina out of Miami. It will be our first time on the Divina or any MSC ship besides the Meraviglia, for that matter. We are flying down in the EARLY morning on Saturday, the 10th. I am hopeful that our hotel will let us drop our bags off and store them there in the morning, since check-in isn't until the afternoon. We'd like to have the freedom to explore Miami a bit. Despite having sailed out of Miami many times, we usually fly in late the night before our cruise, head straight to the hotel to crash, and then head straight to the cruise terminal the next morning. However, on my solo sailing in October, the Meraviglia had an itinerary change that had us stopping in Miami as a port stop for a day. I was able to get off the ship and explore Miami a bit on my own. I went to Little Havanah and ate lunch at a great little restaurant and walked around and looked at the shops. I want my husband to get to experience all that in Miami this time, which is why we chose an earlier flight.

 

We are excited about the itinerary as well. The first stop is Ocho Rios, where we never get off the ship, but after that, we have some good ports of call. Aruba is always a nice stop. Cartagena was one of our favorite stops on our Panama Canal sailing. We didn't stop in Colon on that Panama Canal cruise, so that will be a new port for us. Roatan will also be a new stop for us. And then we finish up with Cozumel, where I just did the Bar Hop with my solo friends in October. We have excursions booked in Colon, Roatan, and Cozumel so far.

 

Are you doing the Cozumel Bar Hop again?

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

We got to our hotel around 10:30. Never again flying American into Miami! First of all, we deplaned outside? Is that still a thing in 2024? Second of all, the walk from the plane to the baggage claim was approximately 14.75 miles. Third, there was no baggage claim belt that listed our flight. Fourth, when we found a big board that showed our flight's baggage was at belt 21, we realized that belt 21 was to the right of the main hallway from which we entered the baggage claim area. Coming out of that hallway, there were big signs that said "Baggages Claim" to the left and "International Departures" to the right. So, we of course walked the full length of the baggage claim area looking for our belt only to have to turn, walk all the way back, and then past the hallway we had entered from. The American Airlines app very unhelpfully provided no baggage claim belt info. Fourth, once we FINALLY made it to the belt that allegedly would have our baggage (despite the sign above it nor listing our flight), we had to wait a VERY long time for our baggage to finally show up. Apparently, it takes a long time to transport luggage 14.75 miles. Then, we left out the nearest door and there were no signs outside anywhere directing us which way to go for shuttle pickup, so we had to back inside to find a map and signs for the hotel shuttle pickup and back out again.

 

At least we didn't shave to wait long for our shuttle to arrive. It did, however, stop at the other hotel listed on the side first. So, we didn't actually make it to the hotel until sometime after 10:30, despite having landed at 9:00.

 

We were pleasantly surprised to find out they already had a room ready for us when we arrived, despite check-in not being until 3:00pm. We had planned to drop our bags and get lunch and kill time before coming back to the hotel check in.

 

Since we were able to check in, we decided to plop for a bit, drink a bottle of water, and recover from the tribulations of our travels. We the. Headed out to call a Lyft to the restaurant we had planned to eat lunch at, Old's Havana. I had eaten at this restaurant on my solo cruise back in October and was eager to take my husband there, as he loves Cuban sandwiches. It did not disappoint! He was very happy with his sandwich and rum & coke that included a cute glass Coke bottle.

 

We walked around Little Havana a bit, but not too long as we were both very tired and the hotel room was calling our names. We quickly fell asleep once back at the hotel and I have just awoken from my coma to drink some coffee and figure out a plan for dinner.

Welcome to Miami! That was not a good trip. At least you will be boarding the Davina shortly.  Ok, what is your decided cocktail when you finally get on board?

🍸🍹🥂🍸

Just now, ESCARGO said:

I hope you have a great trip to Miami. Enjoy you lunch in little Havana! Please post a lot of pics!

Ted

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Glad your travel went smoothly and I hope you have a nice day in Miami tomorrow!

 

I just finished up my packing except for a couple of toiletries that I will have to wait until after my shower tomorrow morning to pack. I am mostly done with stuff around the house as well. Just need to run the dishwasher right before I go to bed and unload it in the morning. Our cab is scheduled to pick us up at 4:30am. I am really NOT looking forward to getting up at 3:30!

Ju

22 hours ago, ajoneen said:

@ESCARGO hey Ted it was great hanging out this week. 
Hope our paths will cross again.
Amanda

Amanda, I had a great time hanging with you also. Hopefully we can book a new cruise and sail again from NYC! 🛳⚓🛳

7 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I am a little stuffy/sniffly, but still testing negative, so I think it's just from the dry air with my heat now running at home. I found out yesterday that Jim, who was doing the B2B and was in charge of keeping an eye on Ted for me, tested positive yesterday. I feel really bad about that because his wife is onboard for this leg and they still have a lot of days of cruising left.

