KINGBOBOFTHENORTH

I posted a photo article on my non-commercial nightclub Blog last September about the White Party. It was a 3-nt cruise on MSC Seaside.

LINK: https://www.orlandoentertainmentnews.com/?p=23639

My American Express card does not charge foreign transaction fees so I use that to pay onboard charges. However, my bank's VISA debit card does charge 3% on foreign transactions so when I last paid my MSC $100 deposit, I did get hit with a $3 fee.....from my bank.

1 hour ago, ftblhead said:

We are scheduled to arrive into Port Miami at 8:00 am and our flight leaves at 11:00 am from Miami airport.. Shuttle service was purchased from Carnival Cruise. What are our chances? I still have time to book a later flight.

If the ship actually does not arrive until 8AM, that means you're not getting off until probably 9AM. An 11AM flight is really risky unless you have TSA Precheck and are not checking any luggage if you're flying on American.(Long lines for both). Definitely not if you're using the Carnival shuttle bus. 

On 5/18/2024 at 5:19 PM, mexico8 said:

Thanks for the info.   We will decide once on the ship depending on times available to disembark.  If we can't get earliest  time off the ship then we will do what you suggest and do the self-disembark.

Sunday road traffic will be light at that hour; 20-25 minutes to the airport. Inside the airport on a Sunday mornings, things are not very busy before Noon. The American Thanksgiving holiday is later that week but should have minimal impact on the Sunday prior. You will have plenty of time as long as you get off the ship before most everyone else.

On 5/16/2024 at 6:21 PM, mexico8 said:

We are docking on NCL Jewel  at 7;00 a.m. on  Sunday,Nov. 24th  and wonder if booking an 11:40 a.m. flight is advisable?   I would guess there would not be too much traffic on a Sunday morning?

Yes, you can make that flight if you are able to self-disembark off the ship that morning and then take a taxi or rideshare to the airport. If you are someone who puts their luggage in the ship's hallway the night before and have to await your group to be called that morning, then you're taking a chance of not making the flight.

Find a hotel you like and book it with a refundable rate even at the higher price.

Then continue to monitor it every week or so and if the rate goes down, rebook it.

I've done this many times.

On 5/8/2024 at 2:54 PM, mets123 said:

I was there in April 23. It now has a Hard Rock with a new Margaritaville a few shops away. It's good for a three hour or so visit.

The Hard Rock Cafe has been there for years. If there's a Margaritaville there now, that is new.

There's really not a lot of on-site parking options at Port Canaveral. Each cruise terminal has its own garage and that's where you park unless you go offsite. 

1 hour ago, FOPMan said:

Assume ashore @ 1:30,

Out of rental car pickup @ 2:00

Arrive Disney Springs 3:00

Depart DS 5:45

Arrive Cape Canaveral 6:45

Shuttle to ship: 7:10

AS FOPMan has estimated, you don't get a lot of time there. And there really isn't much to do there either. It's mostly a shopping center (with some great restaurants though). Entertainment is in the evening, the new drone show isn't until dark, the balloon ride is often closed (if you're going in summer) due to afternoon winds and thunderstorms. 

6 hours ago, alishac said:

 Any insight is appreciated! 

This is news to me that there's a price difference between garages at Port Miami. I will keep that in mind. As far as I know, you can park wherever you want to. I arrived to a full garage one time and had to park at a different garage. You get a ticket when you go into a garage and pay when you depart so it shouldn't matter where you go after you park. You might want to drop one person off with the luggage at the RCI terminal and then go park and walk back empty-handed.

The Miami International Airport Hotel is located IN the airport terminal.

No shuttle needed. No wasted time.

Can't get any closer than that.

Did you check the paperwork for the credit card you used to pay for the trip? Many credit cards come with free trip interruption and trip delay coverage that may apply in your case.

52 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Dollars, pounds, and euros will be fine.  EM

The ship's onboard currency though is in €.

I've never seen any bands per se on MSC cruises. When you can pay 1-2 DJ's to play, no need to pay (typical) a 4 person live band.

Your best bet is to do a 1-day rental from a company that allows you to pick up a car Sanford airport and drop it at their location near Port Canaveral/Cape Canaveral. A taxi or rideshare can be done but very expensive.

MSC docks within a couple blocks of a nearby Rotterdam Metro station. Take the Metro to Rotterdam Centraal Station and then a regular NS train to Amsterdam Centraal. Very easy.

Great pics; thanks!

I love that blue decor too.

One of the better White parties I've seen.

As they say, any day at sea is better than any day at the office!

No, they went to assigned times after they reopened post-covid to try to space people out.

Look, if you can drive to the port then it's easy to arrive at your assigned time. I live near Port Canaveral and can be there during my assigned window. But next week I'm flying to a cruise in Long Beach. My flight will arrive LAX when it does and then I will take the Carnival bus to the port. I'll get there when I get there, regardless of any appointment time. So i should stand outside the terminal for 2 hours waiting for my time slot? Not going to happen. I'll check in when I get there, a factor out of my control.

This question comes up often and this is my answer: just get there when you get there. No one has ever looked at my paperwork with the time printed on it. Don't ask, don't point it out, just go in the terminal and join the queue. No one is going to inquire.

The Holiday Inn-Port/Downtown is right across the road from Bayside Marketplace, home to more than a dozen restaurants plus lots of stores. And it's less than 10 minutes to the ships.

5 minutes ago, SeasideMemories said:

Are the tolls the same heading in the other direction (Port Canaveral to MCO)?

Yes, there are two toll plazas between the Port and Orlando International Airport so the tolls are the same both ways.

Most of the Food Outlets on Ocean Cay closed at 3PM on the first day there when we overnighted. Lighthouse Food and the Rose Food Truck stayed open until 5PM. After that, only the Lighthouse Bar remained open until 11PM for drinks.

If it's offered, it should be listed within the Excursions. If it's not there, it might be offered on board at the ShoreEx desk. Don't panic though; worst case scenario would be to take a train from Civit to Rome Termini and then another train to FCO from there. You wouldn't want to have an early flight though.

If the itinerary says Hamburg, the dock is in Hamburg, If the itinerary says Warnemünde, the dock is in Warnemünde.

On 4/11/2024 at 4:57 PM, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

It seems unfair that people should be able to get reasonable service at a fair price. 

I have been on 11 MSC cruises and have never had a bad experience. It is true that on the first couple of MSC cruises nearly a decade ago that the people working the Reception Desk were kind of indifferent. And I don't think our room steward introduced himself either. But that has changed as MSC realized that to grow as fast as they are, they have to compete with the other brands. I was on MSC in Europe in December and they were just as friendly as all the other lines. So I think they have evolved.

As for the food, I'm a meat and potatoes person so easy to please. I don't like that sometimes the carvery is in one place and the potatoes a mile away at the buffet, but the food itself is fine.