joeyancho

On 10/24/2023 at 4:01 AM, William W said:

I just booked my first MSC cruise on the Meraviglia for March Break 2024.  I was hesitant at first because of their bad reviews.  But it is currently priced at approximately 70% less than what RCCL wants for the Anthem sailing the same week, so I figured if I were to go in with a very low expectation or 1/3 the expectation when I sail on Royal, in theory, I should not be disappointed. 

You will love it .  That ship is gorgeous.   We enjoyed it very much.   You will find that drinks are much cheaper than RCCL.  The food is a little bit different,  but in a good way.  Their pizza is terrific.  We got an amazing deal on a yacht club suite on a 7 day Western Caribbean in December.  No mass market cruise line comes close to what Yacht Club  offers.  Bon Voyage.  

Princess is very nice.  The food offerings are better all around.  They try harder.  As a side note,  look into MSC.  Very good product.   Very nice ships.  

Real water shoes.  I don't think Crocs would work all.  They float and come off to easily.   

For everyone unhappy with this and that, the solution seems simple to me.   Try another cruise line.   That is what we are doing.  We snagged a great deal on the MSC Seascape.   7 day Western Caribbean,   in a deluxe balcony suite ( not really a suite, more of a mini suite )  with the Yacht Club upgrade.   It includes premium drink package, private pool, private restaurant ( with upgraded offerings ), private lounge,  thermal spa access,  free internet,  24 hr concierge,  free 24hr room service,  personal butler and on and on.  Price $3100 total.  That's the price of a regular balcony room on RCCL,  zero perks.  Try it.  It's fun to sleep around.   

Milk is available in mdr and buffet with all meals.  

Sodas are in 12oz cans.

Milk, coffee, water, tea, and maybe lemonade are available for free in the mdr.  Juice is available at breakfast.  Same as buffet

The buffet is open for all meals, everyday.   

52 minutes ago, davy jones said:

Update:  The bag was finally found and delivered to cabin around bedtime.  It was not in the naughty room.  There was a room that I checked with naughty and baggage missing tags.  It was not there.  I did use the paper tags that you print out with 4 staples.  Apparently, it ended up on another deck without a bag tag.  It was the first time this has happened to us in 40 cruises.  I don't know why it was not sent to the room that I checked 4 hours earlier.  We have returned to full low stress vacation mode.

 

I am still interested to see how many times this has happened to people and how it got resolvesd.

Great news!   What a relief.    When I put the tags on,   I use clear packing tape.   I cover the whole tag with it.  That stuff is strong.   I have to cut it off. 

17 hours ago, beckyboo1986 said:

Can you request a robe if you're not Aurea experience, YC cabins and Diamond card holders?

Doesn't hurt to nicely ask your room attendant,  he/she might get one for you.  

Wrap them well and put them in your checked luggage.   You should be fine. 

It may have been delivered to the wrong cabin.   The tag may have fallen off.   It may be in the naughty room.  Did you have identification inside the suitcase that would help them repatriate it?  A lot of possibilities.   Hopefully it will show up by morning.   Please let us know what happens.  

35 minutes ago, Até said:

Numerous reports of both complimentary and bid upgrades,  many to cabins above the bid level.   Unfortunately it's becoming obvious that MSC is not selling a large number of their (non-interior) YC cabins at the asking prices.

That is what I was thinking.  They take the original fare and the upgrade bid and put you in the upgraded cabin.  Then they can sell your original cabin.  It is better for MSC to do this than for the  YC cabin to sail empty. Anyway we are ecstatic to get a great room at a great price.   The only downside is that my wife my never sail any other way.  

For a great dining experience try 150 Central.  Lobster Thermador.   Divine.  Also, the hotdog stand is pretty tasty.   Ride the Carousel.   The Latin music is terrific.  One night or afternoon the orchestra will play on the promenade.   Good music.   The balloon drop is fun especially if you have kids.  The soft serve on pool deck is yummy.  Take a romantic night time stroll thru Central Park.   Go ice skating.    See the ice show.  Lots to do on the Oasis.  

