JamieLogical's Live from the MSC Meraviglia 10/25

[JamieLogical]

 

Crazily enough, it is time for me to start planning for my next sailing already! I just disembarked the Meraviglia on October 4th with my husband and I am heading right back onboard on October 25th for a solo sailing. This is an 11-day itinerary out of NYC and I won't truly be alone as I am meeting up with several of my other solo cruising friends. Back in October of last year, I met @ESCARGO and @reeinaz, as well as another friend named Ed onboard the NCL Breakaway out of NYC to CA & NE. We were fast friends and decided to cruise together again last April. We sailed on the Meraviglia's inaugural 7-day sailing out of NYC down to Port Canaveral and the Bahamas. On that cruise, we met @raystorm who will be joining us for this sailing as well.

 

For this cruise, I will be flying into JFK the night before and staying at the Baltic Hotel again. My flight is scheduled to land at 8:45 pm. Hopefully, it will be on time, unlike my flight for my 9/24 sailing, as I don't want another super late night after working all day that day. Sail away for this cruise is 3:00 pm and I have an early check-in time of 10:00 am. I will likely be exhausted if I don't get to bed until well after midnight like I did last month.

 

I am super excited about my cabin. The Meraviglia has four "Studio Balconies," which are aft-facing balcony cabins on decks 13 and 14 designed to accommodate one passenger. I haven't been able to find any pictures or videos of them online, though there is one video of the equivalent cabin on the Bellissima (the Meraviglia's sister ship), so I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. I am hoping to take some photos and videos so future cruisers don't have to blindly book one of these rooms.

 

As far as cruise prep, I have done almost none! All I have done is copy/paste my packing list from my September cruise and make some slight modifications to account for the extra day and the warmer weather. Hopefully, I can start taking inventory and buying any supplies I need this weekend.

 

I will post back here with thoughts and updates as the cruise approaches. 13 days to go!

 

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

I'm looking forward to following along again! 

[DaKahuna]

@JamieLogical  Following along as well.

 

I also could not find any pictures of the Studio Balcony so am looking forward to seeing the ones I know you will be posting. 

 

[JamieLogical]

I forgot to mention in my original post that I reached Diamond status after my September sailing, so I will definitely let everyone know how the additional perks (namely the one free specialty dining experience) work out.

[Essiesmom]

Are you going to be doing your hair another different color?  EM

[JamieLogical]

31 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Are you going to be doing your hair another different color?  EM

 

No, I am keeping my "pumpkin spice" hair for the Halloween cruise. I usually only re-color it every 5-6 months.

[jcpc]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

I forgot to mention in my original post that I reached Diamond status after my September sailing, so I will definitely let everyone know how the additional perks (namely the one free specialty dining experience) work out.

Jamie 

Last month I did my Diamond Specialty Dining in Butcher's cut.  (It was my first MSC cruise, but I was Diamond due to the status match!)  It was excellent.  Enjoy your cruise.

[JamieLogical]

No cruise prep progress at all yesterday. I had hoped to make it to the grocery store after work, but I ended up with a terrible headache that sent me home from work early with no trip to the store. Tonight the plan is the same, but will hopefully be more successful.

[DaKahuna]

8 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

No cruise prep progress at all yesterday. I had hoped to make it to the grocery store after work, but I ended up with a terrible headache that sent me home from work early with no trip to the store. Tonight the plan is the same, but will hopefully be more successful.

 

I hope you get to feeling better soon.  

 

[EllieinNJ]

I just asked hubby to bring suitcases up from basement though nothing will go into them until 2 days before. 

[JamieLogical]

5 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

I just asked hubby to bring suitcases up from basement though nothing will go into them until 2 days before. 

 

I never put the suitcases away from my September cruise!

 

Last night I did an inventory of all my vitamins and medications before going to the grocery store and stocked up on what I needed. So I did make a little cruise prep progress.

