KKB

Sorry had to go watch TCU kick some butt then spend DD's last evening at home with her! Shows: Only attended 2. One was Life. I think this one was also on Edge & Apex. I loved the song choices but otherwise it lost something from the big Eclass theatre. We went to the comedian's 18+ show. He was pretty funny, tho it was still a fairly clean show. This is high praise--I must say in all our cruises funny comedians are few & far between. Seems they are either great or BAD.

Casino We spent a bit of time playing poker tournaments & video poker. I did well in poker, cashing 3 times while poor DH did not have much luck! We did overhear a guy hitting a royal flush on a table game (3 card poker? TX Hold Em shootout? not sure....) but it seems he won several thousand dollars for that! Emily was the casino host & she was LOVELY--and it was her 1st week!!! She did a GREAT job managing events, all the while being a great hostess, chatting people up all week. I LOVE that this casino is non-smoking!!!!!

Activities: We did some trivia, some game shows. Game shows are held in the "entertainment court''--basically a walk thru with a dozen chairs. I remember this from 2018 & I find this to be a design flaw. Game shows should be held in a lounge with sufficient seating, and therefore they don't get the same energy in this space as many people stop for a moment & move on as no seating is available. This is NO fault of the activities staff imo. We were the only people to dress for the 60s & 80s nights--and the activities staff took note & enjoyed our extra effort. DJ Chris would personally remind us to be at silent discos early to get front row seats & get the party started! There were 4 silent discos...we didn't make it to the one on the last night. But we were out until 1AM the 1st 4 nights dancing so much my hair was drenched! THAT indicates a good night of dancing! We met so many of the most wonderful people on the cruise at dinner & at these events--some who we even exchanged numbers with to try to visit or cruise with again.

Dining: Buffet: I do like the layout of their buffet; it seems to alleviate crowds. We mostly ate for breakfast, usually after 9. Food generally quite good. Ate lunch once or twice & dinner once when we had a late excursion. Mast Grill: Our GO TO for lunch & it did not disappoint. I did ask for a gluten free bun one day--BLECH. I stuck with a no-bun burger after that! I was going to get a hot dog all week but those burgers were so good I never did! MDR: OH MY GOODNESS. Food was very good every meal. But our service was OUTSTANDING. We had the same servers every night & we forgot how special it can make dining! We have had many great MDR experiences, but this was THE BEST. Christopher was our waiter, Alvin our asst waiter, Sladjan our sommallier, Perpetua our bar server & Jasper was the asst maitre de. We TRULY cannot say enough about all of them! They fed off our humor & energy & had just as much fun with us as we did with them--all the while providing EXCEPTIONAL service!! Honestly--I want to go back just to be with them again!

We met a fun couple from Houston on the Equinox in 2018 & had been trying ever since to cruise together again. So it was kismet that we ended up BACK on the Equinox to celebrate their 39th anniversary! We have NEVER laughed so much! They were SUCH a joy to travel with & we WILL do it again! (and also plan a trip to Houston!) Let me just say, I am outgoing--but this couple takes it to new heights. I swear they know half the ship before the trip is over! We stayed at the Crowne Plaza right down from the port. Price & location were right, with a restaurant on site. Have stayed before, will again. We had originally booked an interior a few steps from the Passport bar...thought DH would love this when I am still getting ready but he is not! We did do a min bid upgrade to a balcony ($175@) & GOT IT--and happened to be on the same floor as our friends (7)! Great floor--easy to run down the stairs floors 3-5 where all the action is, and not too far up to the Lido deck. That being said, once again we realize we rarely use a balcony! Seriously...spent maybe 10 min. out there! I will do posts on various aspects of the cruise: dining, entertainment, ports, casino, etc.

I'm not a coffee snob BUT I do find cruise buffet coffee to generally AWFUL & typically MDR coffee is not much better, if at all. Just seems on other lines, the speciality coffees are quite good--a HUGE improvement over buffet.

For us it is simple--we generally only use our room for sleep & shower. Booking an interior allows us to cruise more frequently--WORTH IT. We just got off the Equinox on Monday. Had booked an interior but bid on a balcony & got it for $350 more total. We like it, but truly were only out there about 10 min. the whole cruise! We will book whatever cabin is the best value, but generally have no issue sailing interior.

