JT1962

There were several excursions to visit the canal on my Divina cruise in October - A boat trip through the canal to Panama City with a bus return; a train trip along the canal with a bus return; a boat tour in the canal to see monkeys & sloths; etc.

Thanks for the detailed review and glad you enjoyed most of it. After four MSC cruises in the past year, I also don’t understand the poor reviews / comments regarding the food. It’s not 5 Star cuisine, but certainly not “inedible” as some say and there were always a variety of options to choose from. As far as pizza, while not the best I’ve ever eaten, it is definitely a step above what I have had on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Holland America. People commenting on how good the pizza is are probably comparing it to other cruise lines and not their favorite land-based pizza restaurant.

Not sure if this is normal business or there may be some issues. https://www.cruisehive.com/richard-bransons-virgin-voyages-seeks-new-funding/97963

I have been to Ocean Cay four times in the past year and haven’t seen any loungers at Lighthouse beach. There are lots of Adirondack style chairs, folding chairs, bean bags, free umbrellas and trees for shade. The other beaches have lots of loungers, but no free umbrellas and not much shade. When you get off the ship, there is a tram station to the left just as you enter the gates to Ocean Cay. The trams will take you to the beaches on the island that have plenty of free loungers.

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Carnival removed tablecloths from the dining room long before Covid. They were not used on our 2016 cruises on the Splendor or Valor.

On my October cruise on the Divina, two at my table had a total of 6 lobsters each. Several at my table on my January Divina cruise had an extra lobster tail with no charge and one person had a total of three.

You should get the $ 50 OBC credit also, if booked at least 9 months ahead. You MAY have to check with Guest Services once you board to make sure it was applied, from my experience. The only advantage in earning additional points, unless MSC updates their current rewards, is that you keep your Diamond status if you sail at least once every three years.. Otherwise your status and points go back to zero and you have to start over.

I’m not positive, but I think the prices shown on line include any discounts you are entitled to. I know it is that way on excursions, internet, etc.

Maybe Free Cabin Upgrade? This video may help.

I believe that is the code for the Military discount rate.

I was able to change the amount I wanted to pay after clicking on the box to make payment. I had a balance left on a pre-paid debit rebate card and was able to apply the balance left on the card.

They will tell you to allow two billing cycles for the refund to be posted. My experience from canceling a couple of excursions has been that the refund takes 10-14 days.

From my experience, the TA OBC may not post to your account until the day after you board. The TA OBC is USUALLY, refundable. If that is the case, you would be better off financially to book the Shore Excursions prior to boarding at a discount (up to 20%), then get a refund of the excess OBC at the end of the cruise. You could also charge the OBC to your cabin at a slot machine, then cash out and get cash at the casino window.

Bella, Fantastica and Aurea cabins have refundable deposits prior to the final payment date, if you aren’t locked into YC.

I have been on the Divina three times for a total of 26 nights since October and probably saw 5-6 tuxedos total, and some were probably the same people on both Elegant Nights.

I booked a future cruise when I was on the Divina in October. They only benefit I could see was they gave me an extra $25 onboard credit. The prices on the website were exactly the same as I got by booking onboard otherwise. If you see a price or promotion, that looks good to you, I would probably go ahead and book it rather than waiting.

Looks like the cruise prior to your(April 23) is either a charter or at least has a large group of singles. It is not available for booking on the Carnival website. They may be expecting delays on getting everyone off the ship timely. https://singlescruise.com/group-details/123293/

MSC has changed the ship time to local time on the 4 Caribbean cruises I have taken in the past year.

You can always book once you board, if they allow less than age 21. The excursion may be more expensive onboard though. Don’t let the port pre-cruise experience deter you. Once onboard, I have found it to be very good. Ocean Cay is beautiful and a great beach day, even without an excursion.

Icy Strait Point - Glacier Winds or Hoonah Travel Adventures for whale watching https://www.g-wind.com/ https://hoonahtraveladventures.com/ Juneau - If in port at least 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Adventure Bound tour to Tracy Arm Fjord / Sawyer Glaciers. Otherwise, the Whale Watching / Mendenhall Glacier Combo with Juneau Whale Watch https://www.adventureboundalaska.com/ https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com/ Skagway - The Bus / Train Combo tour with Chilkoot Charters https://chilkootcharters.com/ Ketchikan - Ketchikan is easy to do on your own, but Ward Cove is further from town and will require the shuttle or taxi to downtown. Allow enough time to get back to the ship. Once in downtown Ketchikan, you can pick up a free walking tour map at the Visitor Center at the main piers in downtown.

Because it is MSC and their website is HORRIBLE. The only thing worse is calling Customer Service, which is likely to either be clueless or screw up the reservation. The best option is to just wait until you board and speak with the Shore Excursions desk to see if it is an issue.

On the Everglades tour with airport drop off, the luggage was stored in the luggage area on the bus used for the tour.

Prices for cruises from the US are higher on all cruise lines, including MSC. MSC still offers a better value than the other lines in most cases, but not as much as a year ago. The great deals on solo rates are getting harder to find as well.

Skagway is upgrading the Ore dock to be able to except large ships starting in 2024. They are hoping their plan for the railroad dock in 2023 will work as well. https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ports-destinations/new-skagway-dock-will-boost-post-panamax-cruise-ship-capacity https://khns.org/skagway-moves-forward-on-agreement-with-yukon-government