[JamieLogical]

Not a lot of updates to report from the weekend as we had a LOT of activities and social obligations that prevented me from spending any time on cruise prep. Tonight and tomorrow are likely to be equally unproductive as we have more social stuff going on. I am really hoping that from Wednesday forward, I will have time to kick things into high gear for the cruise prep. I still need to get to the bank to get cash out, buy a couple more items that aren't available at the grocery store, do a massive amount of laundry, and finally start some packing. Only 9 days to go!

[DaKahuna]

26 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Not a lot of updates to report from the weekend as we had a LOT of activities and social obligations that prevented me from spending any time on cruise prep. Tonight and tomorrow are likely to be equally unproductive as we have more social stuff going on. I am really hoping that from Wednesday forward, I will have time to kick things into high gear for the cruise prep. I still need to get to the bank to get cash out, buy a couple more items that aren't available at the grocery store, do a massive amount of laundry, and finally start some packing. Only 9 days to go!

 

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself how much preparation is really needed to have a great cruise?  Is all the extra effort really worth it? Or how bad would it be if I just 'winged it' instead of planning down to every detail?    😉

 

 

[JamieLogical]

13 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself how much preparation is really needed to have a great cruise?  Is all the extra effort really worth it? Or how bad would it be if I just 'winged it' instead of planning down to every detail?    😉

 

 

 

The main things I worry about are forgetting something I can't live without or forgetting to do something I NEED to do before I leave. If I procrastinate until the very last minute and realize I don't have enough of something (like vitamins, medication, etc.) right before I am scheduled to leave, I am worried I won't be able to obtain it in time or obtain it once onboard or in port.

 

For this cruise at least, my husband is staying home, so I don't have to worry about things like holding the mail, leaving instructions for the pet sitter, making sure there are enough supplies for the pets, etc.

[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

The main things I worry about are forgetting something I can't live without or forgetting to do something I NEED to do before I leave. If I procrastinate until the very last minute and realize I don't have enough of something (like vitamins, medication, etc.) right before I am scheduled to leave, I am worried I won't be able to obtain it in time or obtain it once onboard or in port.

 

For this cruise at least, my husband is staying home, so I don't have to worry about things like holding the mail, leaving instructions for the pet sitter, making sure there are enough supplies for the pets, etc.

 I understand and am pretty much the same way.  I have found that unlike land based locations, if I forget something it is not a simple matter of driving to a store and picking it up.  Most / best case is I am able to get it at the first port of call.  A classic example was forgetting my shaving kit the last time we flew in the day of a cruise.  I cannot tell you how bad I felt using a disposable razor I bought on the ship 😉

 

I take a number of prescription medicines and always make sure to have an extra day or three worth with me so I know that feeling well. 
 

[Anastas617]

Looking forward to the report. I will actually be on the Grandiosa in a solo balcony next week. Very much looking forward to the experience.

[JamieLogical]

One week from today I will be flying into NYC!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 10/16/2023 at 10:30 AM, DaKahuna said:

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself how much preparation is really needed to have a great cruise?  Is all the extra effort really worth it?

I don't know about Jamie, but I found that getting the suitcases out and filling them up with the stuff I don't need at home but will need on a cruise, sooner rather than later works much better for me than leaving everything for the last 2 days. Stress causes migraines, and who wants to start a cruise with a migraine? Been there, done that, don't want to anymore. 🙂

 

Since I pack for 3 people instead of one, I really need an earlier start. Saves sanity. Especially when it comes to the whole pharmacy for 3 people, one of whom is accident prone (hint - it's the child).

 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[JamieLogical]

13 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I don't know about Jamie, but I found that getting the suitcases out and filling them up with the stuff I don't need at home but will need on a cruise, sooner rather than later works much better for me than leaving everything for the last 2 days. Stress causes migraines, and who wants to start a cruise with a migraine? Been there, done that, don't want to anymore. 🙂

 

Since I pack for 3 people instead of one, I really need an earlier start. Saves sanity. Especially when it comes to the whole pharmacy for 3 people, one of whom is accident prone (hint - it's the child).

 

 

I can't even think about having to pack for other people! Packing for myself is plenty! I do build my husband's bundle for him when we travel together, but he has to lay out everything he wants to go into the bundle.

