New to MSC with a few questions

[wayne_trisha]

We are RCCl Diamond cruisers getting away from RCCL because it has grown stale. I am trying to get some questions answered as we have encouraged some family to join us and they are looking to me for answers. Really loving the beauty of Divina and Gambee takes great photos! Leaving the 5/21 on the Divina:

 

1. Any problem with showing up at noon or earlier for embarkation? I cannot find anywhere

where it says to arrive.

 

2. Anything we need to prebook?

 

3. Anything else to know?

 

Thanks everyone!

[Iluvcruising2]

Consider the Yacht Club. :):)

[Essiesmom]

Do a loyalty status match. You status on RCI should get you the highest level on MSC. EM

[wayne_trisha]

Consider the Yacht Club. :):)

 

We are also going on NCL Getaway this fall. I've looked at both the Yacht Club and the Haven . I'm just not sure we would find the value others do. I am certain both are fabulous vacations but I would rather take three/four cruises in a balcony cabin compared to one cruise in the upscale area. I can see us doing it for a special occasion. We both turn 50 next year so maybe on one of our birthdays we will go upscale.

[wayne_trisha]

Do a loyalty status match. You status on RCI should get you the highest level on MSC. EM

 

Thank you for the advice. I submitted both of us to a MSC vacation planner and she had our MSC loyalty numbers back to us the next day. Only real advantages I see with MSC black are priority boarding and a free specialty restaurant dinner which seem nice to me. We will miss the free drinks in the diamond lounge:)

[BermudaBound2014]

We are RCCl Diamond cruisers getting away from RCCL because it has grown stale. I am trying to get some questions answered as we have encouraged some family to join us and they are looking to me for answers. Really loving the beauty of Divina and Gambee takes great photos! Leaving the 5/21 on the Divina:

 

1. Any problem with showing up at noon or earlier for embarkation? I cannot find anywhere

where it says to arrive.

 

2. Anything we need to prebook?

 

3. Anything else to know?

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Let me see if I can add anything. I'll be on the Divina in a few weeks and can get back to you with specifics, but in the meantime I'll try to answer your questions based on the hours of research I've done :)

 

1. This is a great question I'm trying to find consensus on. It appears as though Divina boarding is a bit later than RCL or NCL (probably due to 7 pm sailing). I've read reports where people got to the port around 11:00. It seems to me that majority of sailings begin to board around 12:30-1:00, but of course, there are the reviews which state boarding was delayed even later.

 

2) No need to pre-book a thing. Divina is back to the old days of cruising with only one show offered each evening for the early seating dinner and one for the late seating dinner. While the shows generally get very good reviews, from what I can tell they generally are a shorter duration in terms of time with a more international flare. Unlike some of the other mainstream lines, there is only one choice for a 'show' per evening so no comedy club, ice skating, aqua show, etc.. therefore no need to book anything. According to the dailies the black and white lounge does have something going on each night, but you can't pre-book and it appears to fill up (probably due to lack of other activities). Every review I've seen has said that the specialty restaurants aren't well attended so no need to pre-book there either.

 

3)I took some notes prior to committing to MSC. Of course, these are things that I noted based on my preferences, might not make a difference to your group:

a. Dinner buffet appears much smaller than I've been accustom to. It seems majority of people eat in the dining rooms.

b. Things like laundry and Drink prices are much more reasonably priced.

c. No adult only pool, anywhere on the ship.

d. No cool towels/drinks to greet you after a long day ashore.

e. You MUST scan your credit card once you are actually ON-BOARD at a kiosk. It is not scanned prior to boarding the ship like all other lines.

f. Room service has various food and/or delivery charges based on 'experience'.

g. I've traveled to Europe quite a bit so I'm not at all concerned about the complaints regarding 'international' flavor; but those not knowing what to expect seem to be the crowd most disappointed. You may want to inform your party about some differences to expect.

h. MSC has a loyalty match program, but do not expect the same level of benefits from RCL diamond as you would MSC black.

i. I have lots more notes, but I"m not sure what matters to you and your group.

