sptrout

We were on the Meravilia a year ago January (a couple months before COVID hit) and the OTC supplies in the ship's store was very limited, much less than many other ships that we have been on. I do not remember what my DW was looking for, but nothing that was unusual in the least. I recommend that you bring  a few of any OTC meds that you think that you could possibly need. Not for dodging any COVID issues, but for anything that you might consider a just incase med. Bring "travel size" bottles if available.

(BTW - - We on the Seaside a year earlier and I think that I remember correctly that their OTC supplies were also very limited.)

I do not follow rules for under 12 since we are too old to have any direct interest. But, Ocean Cay may be called a private island, but it is not as private as one may expect. Most of the service staff on the island actually live there in what looks like apartments, and the people are Bahamians. The COVID rules for the Bahamas are the same at Ocean Cay as any of the other islands in the Bahamas.

Funny story about these cabins. During our last Equinox cruise we had an S2 cabin next to the S1 corner cabin. During the first 2-3 days the outer doors were open and I never even noticed them. Then one evening when going back to our cabin for the day the big doors were closed. Since we never noticed them in the first place we thought at first that we were on the wrong deck or something (no we had not been drinking LOL). With those door closed there are no signs saying that there are cabins (2) behind them (they need to be marked). After deciding that we were not that crazy I took a longer look at the doors and then tried to open them. Yes, we then found out that our cabin was behind that set of doors. It was only later that I figured out that they where there to provide semi-connected cabins, but had no idea why they had been closed for that one night. One great thing of being located all the way aft, there is near zero foot traffic back there so hall noise is nada. 

Our next cruise, with luck, is on the Reflection in the middle of January and we have one of those S1 corner aft cabins. We booked this cabin at least a year ago and are really hoping that this cruise goes as planned.

14 hours ago, hcat said:

All interesting comments

2 ques we have..

 

What are the Comparative ship sizes?

Are there more children in Yacht Club than Retreat/Luminae or about the same?

Do you mean ship sizes as asked, or did you really mean cabin sizes? Your ship size question has been answered. As for cabin sizes the majority of YC cabins, in the newer ships any way, are mostly nearly identical in square footage to the Sky Suites in Celebrity ships. There are some smaller inside cabins and a few larger YC cabins. Although the sizes of YC cabins has been recently enlarged with the addition of some cabins outside the confines of the YC that are considerably larger (may be mistaken here since this has happen after our last MSC cruise).

As for children, nearly zero in our limited experience (2 MSC cruises both in YC cabins out of Miami in the winter). I assume that this varies to some degree, but I image that there are few on most cruises. IMO, the YC is not really intended for families although there is no reason why not as long as a family can handle the cabin sizes and the costs of the YC p/p charges.

The dress code for the YC is nice causal in the evening. No different than any other major cruise line sailing out of the US in the evenings. Some people may dress-up some evenings, but we always wore the same type of clothes every night.

"Celebrity Flights" just acts as a travel agent between you and the airlines. No special planes or sitting, just the standard seating arrangements. If you want a higher level of cabin you have to pay for it at the prevailing chosen airline rates. 

You may be surprised how many times that I have had to explain that a cruise that stops at Colon Panama does not go near the Canal (the only way to see the Canal is with a tour or on our own (not a good idea)). The nearly same situation with the now long gone Cristobal Port, which technically was in the Canal; barely. 

Over the years that I have been on CC, I think that I have responded to more posts from totally confused folks about the Canal cruises than any other subject. It is hard to image the thousands of cruisers that do not use CC or others and are very disappointed when they returned home having never seen an inch of the Canal. I would bet this has happened often.

Just now, TeeRick said:

People just need to look at the itinerary and know a little geography.  Most full transits are inclusive of ports in both the Atlantic and Pacific.  Our Infinity transit went from Miami to San Diego. Maybe too much to ask? 😀

Over the years, if one monitors the Panama Cruise Board, there have been many questions about what a partial Canal cruise really means. Also, many are very disappointed to find that their cruise just entered Gutan Lake and then turned around and sailed back out never actually seeing more than about 10% of the Canal (5 miles vs. about 50 total miles for example). I am just suggesting that anyone going to Panama carefully read between the lines of the cruise line's brochures (any of them not just Celebrity).

