Cruise'nMaMa

Today we were in Cozumel early at 7am since we missed Grand Cayman. Snorkeled and shopped. They dock downtown which is really nice and more convenient. Last night was White Night and Italian night in MDR. The show was Fly last night and it was fantastic. We have enjoyed all the shows so far. We also spent time on the Aurea sundeck. It was peaceful and not crowded. Bar service no problem.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Our last cruise on MSC Fantasia also had a vodka martini and rum fruit drink (both served in Martini glasses) offered alongside prosecco and juice on Elegent evenings. Last year on Divina only prosecco was offered, so maybe it has changed fleet-wide.

Yes this is what they had - 4 drinks in total to pick from.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Yes we have had very good service all around and found a wonderful waiter Hansraj that we have had every night. If you ask for a specific table and it is available they will accommodate you. If not available they will give you a time and hold it until you come back. The bar service was good too. We upgraded to the Premium package and have had no trouble having anything we wanted.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We are currently onboard and know the odor they speak of. We are on deck 14 and the hallway near midship always seems to have this smell. It gets better as we go forward to our cabin up front.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I would go Aurea. The sun deck isn’t adults only. Children in Aurea have been allowed in. The deck is great and not crowded. Not many kids are there because there is no pool. The My Choice dining with its own section of the dining room is worth the difference alone in my opinion. We are currently onboard in Aurea.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

DC Guy ... The my choice dining worked well, we had a table for two each night with the same waiters Onell Holmes and Imam who we had come across on a previous MSC cruise, we went at different times though I see no reason why they would not give you the same time.

I agree. We have enjoyed the My Choice dining and have had the same table and waiter each night on request. So far no waits. We have gone at different times. Last night we chose to wait 20 minutes for the table to open up and have the same one which was no big deal. The woman checking you in at the door knows us now.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Today was supposed to be Grand Cayman. Swells are too big so the port cancelled all tender service. We are heading to Cozumel earlier and will arrive at 7 instead of 10. We had an early excursion today so braved the morning breakfast buffet. Bad choice for me. The crowds were just too much and people do not understand lines or waiting their turn. Breakfast in the dining room yesterday was good. I recommend breakfast in your room on an early day.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We are docking in Ocho Rios today. One hour late as seas and winds have been very rough. Last night we saw The Wizard and found it entertaining. It was elegant night and varied in dress. While I understand there are people who do not want to dress up, I do think the dining room is a place to be properly dressed at least. Two women next to us came in wearing short jean shorts and sunglasses. They were seated. Personally I say they should have gone to buffet. We requested the same table as our first night and got it. Food was good and proper temp. Portions are more than enough for us but they offer us seconds all the time. We got our picture with Captain Scala and they had complimentary drinks being handed out of Spumante, juice and a martini in the atrium.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Is the coffe package available. We just booked this week for october 20th and the coffee pkg is not part of the offers?[emoji24]

That I am not sure about. Sorry!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Did you order your premium package on the ship, or before sailing?

We ordered before. It was a small charge of $56 per person. It is package 536.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I am happy to report live from Seaside that butter has been restored in all areas [emoji4]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

How do the wristbands work for drinks? Can you order 2 drinks with 1 wristband or would you need to take both wristbands to order 2 drinks?

 

 

 

Jim

You can pay for multiple drinks with one band. The tablets they use to order scan the band And then you sign. It tells you how much the bill is and is charged to room so if you have a package like we do it says 0.00. You can use them in gift shops and to open your room. We have found it quite handy so far

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Can you post more photos of the room please? We are in 12001 for Thanksgiving and the living room doesn't look at all inviting. Why is all the furniture shoved against the wall? Have a great time and thanks much :)

The furniture is against the wall because the tv is on the other wall. It’s also the path to walk to the bedrooms. We are happy with the room layout overall for the 3 of us. The only thing that is not great would be the shower is very tiny and the other only has the small glass partition where water will get out as other posters said. I think I am spoiled from the one we had on Koningsdam last year.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