Jamie, Jim & his wife Maureen are positive for Covid and are quarantined in their balcony cabin.

Ted

1 hour ago, HLR said:

yay!!!! I can make eggs any day at home...but i never get smoked salmon!

There is always a big selection of packaged smoked salmon right by the seafood counter in many grocery stores. 

43 minutes ago, melissy123 said:

So no more games available?

 

I don't think so. They might have daily crossword & soduko puzzles printed out maybe in guest services. 

58 minutes ago, EllieinNJ said:

Jamie. Can you find out if they have any mah jong sets on board.  Thanks.

Ellie, MSC Meraviglia removed their Library where they had games and puzzles and added a small smoke-free casino in place of it. 

Ted

Hi Jamie! Have you met John (aka jcuda) yet?

Ed and I had dinner with him every night at Panorama. We usually caught up with him for drinks at the Brass Anchor Pub or Meraviglia Lounge. 

Ted 

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I got a notification that our flight is delayed until 9:15, so just about two hours late at this point. Fortunately, I got the text before we left our house, so we can just eat dinner and relax. It's going to be a very late night now, though!

Jamie, I don't know why they changed your flight. It stopped raining here about a 1/2 hour ago and won't start again until around 2AM. 

Have safe travels!

Ted

Jamie, have you tried the French Onion Soup yet? If you have, please let me know how it was.

🍲🧅🍲

Ted

8 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

You guys, it may be the three mimosa blossoms speaking, but I am really loving this cruise! It's a gorgeous sea day, I am hanging out at the Edge bar watching the the ocean pass by, and genuinely just loving life.

 

Jamie! I am so glad you are loving your cruise! I am happy I mentioned MSC to you on the CA/NE cruise we done this past October. I have never had a drink at the Champagne Bar in the 4 cruises I've done on the Meraviglia.  I need to go there with you and try a few Mimosa Blossoms! 🍹🤗🍹

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

They are blindingly dazzling and I try not to look directly at them while traversing them!

Me too! Being a former diamond grader, I just want those stairs in my house! Lol 💎💎💎

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

They are blindingly dazzling and I try not to look directly at them while traversing them!

Jamie, I'm so glad you are enjoying one of my favorite ships!  Have you tried the fresh mozzarella or pizza yet? 🍕

5 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Got our bags without much incident other than a bit of a long wait for any of the luggage to show up from our flight. Lyft to the hotel was quick and easy. Very happy to see MCO doesn't make you walk 8 miles it takes a bus to get to the rideshare pickup area. We literally got picked up right outside the door by our baggage claim. Grateful for not having to hike, since it's 90 degrees here!

Jamie, I'm so glad you made it to Orlando!  Go out, have a few drinks and a nice dinner! Tomorrow you board one of my favorite ships!  🛳🧳🥰🍹🥰🍷I'll see you in 2 weeks! 🤗

Ted

7 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

This weekend we got the whole house cleaned and took care of some other chores and errands, so we are a bit closer to being ready for the cruise. I still haven't started any packing. I probably won't do laundry until Wednesday or Thursday and then I will start my packing after that. We have social commitments for the next three nights.

 

Only 7 days to go!

Love the new color hair! I didn't realize your cruise leaves on Easter Sunday. 🐰 What a great way for sailaway! I'm doing laundry tomorrow and then doing errands for the next few days. I can't believe it is getting so close.

Ted

6 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Hi everyone! I am very excited to soon be doing my first live blog from an MSC ship, the Meraviglia. I am doing a semi-B2B and plan to post about both sailings on this thread. The first sailing is the 4/9-4/20 repositioning sailing out of Port Canaveral, going to Aruba and Curacao, and ending in Brooklyn, NY.  I will be doing that sailing with my husband in an Aurea Balcony Suite with a hot tub on the balcony! The ship is then porting in NYC for two days, presumably to take on new crew and provisions and maybe do some press tours before its new homeport inaugural sailing. We will be spending those two days with some friends who live in Brooklyn (those who followed my Emerald Princess live blog in December know @megaphone84 and her husband from that cruise). I will then be sailing solo in a Fantastica Balcony cabin on the 4/22-4/29 round trip cruise to the Bahamas. The solo sailing is a bit of a "reunion" with several solo sailors I met on my October NCL Breakaway cruise, including @ESCARGO and @reeinaz.

 

This past weekend I did an inventory of everything on my packing list to make sure I stocked up on anything I needed. A $300 grocery bill and a $200 Amazon bill later and I think we have everything! It's tough packing for 12 days (we are flying down to Orlando a day early) with no intention of doing laundry onboard. I have heard some horror stories about MSC's laundry service. In addition to it being expensive, it seems they are prone to damaging/shrinking clothes. So I am going to try to do the whole first sailing without doing any laundry and then hopefully be able to do laundry at my friends' place in between cruises.

