JT1962

Looks like Skagway is still working through options for next year. The original Ore Dock expansion may no longer be an option for larger ships. Hopefully the temporary remediation plan for the Railroad Dock will work and they can dock 2 ships there. I’m guessing there will be several more updates / options before next cruise season. Losing some of the larger ships for another season would be a hit on the locals. https://alaskapublic.org/2022/10/31/skagways-plans-for-large-cruise-ships-at-ore-dock-may-be-scrapped/

I was recently on Divina for 19 days and there were no facial tissues ever provided and usually only one washcloth a day. I was traveling solo, so it was not an issue. I think it may be due to MSC being an Italian cruise line and washcloths apparently aren’t used by many Italians / Europeans, or at least provided by the travel industry there. The reasoning apparently is that some can’t imagine using one that someone else previously used, even if it had been washed. https://www.moretimetotravel.com/washcloths-in-italy-italians-use/

On Divina 2 weeks ago we had CNN, TMC, HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, Discovery, Cartoon Network, Nick Jr, ESPN & ESPN2. I would think Meraviglia is the same, as those are the channels I remember from my January cruise. As an FYI, if you are interested in sports, the ESPN channels are primarily Caribbean / International versions and show a lot of soccer & cricket. The did show the national NFL games from CBS & Fox on Sunday afternoon, & Sunday, Monday & Thursday night football. They showed 1-2 college football games on Saturday and a couple of the MLB playoff games.

We used self debarkation when it first started and it was much quicker since not many people used it. Now it seems that at least half of the ship uses it. We now just let the ship take care of our luggage and it is much less stressful than the Express Debarkation stampede. With most people taking their own luggage, it is very easy and quick to find your bags in the terminal.

Check the 27 / Damajagua Waterfalls excursions, if you don’t have mobility issues. It’s one of the best excursions we have done in 30+ years of cruising. We used Marysol Tours and loved it. Iguana Mama gets good reviews as well and was alongside our group. Check YouTube videos so you know what to expect.

I cruised Carnival & Royal Caribbean primarily prior to cruising MSC twice this year - Meraviglia & Divina. I found MSC to be better than Carnival and close to Royal Caribbean. The food selections in the dining room, the number of free restaurants & specialty restaurants are less than on most newer Royal Caribbean ships, but I always found good options and thought the quality of the food was equivalent to or better than Royal Caribbean. The buffet was good to excellent. The entertainment options will not be as many as an Oasis Class ship, but I thought most shows were enjoyable. They incorporated some acrobatic acts into the music / dance productions, had a comedian, magicians, a juggler and crew talent show on my most recent cruise. There were also several options for music around the ship each evening. The passenger mix will likely depend on the itinerary and length of the cruise. I just completed a 7 & 12 day back-to-back cruise on Divina that were totally different as far a passenger mix. The 7 day cruise was probably 75-80% U S passengers while the 12 day section was 75% international passengers. Both were enjoyable.

Lol. Not too surprising with everywhere making cutbacks. One of my local favorite restaurants has cut the size of their sandwiches by 1/3, are serving a small bag of Lay’s potato chips instead of a large serving of fresh homemade chips and raised the price by over 50%. It’s interesting to see the difference of opinion on food on cruises. I read 2 reviews of the exact same sailing and one person said the food was bland with no seasoning and another person said the food was overly seasoned and too spicy. I think the cruise lines try to stick with light seasoning and let people add more seasoning if they want to.

There is another thread discussing the change also. It is to save on fuel costs, the San Juan Port Authority was told. https://www.cruisehive.com/port-provides-update-on-why-carnival-cruise-ship-is-pulling-out/85884

Best I’ve had on a ship, but certainly not close to what I’m used too, lol. They also had Meatloaf, Chicken & Waffles, Pulled Pork BBQ, and Jack Daniels Short Ribs at dinner, all of which were good to excellent. They are making an effort to appeal to American tastes.

I just finished my 22nd cruise in the last 30 years on 8 different cruise lines and have never had an edible biscuit and only 2-3 times had sausage gravy was decent. My recent cruise on MSC Divina had the best sausage gravy I have had on a ship. It was good over eggs, but the biscuits were the typical hockey puck equivalent.

1:00 or later for less crowds. You can also usually go straight to your cabin and drop off any carry-one.

Looks like the Diamond party is only on 4 nights or longer. You should be able to add your number at Check In or Guest Services, once onboard. “Diamond membership holders will receive an invitation on-board to join an exclusive party where they can meet other Diamond MSC Voyagers Club members. This is not available on cruises with less than four nights”

The Diamond Party was exactly the same as the Voyager’s Welcome Back party. They served champagne, fruit punch (and sometimes martinis) with a few hors d’oeuvres. The Cruise Director and / or Captain / Sr Officer’s made a few remarks & a toast, then left.

