Motegi

Where and when can I get this on the Vista?

And can I get an Omelette with it?

 

Thank you.

Sea Day brunch is served on Sea Days in the main dining room for breakfast. There is a special menu just for this.

You can order as many items as you want. It’s a cruise! :p

Give one of your 15 Cheers drinks to a fellow cruiser.

OMG. Don’t even start with that here... :eek:

If you booked on the Seaside or Divina BEFORE the Drinks On Us promotion began then, yes, Fantastica will include the drink vouchers.

However if you booked on those ships AFTER the Drinks On Us promotion then it replaces the drink coupons you would have gotten with Fantastica.

But you will still get the other perks associated with Fantastica versus Bella.

This is according to a PVP at MSC that I spoke with last week.

We bought one apiece and tested them in our pool at home. They work great! We were hoping to use them in Great Stirrup Cay but our Captain decided to cancel that stop due to high winds preventing tendering that day. Hopefully next time!

Oh and a few other things that are particular to Carnival:

1) Each passenger can bring a 12 pack of CANNED beverages (soda or juice). This must be carried onboard through security and not placed in your checked luggage.

2) Each passenger can bring ONE bottle of wine to consume in your cabin. If you bring the bottle to a dining room you may be charged a corkage fee to have to served to you by your waiter. Your best bet is to uncork it in your cabin and pour out two glasses that you can take with you to Donner. Again the wine must be carried onboard though security.

3) Carnival sells something called Faster to the Fun if you want to board the ship early and have your cabin ready before everyone else.

On a cruise a couple years ago Pam and I were sitting in the main dining room for dinner at a table for two. There was another couple seated at a table nearby. Partway through the meal the gentleman overheard something that Pam and I were talking about and made a friendly remark. Come to find out I had been online friends with him for many years in a web forum for a hobby that we both enjoy! We only knew of each other by our forum “screen names” and had no idea what either of us looked like in person. Since that time we’ve cruised together with them again and remain in contact online.

Based on past experience I would fly in the day before. Particularly if your flights are not direct because there’s more of a chance for a delay. We had a nail biter last year getting to Honolulu for the Pride of America when the first leg of our one stop itinerary was cancelled. So we ended up flying from FL to PA to CA and then to HI. It ended up taking us over 24 hours and we arrived after midnight giving us less than 12 hours before our boarding time. On the plus side in one day we were able to enjoy a genuine Philly cheesesteak, Californian fish taco, and a plate of Hawaiian loco moco!

I suppose if you live in Ft Lauderdale or Miami you could schedule an early direct flight for embarkation day and still have some wiggle room to catch another plane even if the first one is cancelled or delayed.

For wine I would buy it in San Juan rather than risk it breaking and messing up my clothes.

Finally, as long as I wasn’t traveling with a large group I would just use a taxi or an Uber to get to port. Pam and I plan to use an Uber to get from the airport to our hotel in Seattle next month in advance of our sailing on the Bliss.

There’s the dancing and singing waiters in the Main Dining Room on certain evenings. It’s much different from other lines because some of them will climb up onto the server stations for the performance. Also the flaming Baked Alaska dessert parade is fun.

Sea day brunch in the MDR is quite nice.

Carnival seems to be putting more resources into booking stand up comics for their comedy clubs at sea rather than their stage shows in the onboard theater. Some of the comedy performances can be quite vulgar so be prepared.

Carnival does not seem to have as many theme nights as other lines. I think many may be dependent on the cruise director onboard. There will probably be a white party, Red/Blue Party, and Elegant night. Depending on the length of the cruise you may have an 80’s night as well.

We will be on Seaside in September and, based on this thread, are preparing for:

1) Italian/white

2) Flower Power

3) Formal #1 (Gatsby)

4) Formal #2

5) Pirate

6) Western

We have a guarantee cabin on Preziosa for August 2018 and have not yet paid more than our deposit but we have already been allocated our cabin number which is just an ordinary balcony for our experience. Mock bookings I have made show NO remaining cabins for our class. Waiting to pay the balance of your cruise charges will NOT increase your chances of an upgrade.

Thanks for your reply!

We have not yet been allocated a cabin and there are only two left in our category.

If we had a cabin assigned then I think the situation would be different.

I was thinking that if others go online and book those two cabins before MSC assigns is ours then it might increase our chances for an upgrade. On the other hand I was thinking that if I made final payment now it might push them to allocate one of the two remaining cabins to us right away.

Since we have time I think we’ll hold out and see what happens like lcpagejr says.

If it streamlines the boarding process I’m all for it.

I’m concerned that with all the glass how it will hold up to a hurricane.

Please understand that what you consider unimportant might be the opposite to someone else.

 

If I had to choose the importance of my cabin or the ports, I pick cabin. It is much more than just a place to sleep at night.

If that was the case then one wouldn’t leave the cabin selection up to the cruise line by electing to do a “guarantee” cabin.

So considering the situation that this person is in the only thing you can do is to try to make the best of the situation and enjoy what else the ship has to offer.

If one only chooses to dwell the negative I’m afraid it will put a damper on their enjoyment of the rest of the cruise.

The OP just obviously just doesn't know how it works so take it easy folks. To the OP, go enjoy your cruise, have a great time and let us know how it goes.

Agree 100%

The cabin is just a place to store your stuff and to lay down at night. Spend your days in the common areas around the ship and make use of all that it has to offer. Enjoy the ports of call, the activities, the food, and the shows. Keep a positive outlook and I think you’ll have a wonderful time!

I remember the experiences I’ve had on my cruises far more than the cabins.

So for those who are concerned about the poverty and choose to not disembark for this reason you are only making the situation worse for those islanders who depend on the tourism for their meager income.

