manandaj

Omg, I love Dr. E! He was the cruise director on my very first cruise a few years ago and I still talk about him! We are on the Magic in Jan 2019. I hope he will still be on it then!

For me, MSC Seaside was a letdown. I enjoyed my vacation and didn't want it to end, but I felt like because I wasn't a Yacht Club member, I didn't matter. There are positives and negatives, and my husband and I both agreed that if the price is right we would give MSC another chance. I wrote a lengthy review from my trip that just ended, but it hasn't been approved yet. But I can give you a few positives and negatives.

Positives: Embarkation was quick and we were on the ship by 11:30. Muster drill was quick and comfortable; our location was in the theater. Entertainment was entertaining and really well done, even if it did get repetitive. Drink prices are reasonable. They didn't shove photos down your throat like other cruise lines. The chocolate bar was my favorite place, and often quieter to sit by. The Sport's Bar was also quieter and you get complimentary chips and salsa/guacamole. The itty bitty library was awesome. I loved it! The ship is modern. You use touch screens to book reservations for shows and restaurants. I liked the specialty restaurants, especially ocean cay. The channels on the tv in the rooms aren't bad. I think it was TNT that played a lot of movies with few commercials. If you buy alcohol in port, you can bring it to your room. They don't confiscate it until the last day. This was a huge positive for us. I don't drink much but hubby likes to buy alcohol, especially in Cozumel, and we were pleasantly surprised when we took the liquor to our room, no questions asked. Even when the Tequileria delivered our tequila to the ship before leaving port, the room steward brought it to our room. It made packing the last night easier, and if you want a drink from your own stash, you have it!

Negatives: The elevators were so slow and some didn't even work! People were jumping in them even if it was going the wrong direction because if you could get in one, you got in one. You didn't want to waste that chance. We took the stairs most of the time; it was quicker. Poop smell. We were on deck 5, and there was a definite poop smell. Staff. Some were friendly, others were indifferent and didn't care, especially guest services. I can say that I still remember names of staff from previous trips, because they made it memorable for me. I won't remember anyones name from this trip, in fact I only remember the cruise director's name right now and we just got back from our trip. Most of the food wasn't very good; there were some good things, like most desserts. I ate much less on this cruise than I have on previous cruises, which I guess isn't that terrible of a thing, but on cruises you expect good food, right? MDR service was so slow. We were in marketplace buffet for dinner. It took 45 minutes to get an appetizer one night. There isn't really a lot to do, at least I didn't think so, for daily activities. I read 2.5 books in a week, and these were 400-600 page books.

There are more positives and negaties, but I don't want to overwhelm you. Honestly, don't cancel based on reviews. The trip is different for everyone. I heard people talking about how much they loved it, and I heard others who had lots of problems. I think this type of thing happens with any trip. It was still a good time and it's worth seeing the ship and experiencing it. I never saw anyone on the zip line, hubby did see two people. I only saw people in the slides on our last day. But the weather wasn't very good. It was very windy, cold, rainy, so this could be why. It's also $10 to use zipline. Arcade stuff costs money too, but they are neat options to have. I'd recommend trying the gelato, crepes, etc. Yummy. If you reserve the 815 show, make sure to get there early because it fills up fast. We never did the early show, and we did the late show on the last night, and that wasn't too busy. 815 seems to be the busiest.

Overall, I had a relaxing trip. Like I said before, I read a lot. The weather was mostly miserable, but we made the best of it. Spent too much money in the ports but had great food and found great deals.

We were on Deck 5, and we smelled it every day.

How did you make reservations for the shows?

Reservations are made using the MSC for me App on your phone, or through one of the many touch screens available throughout the ship. You scan your card in, and then you can reserve.

I was struggling with this too. It's my first cruise and I've been back and forth trying to decide whether to take it or not. I am opting not to. It's heavy. I don't want it to break. I want to spend less time setting up great shots and more time enjoying my vacation. I love photography, and taking pictures, but for a first trip I think I'm going to just enjoy the scenery. However, I do have a nice underwater camera and an older digital that still takes really good pictures, so I guess I have other options.

It's my first cruise. My bf uses his pockets. I'm leery about having things in my pockets. I bought a waterproof case to wear around my neck when in the water that will be big enough to hold a few cards, some cash, my id, and the cruise card

Also, is the shampoo like hotel shampoo or worse?

Hi everyone. I have another question: hair dryers. How are they on the Glory? I would like to not have to bring my hair dryer, just extra weight and room that I could do without, but I need to dry my hair. Are the dryers ok? I have medium thickness/length hair.

Thanks everyone! I did sign up for the roll calls and checked out the port of calls board.

I'm looking forward to a vacation! It has been way too long since my last one.

We are also debating what to do in GC next time, as we've been there several times. Sting ray snorkeling was great, Rum Point (with rental car) was terrific, we've also been to the turtle farm, Hell, rum cake factory, etc. I noticed the other day that there's now a tour where you swim with turtles. I think there is a Carnival tour that does it, and I'm sure there are others as well.

How was the turtle farm? I love turtles and I wanted to do the turtle farm, hell, and stingray city excursion on Carnival.

Hello!

I've been perusing the boards for awhile now, and finally decided to post. I am going on my first cruise in November on the Carnival Glory to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Belize, and Mahogany Bay. My boyfriend is a veteran cruiser. We are planning on doing two excursions: Altun Ha in Belize and Turtle Farm, Hell, and Stingray Sandbar in Grand Cayman.

I've been looking at the excursions on Carnival and have been trying to find identical ones through private tour groups. I've read numerous times on here that private groups are better, but my boyfriend would prefer going through Carnival. One of my questions: has anyone been successful in getting a price match through Carnival if we find the exact excursions through a private tour? I think I have found identical tours, but my boyfriend says that everything has to be the same (times, stops, etc.).

Also, I have read a lot of information about pre-tanning or not. What do you suggest? I was thinking of just loading up on sunscreen, since I am fair skinned. I also have a sun hat and cover-ups.

Also, in Cozumel, what do you suggest doing in port? We are not doing an excursion here, and I am curious what other people enjoy doing in Cozumel.