[buffet24]

50 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

One week from today I will be flying into NYC!

When you get off... we'll be getting on!   Can't wait!!!

And guess who is in town today in Boston!!!   😍

[JamieLogical]

I have finally made it through the gauntlet of social obligations of the past week plus. I am going to make a concerted effort to avoid speaking to other humans for the next few days as my social energy meter has been hovering on empty for a couple of days now. I want to make sure I am fully recharged for all of the social fun I plan to have with my solo cruise friends exactly ONE WEEK from today!

[JamieLogical]

No cruise prep progress at all yesterday, despite finally making it through my social obligations and having an evening free. Tonight will likely be my last trip to the store. Turns out I have yet another social obligation tomorrow that I had completely forgotten about, so now I will need to clean my house tonight or tomorrow, because we are having people over in the evening. I had planned to clean the house one last time before I left for the cruise anyway, so this just forces the timing. I don't think I am going to be able to actually start packing until Sunday, but I should have plenty of time to do it then or Monday night. On Tuesday, I won't have time for much of anything since I am going to have to head to the airport almost as soon as I get off work. I still think I will be able to get it all done. Work stuff, I am not so confident about. At least I don't have any meetings today (yet)!

 

FIVE days to go!

[DaKahuna]

Don/t you just hate it when work gets in the way of getting ready for a cruise.  

Although you and I both know the cruise is worth all the effort and stress that goes into getting ready it still can weight heavily on us.  At lot goes on to getting one onboard the ship but once onboard it all just seems worth it. 

 

[EggsyH]

On 10/12/2023 at 10:18 AM, JamieLogical said:

 

Crazily enough, it is time for me to start planning for my next sailing already! I just disembarked the Meraviglia on October 4th with my husband and I am heading right back onboard on October 25th for a solo sailing. This is an 11-day itinerary out of NYC and I won't truly be alone as I am meeting up with several of my other solo cruising friends. Back in October of last year, I met @ESCARGO and @reeinaz, as well as another friend named Ed onboard the NCL Breakaway out of NYC to CA & NE. We were fast friends and decided to cruise together again last April. We sailed on the Meraviglia's inaugural 7-day sailing out of NYC down to Port Canaveral and the Bahamas. On that cruise, we met @raystorm who will be joining us for this sailing as well.

 

For this cruise, I will be flying into JFK the night before and staying at the Baltic Hotel again. My flight is scheduled to land at 8:45 pm. Hopefully, it will be on time, unlike my flight for my 9/24 sailing, as I don't want another super late night after working all day that day. Sail away for this cruise is 3:00 pm and I have an early check-in time of 10:00 am. I will likely be exhausted if I don't get to bed until well after midnight like I did last month.

 

I am super excited about my cabin. The Meraviglia has four "Studio Balconies," which are aft-facing balcony cabins on decks 13 and 14 designed to accommodate one passenger. I haven't been able to find any pictures or videos of them online, though there is one video of the equivalent cabin on the Bellissima (the Meraviglia's sister ship), so I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. I am hoping to take some photos and videos so future cruisers don't have to blindly book one of these rooms.

 

As far as cruise prep, I have done almost none! All I have done is copy/paste my packing list from my September cruise and make some slight modifications to account for the extra day and the warmer weather. Hopefully, I can start taking inventory and buying any supplies I need this weekend.

 

I will post back here with thoughts and updates as the cruise approaches. 13 days to go!

 

Although we never met, we were on the inaugural NYC cruise as well. We are also on the 10/25 cruise along with 6 other neighbors and friends. I was wondering what the current shows are in both venues?

 

[JamieLogical]

30 minutes ago, EggsyH said:

Although we never met, we were on the inaugural NYC cruise as well. We are also on the 10/25 cruise along with 6 other neighbors and friends. I was wondering what the current shows are in both venues?

 

 

Both the Carousel Lounge and the main theatre seemed to have primarily the same shows as they did back in April. Just the performers have changed. The comedian and the smaller acts that perform around the ship were all different though.

 

I posted all the dailies in my live blog for my September sailing:

 

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by JamieLogical