They did a really good job last night cleaning the room for us. Much better and the sofa doesn’t show the stains as bad. Dinner last night in Seashore. We went around 7:30 and were seated right away. We have My Choice. Our waiter Hansraj was awesome!! Food was good and time was ok for us. Probably an hour and a half. We ordered breakfast with card to be delivered 8:00 to 8:15 and they are late. Hoping it comes before our massage at 9. We are enjoying our cruise so far. The crew have all been very friendly, constantly asking if we need anything etc. If your order breakfast in the room be very specific! I ordered coffee and got sugar but no cream. There was no place to check off for that and I assumed it would come. If you check croissants for 3 people, you get exactly 3 and they are small in size but tasty. Just some tips.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Can you post more photos of the room please? We are in 12001 for Thanksgiving and the living room doesn't look at all inviting. Why is all the furniture shoved against the wall? Have a great time and thanks much :)

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There were some cruisers, I can't remember if it was here or on Facebook, that were mentioning that the drink packages were changed to not include gelato anymore which is why I was curious. It would be pretty tragic if gelato was not free for passengers with the packages.

I think there would be a riot if gelato was not included! We went for a snack at the Biscayne Bay buffet around 5 - crazy up there! Area was too small for the people. The other one was closed. We set sail soon!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We did notify our steward and she said she had reported the problems earlier and a deep clean will be done tonight. As we guessed, last week the room had a lot of kids in it.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We got the gelato at the Miami Beach bar. No issue but we have the premium package.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Here’s a photo of the sofa

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The balcony photos do not give a real representation due to the photo angles so keep that in mind.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

So we have stateroom 14001. The cleanliness is not the best. Unfortunately the solid color furniture is not forgiving and shows any and all stains. Surfaces are sticky. I think there were many kids in the room before us as the windows are covered with finger prints. The biggest disappointment is the balcony. It is so narrow and not able to move around. It has lots of furniture which will be hard to use because you can’t walk by it.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We enjoyed the Marketplace buffet today and found lots to choose from. Food temps were good. Hot was hot and cold was cold. Got our first Gelato. Yummy! They announced on behalf of Captain Scala so he is still on board. Cabins are ready so heading there next!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Boarded around Noon and headed to the spa. Massages booked for tomorrow morning, 55 mins. The earlier you visit the better. So far all the crew has been very polite and yes there is a bit of a language barrier but if you smile, are patient and just repeat it is not a problem. The ship is beautiful and very modern. Off to try the Marketplace buffet for lunch.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Arrived and survived the POM chaos outside and check in so far has been a breeze. We are Aurea and have priority boarding. They gave us the MSC for Me bracelets at check in and also a card that said Priority boarding. They have a priority waiting section. Our cruise cards had the correct info too. Looking forward to a great week!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There was definitely NOT an AC outlet on either side of the bed in our cabin on MSC Seaside. We were in a "Suite With Whirlpool Bath"... and since that's a more-pricey-than-normal cabin, I would guess that if there weren't AC outlets by the bed in that suite, there probably wouldn't be in standard balcony cabins and inside cabins.

 

 

 

Perhaps the confusion is due to the fact that there is a USB charging outlet on one side of the bed, at least in the cabin we were in. So maybe you read there is an "outlet" by the bed... but they meant USB and you thought they were talking about 110 volts AC.

 

 

 

Also, as a CPAP user myself, I would just like to say that I see this topic (distilled water) come up over and over again on Cruise Critic... and I would just like to say that if you're just going on a cruise for a week, you don't need to stress about distilled water. You can use the tap water from a cruise ship in your CPAP machine, for short periods like a week or even two. What the CPAP manufacturers don't want you to do is use hard water or water with lots of mineral deposits and to do so for years and years. This would leave deposits in the tank and piping of your CPAP, if you used bad water for years and years. Cruise ship tap water is usually quite good... often times made by desalination of ocean water, but not always. Using it for a week or two in your CPAP is not going to cause any problems at all. So, my advice is never to stress before a cruise about whether you can get distilled water onboard. The tap water will be fine for a week or two. Long term, over the life of your CPAP unit, use distilled... but don't worry about it for a short period like a vacation.

While I personally wouldn’t stress about it, my boyfriend would as he is particular about using distilled and I was asking so I could understand how MSC deals with it, given the customer service nuances I have dealt with so far before even getting on the ship!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums