jgallagh1944

We're on the Divina out of Port Canaveral on this coming Sunday, September 19th. We received the upgrade bid e-mail the beginning of August, and submitted a bid at that time. We modified our bid a couple of weeks ago increasing our offer to hopefully improve our prospects. We were notified this past Monday, September 13th, that our bid was accepted and we have been upgraded to YC. The waiting time to hear from MSC can be a little nerve racking as it gets down to a week before cruising because you don't want to book restaurants, drink packages, or internet (all included in YC) until you know if your bid is accepted. Our first cruise on Divina a few years ago was in the YC and it was absolutely fantastic. Looking forward to a similar experience this coming Sunday.

On 4/12/2021 at 8:10 PM, kidless said:

We were on June 6 Divina but moved it to a 7 day in October because felt it was going to be cancelled. We also have August 29th booked on her. Holding out hope we do start cruising by July. 

I doubt our July 11th cruise on Divina out of Port Canaveral will be allowed to cruise. Last I heard, the Divina was still in the Med, and when I went on-line a couple of weeks ago to access entertainment and restaurant reservations, there was no information available. We'll just have to wait and see, and if cancelled, we can push our reservation out to next year. Still holding out hope for our repositioning cruise in December on Norwegian Escape from Rome to Miami.

14 months and 4 days till 17 night repositioning Cruise on Getaway from Rome to Miami.

On 2/9/2020 at 4:26 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

In a previous post on some thread, I believe the thread dealt with Meraviglia's initial New England/Canada cruises, the poster asked the Cruise Director if the shows would be the same as on Seaside.  The CD said No, Meraviglia's shows were produced by a different production company.

I posted the comments on Meraviglia's NE/Canada cruise in October, 2019. I was told by the CD that the ship used a different production company from that used by Divina and Seaside out of Miami. I stand by my comments that Divina and Seaside, both of whom I have cruised on twice, have the best shows at sea. Meraviglia's were a total disappointment. I can only hope that they would switch production companies to that of Divina and Seaside once they located to Miami in November. The entertainment wasn't their biggest problem. The food in the MDR and on the Buffet was pretty bad. The Buffet menu seemed to be repeated almost every day with the same boring food meal after meal. 

5 hours ago, shipbound2 said:

What is the entertainment  like on  the Seaside specifically live bands that play dance music.

 

Thanks,  Gary  

There are venues throughout the ship that play a variety of dance music. Every evening, there is a big dance party up on the pool deck. There are also smaller venues with what I would call "house bands" playing popular dance music. There you see a variety of couples dancing, some who just want to enjoy each other and also those who look like they took dance lessons before their cruise. The smaller venues are always near a bar where you can sit and relax and watch the people dance. There's no shortage of dance opportunities; that's almost universal on all large cruise ships.

When I started this topic, I was speaking of the experience of eating in the MDR and Buffet. Having stayed in the YC on Divina, I agree their menus were great. Unfortunately, the YC is very limited and the vast majority must dine in the MDR and Buffet, where on the Meraviglia, the menus and quality of the food, in my opinion, we’re sub-standard for a ship cruising in the US. We all had the same theater entertainment on the Meraviglia, and that too, in my opinion, was poor and not up to the standards set by Divina and Seaside. 

We cruised on MSC Meraviglia in October, 2019 from NYC to NE/Canada. This was the second cruise for the Meraviglia after it re-positioned from Europe. Having cruised on Divina twice ans Seaside twice, our expectations were sky-high. The ship was beautiful and the crew was great. At the Meet & Mingle, I asked the Cruise Director about the theater entertainment and would it be the same or similar to that on Divina and Seaside. I truly believe Divina and Seaside have the best theater entertainment at sea; second to none. He told me that Meraviglia was using a different production company, but not to worry, that we would love it.  Sad to say, the entertainment was horrible; read my cruise reviews for more detail. 

Even worse than the entertainment was the food served in the Main Dining Room and Buffet. There was a very limited selection each night in the MDR and the quality and temperature of the food was poor. The same could be said about the buffet for lunch. It seemed every day was the same selection and that selection was very limited. The best meal on the ship was breakfast. We figured that once Meraviglia started cruising out of Miami, the people at MSC in Miami would somehow bring it in line with the quality of food and entertainment available on the Divina and Seaside. From reading recent reviews for January cruises, it appears that nothing on the Meraviglia has changed. A large group of friends have booked the Meraviglia for a February 2021 cruise and we're reluctant to book unless someone suddenly wakes up at MSC. 

I'm interested in hearing what others who have sailed on Meraviglia have experienced as far as food and entertainment are concerned.

