UPNYGuy

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21 minutes ago, Cherries Jubilee said:

Did you enjoy it? Would you sail her again?

 

 I can give a detailed write up later. But yes, we did. We love MSC. 

3 minutes ago, Cherries Jubilee said:

I am so happy to have winter options that are more than those Nassau/Private Island routes! Those places aren’t warm enough for me in the winter.

 

Have you sailed Meraviglia? I have sailed MSC twice but I haven’t tried that ship yet.

 

 

 

I booked a February 12 day Caribbean!

 

It’s a tough decision because the prices are good right now but I would have to try a trial run before I booked 42 days lol.

 

At least reviews will be in well before your cruises so we’ll all know what we signed up for!

 

 I would have waited but the price was the same as a 7 day on other older ships. 
 

We love taking a cold weather cruise now and we’re only 40 minutes from the NY cruise terminal so I couldn’t risk missing that price!

Yes. I have sailed on Meraviglia. Inaugural season Mediterranean cruise. 

3 hours ago, shof515 said:

Liberty is more like a mid size ship. The mega ships is the bigger ships in the Oasis and Quantum class ships like the Icon and Wonder 

Liberty is, by definition, a megaship. Quantum is only about 15,000 GRT larger and less than 400 pax more. If pax load is what you are using as a measure, Norwegian Breakaway (also considered a megaship) is more in line, but is  roughly 23,000 GRT smaller than quantum. midsize is falling around the 100,000 GRT mark.

Not to mention, Odyssey OTS (quantum class) tenders into Grand Cayman as well. 

after 40 some cruises, DW and I sail on a variety of lines. We also visit all inclusive resorts. You will find the more you cruise, the more you sail on different lines. 

9 hours ago, kwokpot said:

What's great about the Venezia is the Main Lido Deck is covered, so it's perfect for cold weather itineraries and embarkation ports. Unlike Celebrity and Royal Carnival and NCL has few ships with at least one indoor pool (Spirit Class is the exception)

This was why I liked the Breakaway when it went out of NYC. The Haven complex had a magrodome. NCL started messing around with the ships and put Getaway in, that did not have a cover. I wasnt going to pay a premium to sail in The Haven and have an unusable courtyard area for 2-3 days in wintertime.

this is the best video tour of the Venezia I have found. It is in German, but you can always mute it if you cannot follow or understand. Layout will be familiar for those of us that have been a Vista ship. The last 2 minutes give an idea what the Terrace area is like *as of right now*. It does not have a pool, and just has nice seating. No idea if Carnival will change this. 

On 11/13/2022 at 4:54 PM, Nunagoras said:

Time will tell, but I believe the World America will just to give justice to its name!...

exactly. The seaside is my favorite ship afloat. The design and passenger flow is the best I have encountered.

im glad Carnival isnt doing just the standard 'milk run' 7 day cruises on her. I am diamond on MSC, and this will now give me another option out of NY as both lines will be sailing year round. 

On 11/9/2022 at 6:49 AM, shof515 said:

Royal Caribbean will never have their big mega ships tender. they will always dock

not true. I tendered off of Liberty OTS to get to Grand Cayman. They tender the freedom class ships, which are definitely considered megaships. 

On 11/11/2022 at 6:29 AM, sidari said:

That's the rumour so far.

so they are going to use a Meraviglia class ship for 3 and 4 day sailings (assumption here)? If so, they are trying to have the newest and largest ship in the short market, and go straight after Royal.

11 minutes ago, UPNYGuy said:

Id go so far as to say the worst pool deck in 40 some cruises out of any ship.  DW and I will not sail on a vista ship unless we are in a havana cabin. Havana area is a totally different experience.

also, keep in mind that what my worst design may be could easily be someone else's best design. We don't have children, so the 'amusement park' stuff is meaningless to us, but could easily be beneficial to other people. Furthermore, there are numerous people that do not like the Havana areas on the newer ships because they are not public, but that area in particular is a major draw for DW and I. It helps to give a small ship feel to a big ship cruise. 

On 11/14/2022 at 9:48 PM, cruisingguy007 said:

 

This doesn't look like Panorama specifically and this had to have been pre-covid, probably spring break or a holiday cruise and smack dab in the middle of a sea day (probably one of the first) because I've never seen Panorama lido that crowded or that many loungers put out. I've certainly seen it crowded pre-covid but not to that degree. This is not a regular representation of Panorama. 

no, that isnt the panorama. that is a shot I borrowed from the vista from another website (credit in parenthesis to the op). But I did find the pool area horrible on the panorama and horizon. Id go so far as to say the worst pool deck in 40 some cruises out of any ship.  DW and I will not sail on a vista ship unless we are in a havana cabin. Havana area is a totally different experience. 