You might want to check the Alaska options with MSC’s new Explora Journeys cruise line. https://explorajourneys.com/us/en/destinations-globe/alaska

I have cruised to Alaska twice in May and once in late August, and would cruise again in May every time. Great weather, still snow on the mountains, wildlife coming out, etc. As others said, layers are key. Boots are needed only if you are doing lots of hiking or hiking in a glacier. A hat & gloves are good to have on glacier viewing days or if spending time on deck or a balcony while the ship is sailing.

I am 60 and have cruised twice with both HAL & MSC. I prefer MSC for better entertainment, service and a generally younger mix of passengers. I preferred the food on MSC, but many still complain about the food options. Holland America offers a more traditional cruise experience, similar to cruising in the past. On a 10 night or longer cruise on MSC, you are likely to find many International passengers. My recent 19 day back-to-back on Divina was 2 completely different experiences. The first 7 days roundtrip from Port Canaveral had probably 80% US passengers and the final 12 days from Port Canaveral re-positioning to Miami was probably 75% International passengers. I found meeting so many from other countries interesting, but some found it irritating when they were making some announcements in multiple languages.

The website consistently has issues, so it could be normal MSC problems. Also check at the bottom of the page and see if there is a link to “Show All Cruises.”

I was just on Divina for a 7 & 12 day B2B. They announced 1,850 on the 7 day and 2,250 on the 12 day, however, the ship seemed more crowded, especially in the buffet at breakfast & lunch and on the pool deck.

I’m not sure you can apply logic to anything that MSC does prior to boarding, lol. From what I understand, the bidding upgrades are handled by a 3rd party and not directly by MSC. I’m sure they have things programmed to maximize the revenue with the bidding process, but no one probably knows the actual details. I did speak with two people on my recent cruise on the Divina that were upgraded to a regular balcony cabin from an interior without requesting it. I asked about an option to upgrade to a balcony at check-in and was quoted a price difference that was more than I paid for the original booking, including port charges / taxes. Later in the cruise I noticed they had a sign at Guest Services that said “this sailing is fully booked and there are no options for upgrades”. The Cruise Director announced there were 2200 people on board, so unless most people had a room to themselves, there were plenty of empty cabins.

Glad you got it resolved quickly. MSC definitely has some Customer Service issues, but credit card holds are usually related to the policies of the card issuer, not the merchants.

I was on the Meraviglia in January and just off the Divina. While some did dress up, business casual attire (collared shirt & Docker’s type pants) was common on Elegant Nights. Shorts, t-shirts, flip-flops, etc. we’re common on other nights.

It’s likely that the hold has been released by MSC, but the card issuers policy is the reason it is still showing. Many card issuers / banks keep a hold on up to 10 days before releasing the hold. https://www.lendingtree.com/credit-cards/articles/what-can-you-do-about-credit-card-holds/

Can’t speak specifically to this issue, but MSC Customer Service, website and IT are horrible. The onboard experience is great, but you are likely to get multiple confusing emails, text messages or conflicting answers to questions from agents if you call. Unless they possibly changed the final payment date, I would probably ignore it and chalk it up to typical MSC conflicting information.

Glacier Winds in ISP is excellent for whale watching. If you have a long day at ISP, you could also do a bear watching excursion there before or after your whale watching. Bears are also sighted near Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, but nothing is ever guaranteed with wildlife. If your itinerary includes Skagway, the trip into the Yukon with Chilkoot Charters is excellent and bears are often seen along the highway on the trip. They will stop when possible for pictures.

I was on the Meraviglia in January and just returned from 19 days on the Divina and enjoyed them both. I was not in Yacht Club, but found the food in the dining room and buffet equivalent to or better than Carnival & Royal Caribbean. A few less choices on the menu in the dining room than other lines, but I still found good options each time and you can order multiple items from each section, including entrees. As an FYI, the pre-cruise experience with the website and customer service can be horrible, but the onboard experience was excellent. The best option is to research before booking to decide what you really want, then don’t change anything. Contacting customer service or changing something after booking seems to be where the problems come in. You can usually add options like drink packages, wifi, excursions, etc. online after booking with no issues. As far as drink packages, I don’t drink enough for it to be beneficial to me, but most that I talked to seemed satisfied with the Easy Plus Package. It offered more options than than the Easy Package, but was still reasonably priced compared to other lines. The wifi was very slow from what I heard from others, so if you need more than texting, email, etc., you may be disappointed. If you are interested in any of the Specialty Dining packages, just be aware that the packages include a limited menu and not all items on the menu as other cruise lines offer. The steakhouse option includes a salad or appetizer, meat choice, including a NY Strip or Filet Mignon, and dessert. It was very good and plenty of food, but some were disappointed that they could not order the aged beef options, etc. With the package, you can choose any remaining option on the menu for 50% off, but the a la carte prices are the highest of any specialty restaurant I have seen - ex $ 89 for an aged T-Bone.