1 hour ago, beckyboo1986 said:

That's brilliant news.

 

I had a touch, I booked an interior cabin and received an email saying we'd been upgraded (for free) to a balcony. Very excited 🙂

Terrific!  Bon Voyage. 

Seascape.  

Just wanted to share my experience with bidding for the Yacht Club upgrade.  Originally we booked a standard balcony room, Fantastica Experience.   We received an email offering an opportunity to bid on upgrades.   We have only sailed MSC once before.  Enjoyed it.  Since I've read so much about Yacht Club, on these boards, I decided to put in a bid.  I bid on an Interior Yacht Club room.  I figured the trade off would be worth it.  The bid was for the suggested amount.  I upgraded the bid recently,  not by much.  This morning I received an email congratulating us that our bid was accepted.   The email contained the room number.  After an internet search I discovered that we have been assigned a Deluxe Balcony Suite!!  Believing it was too good to be true, I called MSC to confirm.  They confirmed the email.   Pinch me!  We would have been happy to get the YC interior.   But for some unknown reason good fortune has smiled on us.  Thank you MSC fairy.  

Chuckie Cheese 

Restaurant of the Seas.

The above post answered your questions but I would like to add my thoughts.  I have sailed NCL.  I think you will enjoy MSC more than NCL.  It is a little different than American cruise lines.  The food is different but in a good way.  The service is excellent.   The vibe is a bit more sedate and upscale ( not as sedate as HAL, according to what I have heard and read ). The ships are decorated beautifully.  We were apprehensive before our first sailing but ended up very impressed.  We are really looking forward to our December cruise on the Seascape.  

Just take a couple from the hotel.   Easy.

I am not in charge of anything but I think it will be quite a while before any ships dock in Isreal.  It would be grossly irresponsible to take tourists to a war zone.  What insurance company would cover that?  

Served by staff on the Navigator this past August from their little booth.  Vanilla and chocolate.   My grandsons and I agree,  it was delicious.  

5 minutes ago, RedIguana said:

Another point to consider is not to bring ashore the same credit card you use for your shipboard account. Less hassles if you have to cancel the card used on shore because of fraudulent activity.

Another good tip is to take a picture, on your and significant other's phone,  of all the credit cards and DL and passports that you are traveling with.   If something bad happens you have a starting point.  

I usually take around $200 in small bills.  I never spend it all.  

Thanks for the great review.  We are booked on her for a December cruise.  The non-yacht club perspective is appreciated.  

4 hours ago, New2Cruise76 said:

Hi all, new member here, and I'm in the planning stages of a cruise with the family for summer of 24. We've never cruised before, and with a family of 5, the price of MSC is appealing. We're planning for a Bahama cruise out of New York.

 

My wife and I had a very small wedding put together on a shoestring budget (wife's parents disowned her a month prior, so we had to come up with new funding on our own, they kinda reconciled before the wedding, but she's low contact with them because of it), so I talked to my wife on our this year on our anniversary, and we've decided to renew our vows on the cruise.

 

I've searched the forum, as well as MSCs website, and i know they offer a Vow Renewal package, and once we get booked, I'll reach out to them for more information, but I'd love to get an idea on what's involved in the process.

 

The biggest thing is that I'd like to have our kids involved. Are vow renewals similar to an actual wedding ceremony, where you can have a wedding party as part of the ceremony? Also if anyone has done this recently, which package did you get, and what was the cost?

 

Thanks in 

Not exactly sure how MSC does it.  We were married on RCCL.  Probably a similar process.  First book your cruise.  Then call the department of MSC that handles weddings,  renewals,  etc.   That person (planner)  will answer all your questions.  They will accommodate you in anything you want to do (within reason).  Be prepared to ante up for any frills beyond the basic package.  While our experience on Royal was not cheap,  it was very well done.  My lovely wife was very happy.  Very happy.   Good luck. 

Broken hips on cruise ships.