Just came off MSC Meragvilia 11 day cruise to New England and Canada from NYC. From the first day of the cruise, I noticed people coughing and sneezing in the elevators, dining rooms, theaters and other public areas; many didn't bother covering their mouths. You can use hand sanitizer all you like, but as long as inconsiderate people continue to board ships when they know they are sick, this is going to be a problem.  By day 8 or 9, all six people in our party were coming down with coughs and colds. Don't be cheap; buy travel insurance and if you're sick, cancel your reservation, stay home, and don't infect 4000 other people.

Very True! As long as someone is actually using the chair, not a chair hog!

Does that same “not a chair hog” logic apply to people who decide to spend a couple of hours at tables in the Buffet at times when available tables are extremely scarce during breakfast or lunch time?

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So you are actually saying if she wants to sit by the pool all day as this is how she enjoys her cruise, she is being selfish?!! 30 cruises and have never heard this argument. If I get to the pool early, grab a chair and want to sit there for hours, I'm not about to get up just so someone who chose to sleep in late can have my chair. I guess I'm selfish in your world!!

 

Pat

You’re kind of selfish in anybody’s world if you think the cruise is only about your comfort and the heck with the other 4000 passengers. We share this world; we don’t own it. The lounge isn’t yours; it’s the cruise lines and it’s there for all passengers to enjoy.

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that is why i am so shocked that apparently since i actively sit in my chair for most of the day (minus using restroom or other QUICK activities) i am a chair hog. so if i make it to the comedy club early each time and snag a seat, does that mean i am only allowed to see a limited number of shows so that others can watch to.

 

 

 

if i am actually in the chair, why should i have to get up? just so someone else can have a turn.

The first concern is that you call it your chair; it belongs to the cruise line and is intended for use by all passengers. As for shows, some cruise lines have recognized the problem. Theaters have a limited number of seats. So if someone decides to go to every show, it means some people won’t get to see the show at all. Even though you apparently think this is reasonable and fine, it isn’t. NCL requires reservations to enter the theater at a prescribed time and they try to discourage “saving seats”. If seats are available ten minutes before showtime, people without reservations can enter and find a seat. This is called being fair when you have limited seating and a large crowd.

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that is why i am so shocked that apparently since i actively sit in my chair for most of the day (minus using restroom or other QUICK activities) i am a chair hog. so if i make it to the comedy club early each time and snag a seat, does that mean i am only allowed to see a limited number of shows so that others can watch to.

 

 

 

if i am actually in the chair, why should i have to get up? just so someone else can have a turn.

It’s called good manners and being fair to everyone on board. We all pay to use the lounge chairs near the pool and in other prime areas. If you monopolize it all day, you’re not being considerate of others. If I eat dinner in the dining room and decide to sit through two sittings, what should the cruise line say to people who have reserved the second siting? It’s only common sense that you should be considerate of others. Besides, all day in the sun will only make your dermatologist happy in the end.

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that is why i am so shocked that apparently since i actively sit in my chair for most of the day (minus using restroom or other QUICK activities) i am a chair hog. so if i make it to the comedy club early each time and snag a seat, does that mean i am only allowed to see a limited number of shows so that others can watch to.

 

 

 

if i am actually in the chair, why should i have to get up? just so someone else can have a turn.

How would you feel if you paid several thousand dollars for a beautiful cruise and couldn’t get a lounge near the pool because people “camped out” at the pool all day hogging the lounge chairs? Do you believe everyone who paid for the privilege of sitting near the pool should get to do so occasionally? If not, you are the definition of a chair hog.

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I've seen this same chair hog behavior on Royal and especially Princess. When you find a line where people don't do this, let me know. We also only get a balcony, but the band doesn't play there so we go to the pool area. It seems this behavior also happens on Norwegian, the line you sail.

You’re right. It’s just as bad on NCL as any other line. On NCL Escape out of NYC to Bermuda in July, it was ridiculous. People were staking claims to lounge chairs before the sun came up each morning. You could hardly walk through the pool area as large groups staked out their territory; it was like someone dropped a pool in the middle of the south Bronx or Brooklyn. There was actually a brawl by the pool between two groups of teenagers on the 2nd night. The peace and quiet of the balcony was a nice escape. I’ll never cruise out of NY ever again when school is out. I blame the overcrowding and resulting problems on NCL.

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Perfect, one less chair hog.

You don’t have to worry about me hogging a lounge chair. I always book a balcony and avoid the pool; too many lounge chair hogs.

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Carnival states 40 minutes. If you leave your chair and are back within the 40 minute time frame, you are fine. People do get up to go to the bathroom, take a swim, get a drink, or a quick bite to eat. anyone who leaves items on a chair for hours are asking to have their stuff disappear!!

Pat

Another reason to avoid Carnival Cruise Lines; not that I need another reason.

K

but at the same point, DH & I have had 2 chairs before that we were siting in. & one of us would get up to get a drink or use restroom or grab pizza from buffet, get more sunscreen from cabin. and we were there from like 9am to 3pm. and at all times one of us was there. and if you add up all of the minutes that one of us was not there probably totaled 1 hour combined.

 

and people would complain that we were hogging the chairs. even though our butts were physically in the chair.

 

do i think people "hog" chairs by leaving towels on it for hours. yes. do i think physically being in the chair is hogging it. no. but there are people who think that is hogging!

If you are monopolizing a couple of lounge chairs in the pool area for six hours on a sea day, whether you’re sitting in them or leaving possessions or towels, you are a chair hog. There are a limited number of chairs in prime locations like the pool area and every passenger has a right of expectation that they can sit by the pool for a reasonable period of time on pool days.

Leave things behind and they will sometimes disappear

First thing you have to understand is that it’s not your chair; it belongs to the cruise line. If you’re crazy enough to leave personal items while you drift away for lunch or some other side trip, you shouldn’t be surprised when they disappear. Take your items with you and get another chair when you return. There are sometimes over 4000 passengers on board and maybe 200 lounge chairs by the pool. We need to learn to be fair and share.

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My wife and I cruise 2-3 times a year. We always book trip insurance through our CruiseOne agent. The plan we had on on Bermuda cruise in July was Leisure Care Classic. It covers trip interruption, medical, and medical evacuation if necessary. The premium for the two of us was $300 on a $4200 cruise. You can reach Leisure Care at 888-722-2183. Hope that helps.

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Insurance offers you peace of mind in the event something dreadful happens during your cruise. A severe illness or accident requiring hospitalization and you will probably discover that your health insurance from work doesn’t cover you overseas. A medical evacuation can really ruin your vacation and finances if you don’t have travel insurance. For less than $200/person, the financial risks disappear.

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Always purchase trip insurance, not so much for cancellation charges but for medical emergencies. If you have a medical emergency overseas that requires air evacuation to a hospital in the US, it can easily cost your $25000, and don’t think it can’t happen to you. Going on the cheap can cost you dearly if a medical emergency arises. Policies only cost a few hundred dollars.

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The Haven cabins that were being offered for upgrade were all large enough to accommodate 4 passengers. NCL stated very clearly in offering that only first two people per cabin would be charged. That means 4 people get all Haven amenities for price of 2; definitely makes it a better deal for the larger parties. The ship had over 1000 passengers over their stated normal capacity. This led to crowding and increased noise in almost every venue on the ship. I don’t blame the passengers who went for the free people in cabins, I blame NCL.

The cabins that I saw that were eligible for an upgrade bid all allowed up to 4 persons. NCL should charge everyone in the cabin for the upgrade if they want to be fair. The ship’s advertised capacity was 4500; we had over 5500 passengers on board. That’s ridiculous; every venue and every restaurant becomes more crowded.

If you bid the minimum, you have no chance of getting an upgrade. I bid several hundred dollars above minimum of July 8th cruise to Bermuda. Our problem was that we were a couple. NCL only charges the first 2 passengers in the cabin for the upgrade; the third and fourth passenger are free. It's much more economical for a party of four to bid high and get all the Haven amenities. NCL should address this disparity. Our cruise was so overcrowded with people jamming four to a cabin that the noise level in the Main Dining Room was horrible and the pool area was almost inaccessable with large groups occupying most of the lounges for most of the day. It was reminiscent of our only Carnival cruise; never again will we cruise out of NYC in the Summer.

I agree, the party is over the top nice. In speaking with Officers they told us that they have Monitors that read all social media so in effect Shugey's comments are going directly MSC as intended.

The only MSC ships that are included in the M&M's are Seaside and Divina. I would like to see the Meraviglia included soon as they are also doing sailings within the U.S.

I agree that MSC reads the reviews. They acknowledged that to me on my second Divina cruise. My first Divina review, “The Good, the Bad , and the Ugly”, was my honest appraisal of our cruise in a balcony room. Prior to our second Divina cruise, MSC offered us a Yacht Club upgrade at a very reasonable price; it was a fabulous experience; a cruise of a lifetime. The review for our latest cruise, last week on Seaside, was submitted yesterday and should appear on Cruise Critic as soon as it is approved. MSC wants us to identify what we feel are shortcomings so they can make our cruise experience more enjoyable. It’s also important to our CC members that we point out the many fantastic features of our cruise. A review should always be fair. Who knows, you too could be offered an upgrade opportunity in the future.

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