I cannot provide any specific comments to the OP's question, but only an observation. IMO (and experience) the cruise lines go to great lengths not to accurately describe partial Canal transits. For example, they use every trick in the book to not give an accurate description of partial transit cruises. The only way to make sure that you are getting what you think that you are paying for is to embark a cruise somewhere on the Pacific side, and then disembark somewhere in east of Panama (or the other way around).

For people not familiar with Panama there is a good chance that they will be totally confused about what the cruise line is describing for any Canal cruise. I have been lucky in that our first Canal visit required a full transit so I have been able to translate poorly worded descriptions of our other 4 visits with no surprises. IMO, the cruise lines can be very deceptive for Panama cruises.

Assuming nothing changes due to COVID, yes, you will look for the "white" tent/cover, but it is not at the front of the ship. It is located just next to the main entrance which makes it difficult for your taxi driver to be able to stop directly in front of the tent. In our two cases, the taxi driver overshot the white test because of heavy traffic. Otherwise, if he had stopped in front of the tent part of the car would still be in the main part of the street that passes long the side of the ships. This could be handled better IMO. (Experience based on the Port of Miami only.)

I cannot answer your questions in your second paragraph, but for your first question:  Suite passengers do not have free access to the PG. You can buy a day or a full week pass for a charge as can anyone else. The PG does get crowded at least it was during our last cruise and we missed a couple other days that all combined made for a bad "all week" pass purchase. 

BTW, you may want to change the title of your post since I do not understand what COVID/VAX has to do with you actual post.

The YC is more than an experience, but an entirety separate section of the ship that is not accessible by nonmembers (ship with in a ship concept). It is entirely possible to spend the entire cruise in the YC and its private areas and never leave it during the cruise. If so, a passenger would miss the main theater, Spa, and other areas of the ship. In our case, we left the YC only to go to the Spa, main theater, and to just roam around. 

The YC has its own perks that may, or may not, exceed all other experiences. For the price, staying in the YC will almost always be the best option if you can afford the price.

The Aurea Area is not part of the YC, but no real reason for it to be. Other than massages, about eveything else is included in the YC, including unlimited access to the main large Spa. 

As for gelato, technically it is not, but some have gotten it. I have ordered it for dessert in the YC dining room in the evening even though it is not on the dinner menus. I would not plan on it being free.

11 minutes ago, hcat said:

We did get a stock letter saying X looks forward to seeing us on board Reflection for our January 2022 cruise.

 

A ray of hope or wishful thinking?

Yea, we got the same letter I image. For the Reflection the second week of January. It mentioned that they we hoped that we enjoy the "Retreat". I have feeling that this 10 day cruise will not happen. I hope it sails as booked, we got a great price for a S1, corner aft, cabin. 

We had originally booked the Meraviglia for the second week of December 2020 (this week I think). That cruise was also scheduled to depart OC at 6PM, which I thought was odd (same day arrival). We were on the same cruise a year ago and the OC departure time that cruise was 11PM. We had no apparent problem in arriving back in Miami at the scheduled time.

I assumed that the earlier departure time was for COVID issues that would require more time in the Port of Miami for turn around. 

Luckly, I bailed out on this now canceled cruise about two weeks before the YC's final payment date. We could not afford to loan MSC money for and unknown amount of time.

Agree with "Happy Cruiser" and "awhfy", but PR, if like every other time that we have stopped there, is a brief and late afternoon/evening stop and you may not want to get off the ship. But, if you do there are plenty of things to see.

The others have mentioned shopping, but St. Thomas and St. Maarten both have great beaches so are a great places for that type of activity. Remember that St. Maarten is half French and half Dutch controlled. You will dock on the Dutch side and can stay there if wanted, but the best known beaches (and shopping for that matter) are on the French side.  However, as is the case many places in the world, if it is French then the beaches are all topless and some totally nude. The most famous (Orient Beach) is both and you can easily walk between both either on purpose or by accident if you happen to miss the signs. Either side is free to walk to the other side; just a warning. Otherwise a great beach.

11 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Ocean Cay promises to be an excellent private island.  Do you have an opinion about the YC Restaurant/Facility on the island?  

The YC Restaurant is small and had a waiting line when we departed. By accident we arrived before they were open (11 AM I think) although there was nothing that said otherwise, so we just seated ourselves and enjoyed the view. It is an open air (but covered) restaurant with an indoor section that is very small, more like a typical bar area.

The menu, at least last December, was limited to three or four main entrees. We both had the mahi-mahi and it was very good. There are limited choices for appetizers and desserts, but we had no trouble finding what we wanted to order and without any regrets.

