DisneyDatknee

I got Covid on my cruise in May and have yet to receive a refund. I think it’s ridiculous they cannot refund my credit card. It has been 132 days since the last day of my cruise.

So we booked three cabins for December on the Sunrise. It appears that the people in our group that didn't get cheers on the last cruise were the only ones to have the cheers to you rate in their promos. We did some room swapping so now we all have Cheers for $90 each. The drinkers (including myself) are winning, but even the light drinkers will still win, as they usually get 2 drinks a day, which goes over breaking even.

Did it on both my cards and nothing 😞

Rivera is the way to go. You barely feel the motion down there. The only other OVs I would stay at would probably be the ones on the Promenade Deck.

Taking the same cruise compared to last year, prices did go up a little like $100 each for an oceanview on the same ship, but we got good VIFP promos, one cabin with $500 OBC and the other with cheers package for $90 upgrade each.

I never cruise with more than one or two people, so never encountered this problem on my many cruises. Our little family/friend reunion is experiencing growth with new SOs wanting to be added, and that’s kinda ruining the arrangement also difficult to change due to offer restrictions. Once on board, can we swap rooms without having to carry an extra key?

Checked my platinum delta & cash magnet card and no luck. Only have an NCL offer on one of them.

When I was on it Dec 2021, Aft dining room was YTD, forward was set dining. Breakfast was served in the back one.

Off the ship now. We were taken to a cargo entrance and waited for a customs officer to just look at our passports. MSC provided a chauffeur to our house. The other passengers who chose a hotel accommodation are unfortunately having to stay at a Rodeway Inn by the airport…

So seems like a lot of this quarantine cabins are filling up with both crew and staff. Not sure how many are infected, but I would definitely be cautious if you’re cruising soon. Let my guard down as it felt like cruising back to normal. We asked a crew member staying below us how many crew were out sick, he said too many. Fortunately, they are still paid if they are sick. We are feeling better, but still stuffy and coughing. Some of my friend’s taste is back. We are at Ocean Cay today and still have not docked due to a strong current.

My cabin mate unfortunately fell ill last night and tested positive for COVID. I tested negative twice, but I chose voluntarily to isolate with her instead of doing the rest of the cruise alone. I had to pack the room up and move down to Deck 10 FWD to another balcony. Room is the same but the bed is by the bathroom instead of by the balcony door. I prefer the bed next to the balcony as the closet is right up against the bed, making it difficult to use. However, since we are in isolation, changing clothes isn’t a huge deal anyways. The staff in the medical center didn’t really know what the procedures were except that we just had to move into a specific room. A COVID team which is just two people followed my friend up to the room spraying disinfectant. We were called by the guest services manager about our vaccines and our travel arrangements, as my friend cannot fly back home to Atlanta for 10 days according to CDC guidance. Given that I live in Miami, we do not have to isolate in a hotel that MSC has offered to pay for. Room service called us to take our dinner order. The lady in charge of COVID orders does not speak English well, so our orders are always slightly wrong and she misunderstood something. We were given a fully stock minibar and the ability to order any food and drink from anywhere on the ship. We do have to pay for speciality meals if we want those, but I don’t think I will be using the rest of my dining experiences on room service as my friend cannot taste foods. 😕 We can watch any movies on the TV for free but the selection is a little random. Since we already have wifi, we don’t need the free package that was offered to us. Anything we need is just a call away. I guess there isn’t a better place to be isolated if we can relax on the balcony with free room service. Anyways, not the best end to the cruise. I will have to get the refunds sorted out. This is the 4th cruise I have taken since cruising resumed. I guess it was bound to happen. Cheers!

Sencho is included. You can pay extra for the next level. Not really. Only toddlers and little kids who aren’t really in school. Lines for kid-dominated activities such as water slides are non-existent. Definitely much less kids than when I went on the Merevilgia in Mid August last year.

You can only order from the dining experience menu, usually the first page of the menu. Ronnie in the Casino Bar, works in the morning and the evening until 12-1ish am. Shows in the main theater need to be reserved, but they were never fully booked. Not really. We saw YC folk around the ship (could tell by their card). The only thing is that the front part of the ship is closed off to YC and Aurea guests, so it limits your “outdoor space” to the Long Island pool on the aft of deck 18 and the infinity pool and the side pools on deck 8. Jungle pool is on deck 16, but it’s pretty humid since it’s almost all indoor. Fantastica have a choice of dining time, early or late, but not the anytime dining like aurea.

Got on Saturday. I’m going to be honest, I was going to cancel this cruise because I was worried about how the experience was going to be, but I’m glad I didn’t. Embarkation was a little crazy at first with the massive line for clerks to check your vaccine card and COVID test. The line was huge and they clearly did not have enough people to check documents. There was a priority line, but I was not sure who qualified. After going through that line, you check-in for the cruise. There is a priority line for diamond and aurea members as well as YC. That line was pretty calm compared to the main line. Rooms were ready @2 PM. We are staying in a balcony on Deck 12 FWD. I purchased the all-in offer with Easy Plus, Wifi for 2, and $50 OBC. Currently looking out at Saint Thomas. We thought about upgrading to the Premium Package, but don’t bother. Unless you like expensive wines and spirits on the rocks, there is no reason to upgrade. You can ask the bartenders to make a “$9 version” of a more expensive cocktail if you become friendly with a bartender. I love how MSC you can order two drinks at a time (or a double shot) and you don’t need to sign for a drink with the package like other lines do. We have had the best bartender since Day 1 and I’ll reveal her later at the end of the trip 🙂. Some B2B cruisers we met said the best bartenders are in Le Cabaret Rouge. I saw someone last night order a double shot of Jäegermeister on the rocks… could feel the memories of college come up in my throat. The food has improved since our last MSC cruise in August, however the dining room is still very hit or miss and service can be very slow. I don’t like how anytime dining is an aurea only experience, as some days I don’t want to eat as late or as early. The buffet has gotten better, so we have been eating there. We have had breakfast in the morning in the dining room each day, but one of our waiters was pretty rude and messed up our entire order. We bought the Duo Package and will be eating at Teppanyaki and Butcher’s Cut. We ate at Kaito Sushi last night since a la carte at multiple speciality restaurants was 30% in port while in San Juan. Sushi was excellent, except we were the only couple there. It seemed dead normally throughout our cruise so far, but two couples came at the end of our meal. It’s pricey, but we ate very well for a bill of only $70. You can use your drink package there. It’s been super super windy these past few days so it’s been hard to enjoy the pools. The hot tubs on the sides of Deck 8 are the place to be. The ship is absolutely gorgeous and it definitely takes the cake as far as design goes on cruises I have been on. However, I don’t like how there isn’t really a “main pool” area. There are many pools, but it just doesn’t feel the same with a main central area to hang out in. Getting off the ship in San Juan was a mess. Not really clear where the line was and people started yelling in all different types of languages. One guy was telling everyone that Royal Caribbean is better and that they would never sail MSC again. I thought it was very dramatic. IMO, would sail MSC over Royal any day.. You will see the crowd onboard is primarily European and Latin American. However, not impossible to find Americans. Primary languages used on ship are English, Spanish, and Portuguese. There are a lot of French passengers I’ve noticed. When we checked in at the terminal, the clerk said around 3000 passengers were on board. Enough of my rambling. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! So far, I’m enjoying the cruise even with the negatives. Cabin is super clean and cozy. I’m happy to be able to cruise this week 🙂

Wow... hopefully simple grilled chicken or some salmon is available. Crazy.