If the general population of the island is living in poverty they cant afford to take care of the stray animals like we do in the US.

Donations can be made to the Humane Societies and other organizations on the islands to help support their causes. I know of cruise ship officers who donate their time while in port to some of these organizations so perhaps there are opportunities for cruise passengers to do so as well.

Again, if you want to help some of these islanders the very least you could do is not just stay on the ship in port. Go out and support the local businesses. Of course I’m not talking the Diamonds Internationals and Colombian Emeralds but the actual local restaurants and shops.

At this point I see two options:

1) keep calling back to see if you might get a different answer from another agent

2) put in upgrade bids for the next categories above

I know that there is no surefire way to predict who is offered an upgrade and who is not but:

We are booked into a "guarantee" cabin that has only two cabins left according my mock bookings on the website. There are many cabins available one category up.

The MSC PVP that we spoke with when we made the reservation said that because our "guarantee" cabin is so limited that we have a high likelihood of being upgraded to the next category.

So right now all we have paid is the initial deposit. We have a good amount of time before the final payment is due.

So here comes the strategy. For the best chance of an upgrade:

1) Should we wait until the last two cabins in our category have sold before we make final payment?

2) Should we make payment now and hope that they upgrade us to clear up more space for the lower priced category?

Pam and I are NCL fans and are just now getting the taste for MSC.

NCL is more fun. The cruise director staff alaways seems more enthusiastic and more engaging. The game shows, trivia, scavenger hunts, etc have more energy. We prefer the MDR and specialty restaurant food on NCL.

MSC is more elegant. The cruise director staff is more laid back and relaxed. The shows are fantastic. Other passengers tend to dress up more and the theme nights are fun.

When we booked the Divina for the Caribbean last year the overall price was higher than the comparable NCL cruise considering the Fantastica category only gave a set number of drink coupons and we had to purchase a dinner wine and a specialty dining package. On NCL we could take advantage of the Free at Sea offers with the Open Bar and Specialty Dining. However we were sailing with family from overseas and only the Divina could fit their schedule so we decided to give it a shot.

Boy were we glad that we did! Now we are booked on the Seaside in September... and just before that we will be on the NCL Bliss to Alaska in June.

This time the tables have turned and the pricing for MSC is much better than NCL. Especially now with MSC's Drinks on Us promotion. The difference is well over a grand for the two of us... Of course the comparison in this case is not apples to apples because Alaskan cruises always cost more than the Caribbean and the Bliss is a brand new ship.

As you can see by my extended signature, I no longer have a favorite line. I now book by itinerary, the ship itself, and price. The only line I've pretty much eliminated is Carnival. I have found booking on the newer ships to be more expensive than Royal,Princess, and NCL. Celebrity is more expensive, but for me ,it includes the drink pkg and $300.00 OBC, so it gets much closer.

MSC now includes the “Drinks in Us” drink package on its Miami sailings for the Divina and Seaside.

I know that most cruise lines prohibit drone/quad/UAV use when onboard or while at sea. On MSC, NCL, and Carnival I’ve been able to bring them aboard and only fly them when on land in port.

On MSC I was initially asked to check it in to security and have it released each time when disembarking at port. But then security changed their mind and just asked that I keep it locked in the cabin when at sea.

My Mavics are both registered with the FAA and I want to make sure that I don’t violate any airspace restrictions while in Alaska.

Good afternoon fellow Cruise Critic Photographers! I was wondering if anyone has taken their drone/quadcopter for aerial photography to Alaska?

I've had great success with my DJI Mavic Pro last year in Hawaii and my DJI Mavic Air in the Bahamas.

So now I was thinking of taking my Mavic Air on the Bliss in June to capture some of the scenery.

However, I wasn't sure if the excursion seaplanes take off nearby the ships and if that means that drone flight is prohibited.

Check out this fellow Cruise Critic’s post:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2620467

Don’t stop right at the beginning of the beach. It’s way too crowded.

I recommend walking further down the beach where it’s much quieter.

The area in front of the “Crabs and Ting” fish fry shack is great. Check them out on Trip Advisor and you will see that they are 5 star rated. If you order a drink or food from them and mention Trip Advisor, Sue will give you a free island treat. A whole fried snapper and fries is $15. They have tables and chairs right there on the beach.

I recommend both! Easily accomplished in one day.

The Pirate Republic Brewery is the only microbrewery in the Bahamas. It’s a 5 minute walk from the port. They have daily guided tours of their facility with the tour guide in full pirate attire. Check their Facebook page for times. Our guide was hilarious and gave us an in depth history of the many famous pirates that spent time in the waters around the islands. The tour was $14 per person and included a flight of beer and a hot pretzel at the end.

The John Watling Rum Distillery is about a 15 minute walk from the Pirate Republic. As others have said the tours are free but the tastings have a nominal charge.

On the walk back to the port I recommend you make a stop at the Graycliff Chocolate Factory.

What I found useful is to print a google map with the locations of each of your stops marked. Depending on your cellular provider you may not have data service (or be billed roaming fees) while in Nassau. So it’s good to have a paper copy.

Hawaii on Pride of America last April

I stand by my recommendations for the activities that would fit within your timeframe and suitable for all ages.

Pam and I cruise for the ports of call and if we wanted to sit by a pool or read a book in bed we would just stay at home!

No matter if we’ve been somewhere 10 times before we will go ashore and explore. We always find new things to do, see, or eat.

If you’d rather not spend money on a cruise excursion you can always take a taxi.

Check here in the ports of call areas, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and even YouTube to find things to do and places to see at each port. Print out a paper map and mark down the locations of each.

No matter if you stay on board or go off and explore you are still paying the port taxes and fees so why not go out, stretch your legs, and get your moneys worth!