THAT pic I grabbed was pre covid, but from a september sailing, not exactly a peak season cruise.

On 11/9/2022 at 11:09 AM, sidari said:

Latest rumour is that Bellissima will be the replacement.

For Magnifica? Out of Miami?

6 hours ago, shof515 said:

and i also love how they separate the terminal in half. if your cabin is on an odd deck like deck 9,11, etc then you go to the check in area towards the back of the terminal and then if you cabin is an even deck like deck 8,10 then you go to the check in area towards the front of the terminal. Best way to spread out the crowds. its a much much better system what carnival does at the same terminal. 

 

I did 2 carnival cruises out of pier 88 on the magic and both times the checkin and embarkation process was unorganized crowded with very long lines and wait times and my 2 NCL cruises out of the same pier was much quicker with little to no crowds.

the most unorganized embarkation I have had was actually Oceania. It was at pier 90 before the inside was upgraded, and it was a disorganized mess. It took 2 hours to get 700 pax onboard. 

7 hours ago, shof515 said:

Royal Caribbean will never have their big mega ships tender. they will always dock

 

The biggest thing cruise lines can do to make getting off and on the ship in ports and on embarkation/debarkation quicker is using multiple gangways in different areas of the ship. I recently went on a NCL cruise and for embarkation and debarkation they had one gangway in the aft part of the ship and one in the forward part of the ship. it makes getting off and on the ship a big easier

NCL operates like that out of pier 88

4 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Tons per passenger only tells part of the story. A smaller ship like the Ecstasy may technically have more tons per guest, but only have two or three lounges for passengers to go to in the evening, whereas the Horizon may have three times that amount. So even though it holds more guests there are more choices for what the guests do so they are spread out more.

IMO better comparison would be fantasy class vs spirit class.

6 hours ago, Nextholiday? said:

the thing is they are offering a much older ship instead of matching to europa against Euribia which are both new that does not seem fair 

 

I think we might have try YC seaview or grandiosa instead 

 

 

I had a different issue (substitute cruise was at a very inconvenient port for me to get to). I called MSC and was told the options presented in the email ARE the options, no substitutions. So I cancelled. They refused to price match me to another cruise unless it was the single one in the email.

5 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

You're right. If all the ships get too big there won't be any tender ports left.  Royal doesn't have any tender ports for any of the Oasis class so you can bet there won't be any on the icon.

I dont think Excel class can tender either.

It is a double edged sword for MSC because this is going to give those that tried them on a whim a second guess about booking on them in the future if the ship redeployments continue, but at the same time they need to move assets to where they will produce revenue.

It is a double edged sword for MSC because this is going to give those that tried them on a whim a second guess about booking on them in the future if the ship redeployments continue, but at the same time they need to move assets to where they will produce revenue.

5 hours ago, sidari said:

MSC need to stop messing people around.

DW and I are pretty much done with MSC until this shakes itself out. I have had multiple changes and cancellations from them (even before covid) due to them repositioning ships. One was Armonia going to Tampa, than it wasnt, now the Magnifica. And I seem to recall one on Preziosa that was cancelled because the ship was replaced with Poesia (or vice versa). 

We love the product and the staff, but I cannot play roulette ships and not be certain. I usually have a plan B, but I book a cruise on MSC for a reason. We *will* be back with them, but it might be a bit at this point. 

When Meraviglia was designed and built, it was sized with Alaska in mind. I seem to remember reading something one of the Apontes said about how Meraviglia can fit into Alaskan ports.

2 hours ago, Stockjock said:

They did not respond to my request to move the reservation to World Europa 1 day earlier and the same port at the same pricing.

I do have a back-up reservation on World Europa, but the price is roughly $400 higher.

MSC will only price match to the cruise they offered in the email. That was stated to me by a sup in the call center. I called in for an issue with another cancelled cruise (out of Miami) and they wanted to send me out of Port Canaveral. I booked Miami for a reason...much easier to get to the port, and I vastly prefer the Miami airport than MCO. I ended up cancelling entirely. 

3 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Glad to hear that. We are booked on her for June from NY.🙂

Have you ever sailed on her before? She is a stunning ship. However, not a ship I recommend if you like lots of outdoor promenade space (no wrap around promenade). It can feel somewhat inward facing as a result. But, if you are like DW and I and go for a balcony (balcony cabins on this ship are quite nice) at a minimum, you will likely enjoy. 

I cannot recall what they replaced the cirque style shows with in the carousel lounge, but I do know that something has replaced them.

If you are a spa person, DW feels the Meraviglia class (and seaside class fwiw) have the best shipboard spas and thermal suites she has been in.