 

Hope this helps!

 

PS: I just saw you are going on the Getaway shortly. I was on the Getaway a few months ago. We have the same taste in ships apparently :)

Edited March 6, 2016 by BermudaBound2014

[wayne_trisha]

Let me see if I can add anything. I'll be on the Divina in a few weeks and can get back to you with specifics, but in the meantime I'll try to answer your questions based on the hours of research I've done :)

 

1. This is a great question I'm trying to find consensus on. It appears as though Divina boarding is a bit later than RCL or NCL (probably due to 7 pm sailing). I've read reports where people got to the port around 11:00. It seems to me that majority of sailings begin to board around 12:30-1:00, but of course, there are the reviews which state boarding was delayed even later.

 

2) No need to pre-book a thing. Divina is back to the old days of cruising with only one show offered each evening for the early seating dinner and one for the late seating dinner. While the shows generally get very good reviews, from what I can tell they generally are a shorter duration in terms of time with a more international flare. Unlike some of the other mainstream lines, there is only one choice for a 'show' per evening so no comedy club, ice skating, aqua show, etc.. therefore no need to book anything. According to the dailies the black and white lounge does have something going on each night, but you can't pre-book and it appears to fill up (probably due to lack of other activities). Every review I've seen has said that the specialty restaurants aren't well attended so no need to pre-book there either.

 

3)I took some notes prior to committing to MSC. Of course, these are things that I noted based on my preferences, might not make a difference to your group:

a. Dinner buffet appears much smaller than I've been accustom to. It seems majority of people eat in the dining rooms.

b. Things like laundry and Drink prices are much more reasonably priced.

c. No adult only pool, anywhere on the ship.

d. No cool towels/drinks to greet you after a long day ashore.

e. You MUST scan your credit card once you are actually ON-BOARD at a kiosk. It is not scanned prior to boarding the ship like all other lines.

f. Room service has various food and/or delivery charges based on 'experience'.

g. I've traveled to Europe quite a bit so I'm not at all concerned about the complaints regarding 'international' flavor; but those not knowing what to expect seem to be the crowd most disappointed. You may want to inform your party about some differences to expect.

h. MSC has a loyalty match program, but do not expect the same level of benefits from RCL diamond as you would MSC black.

i. I have lots more notes, but I"m not sure what matters to you and your group.

 

Hope this helps!

 

PS: I just saw you are going on the Getaway shortly. I was on the Getaway a few months ago. We have the same taste in ships apparently :)

 

My research of MSC pretty well matches yours exactly. The only difference is I thought there was an adult pool/solarium but you have to pay to use it or maybe the don't enforce the no kids rule (which we loved about Disney). This might also be from older reviews / other ships as I have been reading a lot to find us a cruise not on RCCL. We lived in Germany for 8 years and are looking forward to having a meal that is not rushed. I doubt we will visit the specialty restaurants beyond the free one we get with black status.

[ginger123snaps]

Can someone please explain what they mean by the service style being european....or the food for that matter? I'm sorry I have not travelled to Europe and want realistic expectations.

 

If they have the usual kid fare...chicken nuggets, hot dogs, macaroni...my kids will be happy. My hubby is a midwestern boy so he enjoys meat and potatoes. I like everything but I like spicier food. Will they have Asian and Indian options?

 

I can't imagine there is a charge to use the indoor pool?

 

Do they have things like putt putt, ping pong tables, shuffle board, etc for the kids? Just wondering what other recreational activities are expected on Seaside besides a pool and aqua park.

 

I'm not overly excited about having to use vouchers to purchase drinks outside the yacht club. We like to spend time in the casino and I don't like the voucher idea...too bad they can't put it all on our key card like other cruise lines do...just swipe your card.

 

Speaking of casino...does anyone know the lowest limit for the blackjack tables are?

[BermudaBound2014]

The only difference is I thought there was an adult pool/solarium but you have to pay to use it or maybe the don't enforce the no kids rule (which we loved about Disney).

