JamieLogical's Live from the MSC Meraviglia 4/9 (semi-B2B)

[CruizinSusan70]

4 minutes ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

You have to wait until you’re onboard to make any dining reservations. 

OK...thanks.

[BeeeJay]

On 4/15/2023 at 10:58 AM, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

Ew the disgusting gross picture of that foot...

 

But the foot fetish dude in the key lime shirt seems pleased! 🙂

[JamieLogical]

7 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Are reservations available for Hola! before you embark or not until you get on board?  On their website, whose reputation precedes it, it was difficult to interpret whether you could do it or not.  And were they open each day or only on sea days.  We would probably do lunch on our sea days in the MDR, do it in Hola! if available on two port days and the buffet the other two days.

 

Hola! was open for lunch every day, even embarkation day.

 

I never found a way to book any specialty restaurants ahead of time. Go to the reservation desk inside the Ocean Cay restaurant as soon as you are onboard to make reservations for the specialty dining and the Carousel shows.

[MsTabbyKats]

@JamieLogicalI've been able to watch live streams on my browser and FB. I've been able to listen to podcasts and live radio on I Heart.  The only issue I've had is spotty text messaging. DH hasn't had any problems with his "foreign news sites".

In general, I agree, the wifi is fantastic.

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

@JamieLogicalI've been able to watch live streams on my browser and FB. I've been able to listen to podcasts and live radio on I Heart.  The only issue I've had is spotty text messaging. DH hasn't had any problems with his "foreign news sites".

In general, I agree, the wifi is fantastic.

 

That's great to hear! I also heard that MSC is planning to upgrade all the ships to Starlink in the near future, so that should improve things even further.

[dolphin1313]

39 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

That's great to hear! I also heard that MSC is planning to upgrade all the ships to Starlink in the near future, so that should improve things even further.

Jamie,

 

Thanks for taking time out of your vacation and sharing your experience on the Meraviglia with us.  I really enjoyed reading all about your B2B cruises!

[CruizinSusan70]

5 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Hola! was open for lunch every day, even embarkation day.

 

I never found a way to book any specialty restaurants ahead of time. Go to the reservation desk inside the Ocean Cay restaurant as soon as you are onboard to make reservations for the specialty dining and the Carousel shows.

Thanks.  If we decide to do the pay shows, we'll obviously do it ahead of time and pay 12 instead of 18 on board.

[AtSeaWithChris]

7 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Thanks.  If we decide to do the pay shows, we'll obviously do it ahead of time and pay 12 instead of 18 on board.

If you plan on doing a specialty dining package you can get the shows for $5. But you can’t book them at that rate until onboard. 

[JamieLogical]

Anyone have any idea how long it takes to hear back if you email the existing reservations email address? I tried emailing them over the weekend about my issue of not being able to see my September and February cruises on my account, but I may just try calling after work.

[Two Wheels Only]

44 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Anyone have any idea how long it takes to hear back if you email the existing reservations email address? I tried emailing them over the weekend about my issue of not being able to see my September and February cruises on my account, but I may just try calling after work.

 

Looking at my old emails, it's usually a reply in 1-2 business days. I don't think that anyone responds to emails during the weekend. I've gotten a response (not the automated one) on the same day but that was during the work week. 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Two Wheels Only

[JamieLogical]

10 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Looking at my old emails, it's usually a reply in 1-2 business days. I don't think that anyone responds to emails during the weekend. I've gotten a response (not the automated one) on the same day but that was during the work week. 

 

Thanks! I might try waiting until after work tomorrow or Wednesday to call then. It's really not an urgent thing... it's just nagging at me.

[reeinaz]

On 4/30/2023 at 2:28 PM, MsTabbyKats said:

@JamieLogicalDid you have a problem getting an Uber/Lyft/cab from the terminal?  What time did you actually get off the ship?

I know you asked Jaimie but getting an Uber was a mess because GPS coordinates for the terminal don't direct the cars INSIDE. They have to look for the ship and just drive towards it. lol Also, it seems to take you around a big loop if you miss the entrance.  It took 2 phone calls to my driver and me basically standing in the street to see him and allow him to see me when he did. I did self walk off around 7:30. Uber shows I placed my order at 8:11 once I was outside. It's never taken me that long to get off a ship.

[reeinaz]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

Anyone have any idea how long it takes to hear back if you email the existing reservations email address? I tried emailing them over the weekend about my issue of not being able to see my September and February cruises on my account, but I may just try calling after work.

Maybe I've been fortunate, but my calls to MSC have been fine. I just called today to have my Voyagers number added to the October cruise. Total call time was 7 min 53 seconds.

[reeinaz]

On 4/29/2023 at 9:41 AM, ksuljem said:

Did you attend any of the specialty shows? Looking to go to one while on board and wondering which one we should schedule. 