 

We are flying Frontier down to Orlando on 4/8. It is our first (and probably last) time flying Frontier. We initially booked it because it was a direct flight. Direct flights are rare from our home airport of Rochester, NY. Almost every destination requires a layover for us unless it is a major hub we are flying into. Frontier was one of two airlines in Rochester that flies some direct flights to airports in Florida, because we have a lot of snowbirds here. It also appeared to be pretty cheap, but we learned quickly that looks can be deceiving. By the time we paid extra to select our seats and bring bags (carry-ons aren't even included), we paid as much or more as we would have for a Delta flight. But it did still have the advantage of being direct. The reason I say this will likely be our last Frontier flight is that the airline announced it is leaving the Rochester market in May.

 

We are staying at the Avid Hotel in Orlando and taking a GO Port shuttle to the cruise port the next day. I will definitely be posting to let you guys know how that all goes.

 

My husband will be flying home from JFK on Delta on 4/22 after staying those two extra days with me in Brooklyn. I will be taking the exact same flight a week later when my solo cruise disembarks.

 

I will post here about my pre-cruise preparations over the next 12 days and then the real fun will begin!

 

Jamie! I am looking forward to your posts on your first MSC meraviglia cruise! 🛳

I am starting to get ready on my packing list! Did some laundry but most will be done by next week. 

Happy Birthday! 🎂🍹🍻🍹🎂

I hope you had a great day with a delicious dinner and good drinks to celebrate your day! 🥳🍻🥳

Ted

15 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

And, in a matter of minutes, I was home sweet home...

 

 

Sid, I love your apartment. Are all those antiques from all the traveling you've done? I also like old antique pieces! Heck, you should see what's in my 2 car garage! 🚗 A 1965 Mustang & a 1968 Camaro!

Ted

 

13 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

Been down at the bar "on vacation" for awhile. Johnny Walker Blue Label and some Veuve champagne. She's gone to dinner now, and I came back to the cabin to unwind from the day. Big day in Cozumel tomorrow, but wayyy too short. I'm going to have to edit my plans, as four and a half hours is much too little for my all time favorite island. I'm definitely hitting the East side bars, and hopefully a couple of places in town. At least we'll be parked right there in San Miguel, so I can make it back to the ship on time. 

 

I remember a few years ago, I was doing the Cozumel Bar Hop, and we got back to the drop off point. I wanted a bacon and lobster sandwich from Le Chef, but there was very little time. The girl Colleen from the bar hop called my order in and I ran over to the restaurant to pick it up. When I made it back to the pier I was about ten minutes till "all aboard". I sat there and finished my sandwich and ended up being the fourth to last person back on the ship. At least there were others who were later than I was...

Sid, I always do the Cozumel Bar Hop! Colleen is a great host! I've done that Hop over 8 times. It is so good to be on the other side of Cozumel and be on a beach with no hotels, townhouses and pushy retail stores! The drinks and food each bar serves are very good! Colleen always jokes that if she falls out of the bus and the driver leaves I'm in charge of getting the bus back to the pier! Lol 😅🤭😂

Ted

2 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

I'm back home at the cabin now and I'm feeling the "take your sleeping pill and get it on" feeling... Once that happens, there's usually no turning back.

Sid,  I've tried a few brands of sleeping pills and some worked and others didn't. Please share what brand of sleeping pills you take. There is nothing better than a great night sleep! Thanks!

59 minutes ago, Priszm said:

Do you have a Total Wine by you? If so, you should be able to get Amarula from there.  Did your server tell your what it's made from? 

I've sailed with Jamie previously and she is a fan of Baileys, which I  also like! When she posted that she was served Amarula, and enjoyed it better than Baileys, I had to buy a bottle for New Year's Eve! Jamie is correct, it is better than Baileys! It's also cheaper, and is from South Africa! 

Amarula is a cream liqueur from South Africa. It is made with sugar, cream and the fruit of the African marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea) which is also locally called the elephant tree or the marriage tree. It has an alcohol content of 17% by volume (34 proof). It has had some success at international spirit ratings competitions, winning a gold medal at the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.^[1] It has the taste of slightly fruity caramel.

Before dessert, out server offered us a drink called Amarula, which was delicious. It was like Bailey's, but about 12 times better? Going to have to see if I can find it when I get home.

Jamie, I found that Amarula at my local liquor store. It is from South Africa! I will have to get a bottle and try it for NYE! 😁

Ok, I have to ask, how was the French Onion Soup compared to NCL LeBistro?

40 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Thanks for the mozzerella sticks tips!!!  I will be sure to check out the buffet on Asian night.  Once again I will say it.....oh I wish The Local/O'Sheehans still had them.

Oh, you're welcome! The mozzarella sticks were one of the best I've ever had! They were bigger and had the right amount of breading on them. And the maranara sauce was great! 😋 I don't know if someone in the galley found a box of them in the freezer and decided to put them in the buffet for Asian night. 

Ted