 

You'd think with 3 nice sized pools on-board one would be adult-only, but that isn't the case based on pictures/reviews I've watched.The Solarium would be a perfect venue for adults only as it is near the spa. Odd thing about the Solarium pool is that there aren't any lounge chairs (only tables with chairs). The infinity pool would also make for a great adults-only as it is nicely isolated, but no such luck :(.

[BermudaBound2014]

Can someone please explain what they mean by the service style being european....or the food for that matter? I'm sorry I have not travelled to Europe and want realistic expectations.

 

If they have the usual kid fare...chicken nuggets, hot dogs, macaroni...my kids will be happy. My hubby is a midwestern boy so he enjoys meat and potatoes. I like everything but I like spicier food. Will they have Asian and Indian options?

 

I can't imagine there is a charge to use the indoor pool?

 

Do they have things like putt putt, ping pong tables, shuffle board, etc for the kids? Just wondering what other recreational activities are expected on Seaside besides a pool and aqua park.

 

I'm not overly excited about having to use vouchers to purchase drinks outside the yacht club. We like to spend time in the casino and I don't like the voucher idea...too bad they can't put it all on our key card like other cruise lines do...just swipe your card.

 

Speaking of casino...does anyone know the lowest limit for the blackjack tables are?

 

I'll take a stab at this while you wait for others who have actually sailed on MSC to answer. Service is far less obtrusive than American service. Some may consider servers aloof. You call over for service rather than servers asking if you need anything. Not really that big of a deal to me.

 

Now, some find a culture shock in lack of lining up. Some cultures in Europe can push into elevators and/or lines. Something Americans consider rude, but in reality it's just a different culture.

 

I'd be a bit concerned about the meat and potato lover in the group, as Italians aren't know for great steak. Think pasta :). On Divina, there is an international section on the buffet for lunch (indian/asian) but based on what I can tell it is not open at dinner. I haven't seen any particular spicy items on the dinner menu either, but Seaside might be have much more to offer.

 

On Divina there is no charge for any of the pools, no putt putt, but I did see video with a Foosball table. I imagine Seaside will have more to offer the kids. On Divina I read about lower limits on blackjack tables during 'happy hour', but since the Seaside hasn't yet sailed I think you may have to wait for more specifics.

 

The Seaside looks beautiful! Unfortunately, I think you may need to wait until she sails to get specifics. Hope that helps,

[wayne_trisha]

Can someone please explain what they mean by the service style being european....or the food for that matter? I'm sorry I have not travelled to Europe and want realistic expectations.

 

If they have the usual kid fare...chicken nuggets, hot dogs, macaroni...my kids will be happy. My hubby is a midwestern boy so he enjoys meat and potatoes. I like everything but I like spicier food. Will they have Asian and Indian options?

 

I can't imagine there is a charge to use the indoor pool?

 

Do they have things like putt putt, ping pong tables, shuffle board, etc for the kids? Just wondering what other recreational activities are expected on Seaside besides a pool and aqua park.

 

I'm not overly excited about having to use vouchers to purchase drinks outside the yacht club. We like to spend time in the casino and I don't like the voucher idea...too bad they can't put it all on our key card like other cruise lines do...just swipe your card.

 

Speaking of casino...does anyone know the lowest limit for the blackjack tables are?

 

There is a review by Gambee that is full of pictures. It was on page 7 yesterday. You should go through it and see his pictures of the buffet. European style is a slower pace of dinner. It is not American style where you get your appetizer, entree, and dessert almost at the same time. Expect two hours for dinner.

 

I am looking forward to enjoying some time in the casino since it is smoke free.

[parallax]

They always have a couple BJ tables with $5 minimums. While the voucher system is a little antiquated it is really not a big deal. It won't impact your vacation. We always took a "to go" drink from the YC or Le Muse.

[wayne_trisha]

Top 18 is the adults only area up on deck 18. You have to pay to use it but I can't find the price. No pool but there is a jacuzzi and a bar. I am not a fan of public jacuzzis nor paying to lay in the sun so I doubt we end up here.