amygutman

Great photos...it sounds like you had an exhausting trip but I am sorry you had to leave the Peter Punk show before the dinosaur came out! it was the funniest part of the show. 

Loving your report and look forward to hearing more. 

Warmest Amy

@joey_ourso As a graduate of LSU emergency residency program, I feel your pain. Wishing you luck on finding that cap. 

Warmest Amy

@Georgia_Peaches Thank you again for the lovely review. I think we had similar positive and less-than-positive experiences in the YC. I agree for the money, MSC does really have a nice "suite-within-a-suite" product, but as their prices go up, the less positive experiences may not be quite as able to be over-looked. 

Our next MSC is the Euribia in Europe - am very happy to be returning to a Meraviglia-class ship and interested to see how a "European Experience" on a European cruise ship compares to a more "Americanized" experience on a Seashore class ship;. 

Safe travels home!

Warmest, Amy

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Ship's Entertainment:

 

Our quest for live music took us to many venues throughout the ship.  We enjoyed music and dancing in the Haven Lounge but thought it odd that one of the prime "entertainment" offerings was dance lessons at 9 PM.  Odd because on Celebrity dance lessons are offered during the day as opposed to prime time entertainment.  

 

Also offered in the Haven Lounge is various types of trivia and we were astonished at how well attended these events were at all times of day.

 

We also visited the Seaview lounge on several occasions located on deck 8 near the French styled bistro that isn't.  Meaning I think the original intent may have been to have a bistro set up in this area but something fell short and never seemed to happen.  Instead, the area is well equipped with tables of all sizes, many with great views of the ocean but there is no bar in the area or service, for that matter either.  but I digress...the Seaview lounge was a very nice, intimate space with great service and nice music, sometimes live, throughout the day.  We found this area way more enjoyable on this cruise than the Top Sail Lounge of the Yacht Club.

 

We saw one variety show in the main theater that was fine and very well attended.  So much so, some people opted to climb over seats rather than scooch past people in a given row.  This was a first for me on any cruise I've taken.  We visited the theater one other time for the comedy show and the guy was actually pretty good and was masterful at improv.  Wish I could remember his name...

 

Pools and bars never had a shortage of people...even when it rained. And despite the ship's strange layout, there seemed to be something for everyone.

 

Casino:

 

This was by far our best casino experience...ever!  There was a great ebb and flow of machine payouts and I saw lots and lots of people win big money.  For our part, we did well and have come out ahead...a rarity for cruise ship gambling in my experience.  

 

When DM and I gambled on our last cruise back in June we each earned a free cruise voucher but it never arrived on our stateroom door or in my email after the cruise.  The casino host remembered me (by name 🤦‍♀️) from June and when I told her about the voucher, she got straight to work on finding out what happened and rectifying the situation.  We have since earned another voucher...with an upgrade! Not sure when or if we will be able to use it, but I have to say that I have been over all very pleased with this casino experience.

 

Next up...final thoughts and conclusions...

That's amazing! So happy for your casino cruise upgrade. Kudos for the casino staff as well to hunt down and rectify the missing voucher.

Am so sorry to hear about the lack of inside voices and children running amuck. Total opposite of our experience and to have to leave the lovely sanctity of the Top Sail Lounge because of noise is terrible.

Is your trivia crew Justine from South Africa? She is so funny and had quite the following on our cruise.

Warmest Amy

8 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Hello friends!

 

DH and I are wrapping up another week of sailing with MSC, this time on the Seaside out of Port Canaveral.  I was on this ship back in June with my DM for a 4 night gambling cruise.  As such, we spent most of our time in the casino and did not explore much of the ship.  As I knew I would be back again in August, I wasn't very bothered by the lack of exploration.  DH and I made up for it in spades on this cruise!

 

Background:  This cruise was booked back in November with a 30% off voucher we earned in the casino on the Meraviglia.  I was able to book a YCI using the voucher and also stack the coupon with the additional VC 5% discount.  In all, for 7 nights we paid $2400 in total and also had $625 in OBC from a combination of the cruise line and our TA. 

