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MSC Meraviglia Royal Suite Cabin 15008 7N fr Genoa Western Med


Iluvcruising2
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Dinning on Embarkation Day - Yacht Club Restaurant

Soon, it was time for dinner. This would be our first of seven dinners in the Yacht Club for this cruise. In the YC, it is anytime dining. We like to eat early, so we are usually at the YC Restaurant at 6:30pm (that is then they open), or shortly after. I saw this cheese table on the way in.

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Here is a picture of the restaurant, when we got there. Still empty. The time was about 1830hrs.

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Here is a video of our dinner experience - first dinner on the MSC Meraviglia Yacht Club Restaurant. As we ate early, service was very quick, which we liked.

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A few more pictures of the dinner. For all dinners, I will ask to try both House White and House Red. This was the House white tonight.

153wnwz.jpg

 

Here was the fish dish, for the mains. As you can see, the serving size was not large. But we liked it that way. This was because we ate as a family, and we often ordered multiple starters/mains/desserts to share. And we would ask our waiter to serve all the multiple courses at the same time, during each course. What I mean is that we ask for all our starters to be served together. Once we are done with starters, we ask for our mains to be served together. So, you can imagine that our dinner table is always full of plates, as we try and sample all the different food! Great fun to sail with the family.

2lt258m.jpg

 

Here is a picture of the Tiramisu dessert. This was available every night, and I liked it very much.

2092cs5.jpg

 

Well, as the ship left Genoa, it started getting rather rocky. The seas certainly weren't very calm, and I guess it didn't help that the YC cabins were located at the Forward of the ship, and high up. So, in this position, we are prone to more rocking. So we decided we had better get an early night. Sleep while the ship is rocking, and hopefully when we wake up, we are in port. We found these chocolates on our bed when we got back to the cabin.

15mns0j.jpg

Edited by Iluvcruising2
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Thank you for all your well wishes. On this last day of 2017, I was at the Sunday morning service at our local church. Greatly reminded of God's never-ending grace and mercy. Thankful for all the blessings. Wishing everybody a wonderful 2018 ahead.

 

I will continue to plod on with this review. Thanks for the patience.

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Day 2 of our cruise! Today, the ship was scheduled to arrive at 0800hrs, and depart 1800hrs. It was designed to be a relatively long port of call, as some pax would want to take a day trip to Rome, and that would take 9 hours (according to the excursion booklet). Simple reason, Rome was about 80km from Civitavecchia.

 

2lw7waf.png

 

For our last cruise (on the MSC Preziosa back in 2015), we were far more adventourous. We decided to rent a car from a nearby Avis/Budget, and drive ourselves to the Castel Romano Shopping Outlets. Looking back at my video from 2 years ago brought back fond memories. Here it is again (gosh, the weather looked good then!).

JKJpY8DHMg8

 

This time round, the plan was to take a shore excursion organized by MSC, to Tuscania and Tarquina. So we woke up in good time, to have breakfast in the YC restaurant, and were all ready to go. This was my MSC Express breakfast.

2z74ug1.jpg

 

And some of the finger food available in the Top Sail. I enjoyed a small cup of Bircher Muesli.

5wb1qa.jpg

 

However, something was amiss. When we were having breakfast at about 0715hrs, I noticed that we were nowhere near the port. In fact, the ship was still quite some distance from the land. When we asked the staff, we were told that there were high winds at Civitavecchia, and our ship was waiting for the winds to die down.

 

In the video below, we had some breakfast and then waited in the Top Sail lounge. After about 30 minutes, we had enough to eat, and the ship still didn't look like it was headed to the port. Anyway, the seas were rather rocky, and we all decided to head back to our cabins to lie down. Yes, it was really quite rocky.

-vxfnM5TFUg

 

And as we were lazing in our cabins, suddenly the announcements came on, in many languages. Before it got to the English announcement, we figured that the ship would not be docking at Civitavecchia. Instead, we were headed for some place us. I managed to record the entire english announcement. It is not everyday that one hears such an announcement. We were now heading towards Naples!

8bk4KAIn3UQ

 

True enough, when I turned on the cabin interactive TV, this was what I found. We were not scheduled to arrive at 1700hrs. All aboard time was 2230hrs. There would be no shore excursions.

28hg2gx.jpg

 

Wow, this was certainly unexpected. Anyway, the rocking got so bad, that I had to lie down. I ended up skipping lunch because I slept through lunch till mid afternoon! (Yes, the rocking was not a joke)

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Day 2 of our cruise! Today, the ship was scheduled to arrive at 0800hrs, and depart 1800hrs. It was designed to be a relatively long port of call, as some pax would want to take a day trip to Rome, and that would take 9 hours (according to the excursion booklet). Simple reason, Rome was about 80km from Civitavecchia.

 

2lw7waf.png

 

For our last cruise (on the MSC Preziosa back in 2015), we were far more adventourous. We decided to rent a car from a nearby Avis/Budget, and drive ourselves to the Castel Romano Shopping Outlets. Looking back at my video from 2 years ago brought back fond memories. Here it is again (gosh, the weather looked good then!).

JKJpY8DHMg8

 

This time round, the plan was to take a shore excursion organized by MSC, to Tuscania and Tarquina. So we woke up in good time, to have breakfast in the YC restaurant, and were all ready to go. This was my MSC Express breakfast.

2z74ug1.jpg

 

And some of the finger food available in the Top Sail. I enjoyed a small cup of Bircher Muesli.

5wb1qa.jpg

 

However, something was amiss. When we were having breakfast at about 0715hrs, I noticed that we were nowhere near the port. In fact, the ship was still quite some distance from the land. When we asked the staff, we were told that there were high winds at Civitavecchia, and our ship was waiting for the winds to die down.

 

In the video below, we had some breakfast and then waited in the Top Sail lounge. After about 30 minutes, we had enough to eat, and the ship still didn't look like it was headed to the port. Anyway, the seas were rather rocky, and we all decided to head back to our cabins to lie down. Yes, it was really quite rocky.

-vxfnM5TFUg

 

And as we were lazing in our cabins, suddenly the announcements came on, in many languages. Before it got to the English announcement, we figured that the ship would not be docking at Civitavecchia. Instead, we were headed for some place us. I managed to record the entire english announcement. It is not everyday that one hears such an announcement. We were now heading towards Naples!

8bk4KAIn3UQ

 

True enough, when I turned on the cabin interactive TV, this was what I found. We were not scheduled to arrive at 1700hrs. All aboard time was 2230hrs. There would be no shore excursions.

28hg2gx.jpg

 

Wow, this was certainly unexpected. Anyway, the rocking got so bad, that I had to lie down. I ended up skipping lunch because I slept through lunch till mid afternoon! (Yes, the rocking was not a joke)

 

I am sorry to hear about the hard rocking, and the missed stop in Civitavecchia. However, I am optimistic to hear how you spend your time in Naples. Enjoy yourself! :)

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I am sorry to hear about the hard rocking, and the missed stop in Civitavecchia. However, I am optimistic to hear how you spend your time in Naples. Enjoy yourself! :)

 

New Year's Day in Singapore. Welcome 2018!

 

Well, the ship was so rocky in the Med ocean, we were just happy that the ship could dock in Naples.

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Hi everybody

 

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been having difficulty posting images. When I try to do so, I am told that a security solution has kicked in by CloudFlare. I am only able to post when I take away the images. Not sure if I'm the only one facing this problem.

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I tried posting again tonight, using the tinypic.com website to host my pictures (as I have always used), but again, I couldn't post.

 

When I post with text only (like now), my post goes through.

 

Does anybody have the email address of an admin that I can email to?

 

Thanks.

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  • 1 month later...

So the ship was now sailing to Naples.

 

Wow, this was certainly unexpected. Anyway, the rocking got so bad, that I had to lie down. I ended up skipping lunch because I slept through lunch till mid afternoon! (Yes, the rocking was not a joke)

 

By the time I woke up from my morning sleep(due to rocky seas), it was mid-afternoon. Thankfully, by now, the ship was less rocky. I assume we had fled from the storm brewing near Civitavecchia. I still felt a bit woozy. So I decided to head out to the balcony to get some fresh air, and to eat a green apple in the process.

 

And it continued to be rocky! Here is a video I made, called Green Apple on rocky seas.

 

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Compared to our cruise 2 years ago on the MSC Preziosa (also in December), this cruise was turning out to be much more rocky! By now, I had puked once already. But the cruise must go on! Nothing was going to stop us having fun. Fortunately, my parents were most resilient. They had a hearty lunch (in the YC restaurant) and subsequently spent a fun afternoon roaming the ship (it was their first time on an MSC ship), and patronising the casino. Glad that they were ok. Do you get less sea-sick when you get older?

Edited by Iluvcruising2
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These days, with mobile phones and roaming plans, we can monitor the ship's location right from our own mobile devices. Glad to say that from our phones, we could see that the ship was making good progress towards Naples, and the weather looked to be calm enough for docking. As the sun set early, it was dark as the ship approached Naples port.

Well, we were now feeling hungry (since we skipped lunch), and it wasn't time for dinner yet. So we headed to the Top Sail lounge to get some drinks and food. We were all feeling much better, since the ship was not rocking anymore, and we all had a good sleep. It was time for some more bonding over food and drink!

In this video, while the ship was docking in Naples, we were in the Top Sail lounge, for drinks and some finger food before dinner. It was father and son bonding time! I had the Long Island Iced Tea, and he also had the Long Island Iced Tea sans Alcohol. Later on, we did the same with the Mojito. It was good fun! Not everyday you can bring a kid to a lounge and enjoy great drinks. Happy sailing!

[YOUTUBE]cW7L8twmRw0[/YOUTUBE]

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Jumping ahead to the day that we were in Barcelona, we decided to try the Himalayan Ropes course, which was at the aft of the ship. This is how the ropes course looked like as a spectator.

 

[YOUTUBE]rufPs1x-OYE[/YOUTUBE]

 

And now, I go on the ropes. My point of view. It was scary. I started to scream (for effect). You get good views though. Don't drink and climb!

 

[YOUTUBE]Lyo5sAXsHhI[/YOUTUBE]

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  • 3 weeks later...

Day 2 DInner in the Yacht Club. Tex-Mex.

 

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After dinner, we were walking around the ship and saw this Chocolate Octopus.

[YOUTUBE]CvFoCn2woRo[/YOUTUBE]

 

So, tonight, the plan was to go to the Cirque Du Soleil show. This show had a dedicated theatre, which we found. The setting is relatively small, which makes for a more intimate setting. So here is a video showing you excerts of the show, which lasted about 40 minutes. This was our first time watching any Cirque production. It was an interesting experience. Plenty of sound effects, lighting effects, acrobatics, dancing, all very well put-together. Experience Cirque Du Soleil @ Sea on the MSC Meraviglia!

[YOUTUBE]sSva_-mdsjM[/YOUTUBE]

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  • 2 weeks later...

Day 3 of our cruise! This morning, the ship would dock in the Italian Port of Palermo. Where is Palermo? Good question. Palermo is a city in southern Italy, and capital of the autonomous region of Sicily. The city has a long history (more than 2,700 years). More on wikipedia. Turns out that Palermo is a common port of call for cruise ships. We were first here 2 years ago on the Preziosa. Now we are here again on the Meraviglia.

Here is a video of the ship sailing into port. Thank God it was a beautiful day, with calm seas!

[YOUTUBE]ygM2n0t9NEM[/YOUTUBE]

Breakfast - Top Sail and Yacht Club Restaurant

This morning, we headed to the Top Sail lounge for some coffee and pastries first, before going to the Yacht Club restaurant for the mains. It was very quiet in the Top Sail lounge, and we got our drinks very quickly. The seas were very calm, what a relief! Here is a video. You will find me playing with a piece of tart on a small bowl that looks like a ship. Ok, I like goofing around.

[YOUTUBE]dHeqON3vdBI[/YOUTUBE]

Breakfast - Yacht Club Pool Area

After breakfast, we headed up to the Yacht Club pool area, and discovered that they were serving a breakfast buffet there too! Awesome.

[YOUTUBE]0t2dht6X5mU[/YOUTUBE]

Reserved Cabanas for Royal Suite

While walking around the Yacht Club Pool area, we saw the reserved Cabanas for the Royal Suite passengers. Pretty cool! It is a nice perk, but unfortunately the weather wasn't very warm during our cruise, so we didn't use it. Video below gives you a glimpse of the cabana seats.

[YOUTUBE]mg6pD0WuSmU[/YOUTUBE]

The plan today was to take an MSC Shore Excursion - Santa Rosalia Grotto & Modello. All aboard time for Palermo was 1630hrs.

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We Set Off!

We received our excursion tickets the night before (after booking through the YC Concierge). We were informed by the Yacht Club concierge to wait at the Concierge in the morning at a certain time, and then the butler escorted us off the ship. We didn't need to assemble at the area for non Yacht-Club passengers. What was very cool was that we were the first to arrive at the bus, and hence I could snag front row seats (with the best views). We had to wait on an empty bus for about 10 minutes before the rest of the tour group arrived.

And so, we set off. The bus was full. The local guide was a middle-aged lady called Joanna, who conducted the tour in English and German. Here is the video of the bus leaving the port and heading towards Mt Pellegrino.

[YOUTUBE]NXwQNxKqZGM[/YOUTUBE]

Our first stop was to go up Mt Pelligrino. The views going up were fantastic. We had a great view from the front row seats on the bus. Fortunately, the roads were still relatively straight, and we didn't have to go through many bends that would have made us bus-sick. I noticed many cyclists going up and coming down. There was a good cycling community here!

[YOUTUBE]XIpp4qPRS0w[/YOUTUBE]

St Rosalia Grotto

It didn't take us very long to reach the St Rosalia Grotto, I think max 30 minutes from the cruise ship. Once we got there, all the passengers got off the bus, and followed our tour guide up to the mountain cave where the shrine was built. Take note, there is a fairly long flight of stairs, with no lifts. So if you can't climb stairs, then this excursion may not be suitable.

[YOUTUBE]-ywD4REJwnI[/YOUTUBE]

We didn't spent too long at the St Rosalia Grotto. The tour group was punctual and all of us were back on the coach on time. So as the coach headed down, we went to the next stop. The streets of Palermo was quite crowded as you can see in the video below. Our 40 seater coach navigating very tight streets. Well, Palermo does have a rustic feel, though the place does look a bit impoverished. Some call it the 'Old World'. Sorry if this comment sounded rude, but I can't help get that feeling that this place hasn't been progressing as fast as some other places in the world. China is one such example of super fast progress.

[YOUTUBE]AIorOAk6wyw[/YOUTUBE]

Our next stop was a Chinese Palace (Palazzina Cinese). Didn't do much there, just took some photos. It did strike me, however, that Chinese influence had spread very far and wide indeed.

 

Mondello

We also visited Mondello, which is a small borough of the city of Palermo in the autonomous region of Sicily in Southern Italy. It had a nice beach. In summer, you could rent a house here for a few weeks, just to chill. The problem with our tour, however, was that the coach dropped us off very far from the main center. It took a good 15 minutes just to walk in. Not sure why the coach couldn't bring us right into the center. Because we were short of time, we couldn't see the center much. Oh well. Here is the video.

[YOUTUBE]JpGPTmp-8VY[/YOUTUBE]

Last Stop - San Lorenzo Mercato

Our last stop was at some marketplace - San Lorenzo Mercato. Later on, I checked up its website.

We were given a bit more time to roam around this place. Some of the tour participants grabbed a quick bite here. The food looked to be reasonably priced. Here is the video.

[YOUTUBE]hdGhW95Jaf8[/YOUTUBE]

Back to ship

So, it was time to head back to the ship. I have two more videos of the journey back. The first one shows the bus taking a ride through the central commercial street of Palermo. This front of bus footage will give you a good idea of what the city of Palermo looks like.

[YOUTUBE]ukf4qYzxAGU[/YOUTUBE]

And, we are turning into port. See how big the MSC Meraviglia was!

[YOUTUBE]V1oPjYxVnh4[/YOUTUBE]

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