The YC Restaurant is about as far from the ship as is possible so be sure to get on the tram at each end unless you want a nice walk. 

At the time of our visit the YC "galley" was a food trailer a few yards away. I would guess that this is/was temporary since there is a large building close to the YC Restaurant (may not be related at all, just a guess).

Very nice way to spend a part of the day.

Since Cirque du Soleil is bankrupt, it will be interesting what will be offered in the CdS Theatres. Maybe MSC will just hire the entertainers directly? I hope they survive bankruptcy and can restart their shows. The one that we had the opportunity to attend was very good.

We have been on RCL, but more recently on Celebrity and Princess. IMO, the entertainment in the main theatre, especially on the Seaside, was outstanding. We did not attend other entertainment venues unless we just happened to be walking by, but even then we found some good shows.

Others have mentioned that the passengers were mainly from outside the US even though in our case both of our MSC sailings were from Miami. I could not tell any difference in the mix from all our other Florida sailings. Funny, but there was a group of 6+ family members that just happen to sit near us during two or three shows. They were obviously of Asian descent. During the one of the shows the CD asked for applause from people from different countries, the group that I would have guessed were maybe Chinese were from Canada. Never know, but it makes no difference to me since I enjoy meeting people from all countries and backgrounds.

Ocean Cay is MSC's new private island. We really enjoyed our visit although as YC members we got special treatment. The island was brand new when we visited last December, I think that our ship was the 3 or 4th to visit. Should become even more impressive as all the new vegetation is allowed to grow. I hope there are no hurricanes in Ocean Cay's future. It had one minor hit already this year, hopefully the last. 

20 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Wasn't this the Wilderness Adventurer that sailed out of Juneau?  And, now has returned to Juneau with their crew quarantined on board and the guests quarantined in a Juneau hotel.  

Yea, I think that you are correct. Did it allow US passengers? I don't remember. 

Below is a link directly to the USA Today article. The article is long by USA Today standards which tend to be shorter and more just the facts without a lot of detail. In any case, the cruise lines are still having considerable problems getting the last of their members home for a variety of reasons. Very difficult situation arranging travel for people from all over the world with many countries not even allowing pass-through air passengers.

Not really the cruise lines fault, but the buck stops with them and they are trapped in a situation that they cannot control.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/08/08/cruise-ships-us-have-12000-crew-members-amid-covid-19/5574288002/

I agree with WH_Cruise, there will be no US sailings this year and probably for most of next year. Any ship that tries to sail will likely be a very short, and sad, cruise. It will be interesting how many lines decide that the holiday rush period will not be worth the risk to their business, crew, or passengers.

8 minutes ago, WH_Cruise said:

Its bonkers. I give it less than a month before their boats are riddled with cases.

Sadly, very true. According to my travel agent, MSC still plans on starting in the U.S. this fall. Not going to happen. I was calling them to cancel my December cruise before they grabbed my final payment money. We cannot afford to finance MSC for any length of time not to mention the obvious COVID outbreak that will happen if they try to sail this year. Maybe even extending well into 2021. 

7 hours ago, cruiser man 60 said:

Passengers being rapid tested before departure plus all crew, virus not as rampant in Europe like the americas

The cruises that I was referring to was one very small boat (36 passengers) out of Canada, and the remaining were cruises in Europe. The U.S. has been totally shut down for months.

If their experience is like the few smaller, to much smaller, cruise lines, they will depart, then turn around two or three days later with COVID being the main not-paying passenger. Hope not, but almost a certainty within a cruise or two. 

18 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

What are the changes?

Briefly, MSC moved the Seaside out of Miami to Port Canaveral and the Megaveliga took over Seaside's Miami itineraries (dropping the Meg's old routes and sail dates). The remaining passengers from both ships are supposedly now combined into one ship. In our case, we just changed departure date by one day to the old Seaside Miami sail date (12/05). No direct word on how they handled the cabin assignments. Since we booked through a TA we can see next to nothing when I log into "my booking" on MSC. The T/A says nothing has changed at least for the cabin assignment (YC). I had already canceled our plane tickets before United discontinued their cancel for any reason for a full refund (or "mileage" in our case).

Not not convinced that any cruise line will be sailing this year from the U.S. We have about 3-4 weeks before they take our money. Decisions, decisions, decisions..........