It's very easy to book the shows using the app and the screens onboard. They even tell you how many seats are available. I attended Cool which was a 70s/60's music tribute and it was amazing and the Rock show in the carousel Lounge. It is NOT like a cirque show but still very entertaining. There are a few aerial tricks and the two strong balancing guys are worth the entire price of admission. I missed the rock show in the main theater but I heard that was amazing as well. There was a magic act that performed 2 nights, the Conjurers, I enjoyed them. You should be able to google them to see if you'd like them. They've been on TV a lot.

[CruizinSusan70]

5 hours ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

If you plan on doing a specialty dining package you can get the shows for $5. But you can’t book them at that rate until onboard. 

No, not planning on doing specialty.  I don't do seafood, teppanyaki is not worth it because of the upcharge and limited choice.  And Butchers Cut is limited as well.  Their policy is the worst compared to the US based cruise lines when it comes to specialties.

[skipsaur]

Thank you for this live report of your day to day, I love long detailed posts so this was a wonderful read!

 

We just booked our first MSC cruise. It's also our first cruise in 6 years and we used to be avid cruisers. There were a lot of things we'd forgotten about "how to cruise" and reading this brought back great memories. Love your positive and relaxed attitude towards life, it made for such a fun read! We're really looking forward to our trip now!!

[Nikita4]

11 hours ago, reeinaz said:

I know you asked Jaimie but getting an Uber was a mess because GPS coordinates for the terminal don't direct the cars INSIDE. They have to look for the ship and just drive towards it. lol Also, it seems to take you around a big loop if you miss the entrance.  It took 2 phone calls to my driver and me basically standing in the street to see him and allow him to see me when he did. I did self walk off around 7:30. Uber shows I placed my order at 8:11 once I was outside. It's never taken me that long to get off a ship.

We also used Uber and don't have any problems to get a car within 10 minutes. We used the app in front of the terminal and not inside. We are leaving the ship around 9.

[BoundForSea]

17 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Anyone have any idea how long it takes to hear back if you email the existing reservations email address? I tried emailing them over the weekend about my issue of not being able to see my September and February cruises on my account, but I may just try calling after work.

Mscexistingreservations- Give it realistically one week maybe two, it’s about how long I’ve experienced with that department, I also never gotten a response a few times when I’ve had discount document verifications done for clients, they just do it and not respond. 

[Kruizin'Kath]

19 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Anyone have any idea how long it takes to hear back if you email the existing reservations email address? I tried emailing them over the weekend about my issue of not being able to see my September and February cruises on my account, but I may just try calling after work.

I have had several emails never responded to, but phone wait time isn't bad. They can't always help but will suggest you email mscexistingreservations 😂

 

Thanks for the great reviews, looked forward to your daily posts!

[Craiglk]

22 hours ago, reeinaz said:

I know you asked Jaimie but getting an Uber was a mess because GPS coordinates for the terminal don't direct the cars INSIDE. They have to look for the ship and just drive towards it. lol Also, it seems to take you around a big loop if you miss the entrance.  It took 2 phone calls to my driver and me basically standing in the street to see him and allow him to see me when he did. I did self walk off around 7:30. Uber shows I placed my order at 8:11 once I was outside. It's never taken me that long to get off a ship.

I had received an email from msc with the exact address for the cruise port and i took an Uber to the terminal on April 22 and my uber driver dropped me off right in front.

[Craiglk]

20 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

No, not planning on doing specialty.  I don't do seafood, teppanyaki is not worth it because of the upcharge and limited choice.  And Butchers Cut is limited as well.  Their policy is the worst compared to the US based cruise lines when it comes to specialties.

The Mexican restaurant Hola! Tacos is very good and it's cheap.  I ate there on the last night of my cruise with Jamie and the rest of our roll call and I had chips and salsa two tacos and a soda for under $8.

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, Craiglk said:

The Mexican restaurant Hola! Tacos is very good and it's cheap.  I ate there on the last night of my cruise with Jamie and the rest of our roll call and I had chips and salsa two tacos and a soda for under $8.

We're planning on going there two different days for lunch combined with three lunches in the MDR and two in the buffet.  We'll probably go there on embarkation day since the buffet will be swamped.

[JamieLogical]

Really not sure what is going on with my MSC account. I sent that email to the existing reservations address over the weekend asking about why I can't see my upcoming September and February sailings on the website, even after attempting to link the booking number. And now, all of the sudden, my Voyager's Club points seem to be reset to 4300 (the points I had after being status matched to Gold), despite the same page saying I earned another 4300 on my 4/9 sailing and 700 on my 4/22 sailing. By my math, I should now be at 9300? Also, it's weird that the dates of the cruises are both off by two days...

 

[noshoobie]

23 hours ago, Craiglk said:

I had received an email from msc with the exact address for the cruise port and i took an Uber to the terminal on April 22 and my uber driver dropped me off right in front.

Thanks for this tip!!  We are travelling this Sunday and I'll be sure to use the address that MSC sent us.

[smokeykat]

1 hour ago, noshoobie said:

Thanks for this tip!!  We are traveling this Sunday and I'll be sure to use the address that MSC sent us.

What was the address that MSC said to use?