 

Pre-cruise check in:

After completing the on line check in forms our cruise ticket booklet was sent to us via e-mail.  It was here that I got my first quirky surprise.  It seems that my previous Voyager's Club Gold status (obtained by a status match) was unexplainably amplified to Black (Diamond) while DH's previous Gold status was downgraded to Blue (classic).  Not sure what happened here but I was at least 2 cruises away from Black and DH was still inside his window to maintain his Gold status.  Regardless, after reading stories relayed by @Stockjock and @mscdivina2016 and their dealings with customer relations, I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and just roll with it. 

 

The itinerary included an over night stay at Ocean Cay and visits to Costa Maya and Cozumel (one of my favorite ports).

 

Embarkation:

Very smooth and efficient.  We dropped off luggage at the YC tent and were escorted through security.  DH was stopped and back pack searched for a foreign object that turned out to be a pen disguising itself as a knife.  After a thorough search of his things we preceded to the YC check in area where we were greeted with chilled champagne.  Our wait in this area was approximately 10 minutes and then we were whisked onto the ship by a smiling butler escort.

 

Making our way to the Top Sail Lounge we were met by the offensive stench of what was most certainly raw sewage.  Crew were cleaning carpets in the offending area and were hard at work repairing whatever problem plagued the sewer system.  Though I have no doubt the problem was corrected, a faint odor persisted throughout the week and was especially noticeable on port days when the AC seemed to wane in the common area of the long hallway leading to/from the concierge desk and TSL.

 

Nevertheless, we enjoyed the first of many meals in the YC restaurant that has surely amounted to a few extra pounds which I will need to address beginning tomorrow.  More on dining a little later.

 

For me, embarkation day seems to set the tone for the entire cruise.  Of note were the hard working, smiling crew who bent over backwards to take care of us all week long.  I will also point out that we spent a far greater amount of time outside of YC (for reasons I will explain later) and were met with excellent service in every single venue!  

 

To be continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

@Georgia_Peaches Thank you so much...It's so much fun reading your review and comparing and contrasting. Whatever happened in the Top Sail Lounge causing the sewage smell, I plead ignorance as it did not have that odor when we disembarked right before you came on!

Following happily...

Warmest Amy

@rsato Thank you for the informative review. We are booked on the Viva 2025 in the Haven and considering it has the same footprint, wanted to know if the soot in the aft of the ship affects the ability to lay on the aft loungers in the Haven area?

Our cruise is in the Middle East and Med and would be disappointed to not be able to lay out on what looks to be a beautiful aft Haven deck. We are not terribly excited about the ship otherwise - your very honest criticisms have been stated on prior posts and we booked the cruise for the amazing itinerary as the Viva / Prima ships seem very poorly laid out. 

Thank you again!

Warmest Amy

10 minutes ago, Trivan said:

Tomorrow is the big day! A week cruising in the Haven.  I was wondering how many bartenders tend to work the week in the Haven bar.  I want to make sure I have enough to tip what I deem appropriate.  I follow @RocketMan275 philosophy of tip early, tip often, tip generously.

@Trivan Have a wonderful time!

Warmest Amy

1 minute ago, amygutman said:

@LadyMac72 That sounds amazing!!! Loved the Pearl - beautiful ship.

Where can we find details about this cruise? I just looked at the Food Network site and don't see any info.

 

Warmest Amy

 

Ohh... just found it by Googling "chefs making waves". Silly me. 

I was right... it looks amazing!

@LadyMac72 That sounds amazing!!! Loved the Pearl - beautiful ship.

Where can we find details about this cruise? I just looked at the Food Network site and don't see any info.

Warmest Amy

Syd Norman / Parenting Question:

My kiddo is 14, but is a 70s - 90s "soul". He's been humming and dancing to Grateful Dead, Phish, Devo, Queen et al since before he could talk (eclectic, right?). Syd's is a small venue but Ronan would absolutely eat up the music. I can't find anywhere online if there is an age minimum - many of the bars on NCL ships the kids can sit with the parents just not at the physical bar. As Syd's is "enclosed", am not sure if we can go as a family. 

We know it's crowded and don't mind standing for performances but am not sure if it's appropriate or allowed. We never went to Syd's when we were on the Getaway in April and am regretting it after seeing all of the amazing raves. 

Million Dollar Quartet is tied with Choir of Men for our favorite show at sea and we truly love the "big theater" shows. Kiddo is excited to see the current Choir cast, but I know he would love to go to the smaller Syd's venue as well. 

Would greatly appreciate any thoughts or advice.

Warmest Amy

10 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

OMGOsh.. you folks are way too kind. I am touched. Truly.

 

I spend the summers in Michigan so am fine physically, but I am broken hearted for Maui.

 

For those wondering about cruise ship stops to Lahaina. I realize you mean no disrespect, but this is apocalyptic destruction. It will likely be years  before cruise ships visit this port again (if ever given that there was a local push to keep cruise ships out of Lahaina prior to the fire). 

 

It took Paradise, California 2 years before that city returned to some normalcy. It will take MUCH for Lahaina. The challenges of rebuilding on island compared to mainland are significant. Everything must come in by cargo. We can't send caravans of volunteers to help rebuild because there isn't even enough housing  for the Ohana. I can't wrap my head around the ramifications for the West Side just yet but I know that I was very blessed to have experienced Front Street as it was.

 

What Maui needs now is money. I can't personally verify any of these sites, but please consider showing the residents of Maui some Aloha by donating:

https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/how-you-can-donate-and-help-support-maui-communities-right-now/

 

 

 

 

 

 

@BermudaBound2014 so glad to hear you and your family are safe, and my prayers for your friends and neighbors. 

When I worked for RCCL our ships responded to Caribbean hurricanes to help with medical care and rescue / transport of the wounded and displaced. I contacted the Haven pre-concierge desk today to see if NCL was doing something similar and apparently something is being organized with the POA and other NCL land-based operations but no details yet. I would hope as the one US-based home-ported cruise line in Hawaii that NCL steps up to help the community. 

Please keep CC in the loop if there are any ways you know of we as a community can help. 

Warmest Amy

@OrcaGirl I'm adding these to my notecard!

Todah Arbah!!! (Hebrew for Thank You...not a common language for a cruise ship, but very much so in my family). 

Warmest Amy

17 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We have Glen. But one of the things I’ve noticed (and really appreciate) is that everyone seems eager to pitch in regardless of which passengers they’ve been assigned. I will certainly give them your regards should we cross paths!

@Georgia_Peaches ❤️ Thank you. I am so glad you are having a good time!

47 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Not quite. We were informed this morning that due to the past abuses perpetrated by Yacht Club guests inviting their friends and family into the YC venues where they do not belong and aggravated by the interloper situation into the YC there will no longer be any Seafood Extravaganza. It is relegated to the 'ash heap' of history.

Really? 

Seems much easier just to make sure people in the YC area are true YC'ers. Check cards or wristbands if faces unfamiliar. If crew have approved invited guests have a special "day pass". Taking away what for many is an eagerly anticipated experience is not a great idea.

As from the financial aspect, it makes sense to not have the seafood buffet on the 3-4 night cruises as I suspect there is an amount of (very expensive) food wastage - that may be more of the driving factor than interlopers. 

Warmest Amy

10 hours ago, Railfan30 said:

@BirdTravels and @amygutman - Thank you both!  A few simple (attempted) words, a smile and kindness go a long way.  Personally, I've been trying to compliment strangers more, especially while waiting in line.  The conversation can be one-sided (me), awkward, confusing, etc., but sometimes it's really great!

@Railfan30 There is so much ugliness in the world so we always try to counteract it on a personal level. No, we are not "Polly Positives" (yep, actually called this once on a CC forum) - in fact, after almost 30 years working primarily night shifts in hospitals and fire departments I am generally a crotchety human. 

However, in "real life", my husband and I have a thing: "Each day pick up one piece of trash, make one person smile, do one random act of kindness". It works well and balances out my karma. 

Warmest Amy

@Railfan30 That's great of your son to do that. We also do the same for cruises and find in many places around the world when you travel and at least try to say "hello", "good-by", and "thank you" in the main spoken language / dialect it is usually greeted with a smile (although, usually with my pronunciation a smile AND a wince). Here's a few we have accumulated for "Hello", "Good-Bye" and "Thank You" for the most common cruise ship nationalities:

• Tagalog / Filipino: Kamusta, Paalam, Salamat Po (the "po" indicates respect)
• Hindi / India: Namaste, Alavida, Dhanyavaad
• Brazil & Azores / Portuguese: Ola, Adeus, Obrigado
• Central America & Cuba / Spanish: Hola, Adios, Gracias
• French and Haitian Creole / Mauritius / Haiti: Bonjou, Orevwa, Mesi
• Croatia / Croatian: Bok, Dovidenja, Hvala

We actually wrote down all of the above and took a photo on our phone to have it handy for meals and other ship interactions as I am terrible at languages. 