WOW talk about few options!

On Princess & Celebrity specialty coffees are included in the drink package; on NCL & RCCL you can buy Starbucks. Does Carnival have somewhere to get specialty coffees? If so are they included in the drink package or extra? Thanks!

When you say "early" or "super early"--what times are you saying?

I got upgrade for $75 in August on Getaway. (so $150 total) from solo cabin to balcony. Heck of a deal, imo.

Just got an email for every bid we made that we were “outbid” & do we want to bid more? Thats a first…

Perhaps double…those shufflers don’t seem to add as much speed as they ought to

Looking at a couple cruises…one is same price & one is MORE. Some sale

Oh, my, I know how very very hard this is. DM & I had planned to travel extensively when I retired. That devil cancer had other plans. YES--cruise as often as you can! Thinking of you at this time. Enjoy this cruise to the fullest--she wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

You & me both☺️

1--It seems the BEST comedians RARELY do audience interaction...and the worst do (at least on a cruise ship). On NCL in August saw a guy's 3rd set & he was hell-bent the kids in the front row were going to give him. inspiration. Seriously? If you are a professional comedian, you should ALWAYS have a shtick in your back pocket. 2--OMG I LOVE EDEN SO MUCH!. Tried it both on Edge & Apex. Totally different menus & style. Absolutely fabulous! (cannot wait to hear about Le Voyage!) Your crab cake was mouth-watering! Looks like you are having a divine time & have escaped the weather!

OK we have done Celebrity, Princess, RCCL, NCL & DCL (& will try our 1st Carnival in Jan), 20+ cruises under our belts. I am sailing Divina in Feb. (solo; DH has guys golf trip) Typical sea day for me is sun by pool in AM, afternoon & evenings enjoy trivia, "game shows", shows, etc., some poker or video poker in the casino. I like to be busy but I have learned to enjoy some downtime (iPad is always loaded with books; a lounge on the balcony while reading is nice). I have heard that perhaps the activities are a bit more limited/repetative on MSC? Not a deal breaker, just managing expectations. Does anyone know if they have a poker table? I particularly like TX Hold Em tournaments but have been known to play cash.

OK I enjoy my cocktails & wine (no beer due to gluten sensitivity). I think I'm fine on cocktails on the basic plan--Titos soda is my go to. I don't need expensive wine BUT I am pretty particular with what I drink. Any pinot grigio is usually OK. Sauvignon Blanc--gotta be from NZ/AUS or France/Italy (not a fan of CA or Chile). I do not care for Chardonnay or reds. Will basic be enough? On other lines I typcially pay upcharge if I choose a wine above the plan I'm on. Does MSC do this?

Thanks for sharing. Trying Divina in Feb--1st MSC cruise ever after Celebrity, Princess, RCCL, NCL, DCL (& 1st Carnival in Jan). Free casino offer (via 3rd party). I have heard that their food can lack flavor. Glad I looked at your favs--seems there is always something good to eat. Perhaps I could LOSE weight on this cruise! The evening activities do seem a bit repetative...hoping that is a CD issue, but who knows. Will have numerous books loaded on my iPad JUST in case!

MSC has some of the cheapest package prices at sea... $38/day for basic? NO other line is that cheap. $51/day for plus? That is the best priced basic package on other lines (if you are lucky) $71/day for premium? That is STILL typcially cheaper than RCCL basic package... You neglected to mention you are on a 25 day cruise...🤫

I have been playing around with bookings & have discovered that NOT ALL sailings qualify. Could be they have so many per ship under the promotion, not sure. That seems to be what happened.

It is currently a Tropical Storm; predictions are a Cat. 1 at most. I think they should be OK. Happy travels!

LOL, Monday night all looked fine watching evening national news. By 9PM, weatherchannel.com, things did NOT look so good for Friday... Called SWA, changed flight from Fri to Tues eve. Tues morning, Friday looks good & Tues eve not as much... Called SWA, changed flight BACK to Fri (better flight times too!) Cripes!

According to flightaware, no major delays/cancellations currently. Weather will deteriorate as today progresses, but improve tomorrow, so this is a quickie.