Warmest, Amy

@jamon Scattered throughout the review below are menus from the Yacht Club for a 4 night cruise. Am not sure if that will help in any way other than to give an idea of some of the dishes served on the ship. 

Hopefully another poster will have more specific information. Have a great cruise!

Warmest Amy

7 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts about the sites in Alaska.

 

Agree with your assessments of Bermuda and NYC, too! 😉

@graphicguy I will absolutely let you know 44 days and 4 hours (give or take an hour) from now how much we love Alaska. 

Nah...I'm not excited or anything!!!😁

Warmest Amy

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Have done all three. NCL haven is permanently off my travel list. Service and experience is no comparison to Yacht Club imo but I took DM on Seaside back in June and on NCL Escape (haven) back in 2019. She preferred Haven over YC though has been hard pressed to articulate the reasons. I think it’s because on NCL we were in an aft suite and in YC we were interior. That has to me it bc YC is just a better, more reasonably priced product. 
 

Retreat never disappoints but I recently learned that a veranda stateroom experience is just as nice as the suite life on Celebrity. Meaning, for me, there just aren’t enough distinctions between suite life and gen pop to justify the inflated cost of the Retreat. 
 

I am currently on MSC Seaside on the YC pool deck lounging in a complementary cabana set up by my butler who has showered me with so much personalized service (way more than I require) that I am being spoiled beyond belief!

 

@morpheusofthesea list of inclusions is the most comprehensive I’ve seen!

@Georgia_Peaches It sounds like you have Arnold or Primus as your butler if you are being over-spoiled. If you have either, please give my love to them both. Such wonderful gentlemen!

Warmest Amy

5 hours ago, JAGR said:

1400!  Hope you meant it just felt like that!  That's an awful lot of interlopers!🤭

@JAGR

Ah...my "military time" has failed me....I meant at 2pm (aka "1400")...

That being said....see what happens when you leave a cleaning cone in the unlocked YC door. A HORDE OF 1400 INTERLOPERS APPEAR!!!!

48 minutes ago, rhinoman said:

@amygutmanWe're in - and on - the same boat (and at same time). 2020 Alaska cruise was canceled and we're finally getting around to making it up. Now we're counting down the days.

 

See ya onboard!

Bryan 

@rhinoman That's awesome!!! I am so happy for all of us. 

We're travelling with two friends who are flying in from Bermuda and London and making it a bucket list adventure for us all. Crossing fingers for whales and northern lights. 

See you on board - we are in the Haven DOS so equally excited to see what looks to be the most amazing balcony!

Warmest Amy

1 hour ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

The DCS should be much higher on MSC, much more staff!

 

We ate one late lunch in the YC Bar & Grill. I saw six passengers and nine member of staff! Maybe a few more passengers on the sundeck but very few, too hot!

@sverigecruiser cruiser - agree with the staff to passenger ratio. On Ocean Cay day, we walked the island and enjoyed ourselves but then returned to the YC pool for lunch. For 3 hours it was just my husband, myself and son plus 6 staff members. Felt terrible as there was such the spread laid out for lunch - around 1400 more persons came to eat at the YC pool buffet but we felt we had a billion dollar yacht just to ourselves for most of the morning!

Warmest Amy

@Jason82 Thank you so much for the lovely review. 

We are on the Encore on Sept 24th and cannot wait. We have also waited 2 years so we are just busting with excitement!

Warmest Amy

#1 Bermuda: oh, that blue water like no other

#2 Panama Canal: engineering marvel that brought me to tears. honestly...one of the coolest sights

#3 Port of New York: being wished a safe journey or a welcome home from Lady Liberty is amazing

#4 I'll let you know Sept 24th, but I suspect I will be counted amongst the Alaska lovers

Great topic and loving the responses. Keep Googling the ports mentioned an adding to an ever growing bucket list!

Warmest Amy

22 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

The museum?

The town - Woodstock NY (I used to teach at their Fire Department and this is the side of one of their trucks), and Bethel NY - the actual site of the legendary concert. The museum there is fabulous, even to us non-hippie types. Kiddo is here at the museum getting his inner Grateful Dead on - his favorite band. 

Warmest Amy