KINGBOBOFTHENORTH

All the MSC cruises I've been on that involved time zone changes DID change the ship time.

I can't speak to your experiences, but we were on Carnival Legend from Baltimore to Bermuda a few months ago and the ship moved clocks one hour later to Atlantic time. Likewise, one month earlier on Carnival Magic from NYC to Atlantic Canada, the ship moved clocks ahead one hour for the Atlantic time zone.

You could also take a taxi or rideshare to the nearest Tri-Rail station which is called Fort Lauderdale Airport station. (The airport and cruise port are adjacent.) Southbound trains end at Miami International Airport. Be aware that their schedule is reduced on weekends and holidays. For map, schedules & fares: https://www.tri-rail.com/

About $32 depending on the traffic. Make sure the meter is set to 0 and if you're paying with a credit card, ask first before you get in that the card machine is working.

On the climb out of MIA yesterday morning, snapped this pic of Port Miami showing the Virgin ship docked as she should be at Terminal V.

Will you be driving yourself or taking a taxi/rideshare to get to the Port?

Yes, you bypass downtown completely by getting on I-395 eastbound towards Miami Beach and then exiting onto SR887 into the PortMiami Tunnel. If you're coming via I-95, you have to exit onto I-395 to head east. If you're coming from the airport area via SR836 (The Dolphin Expressway) heading east, SR 836 becomes I-395 as you cross I-95.

This is correct and I'm surprised that someone via a phone call actually gave you the answer, lol. We did a Kiel-Kiel cruise a couple years ago but disembarked the ship in Tallin, Estonia. As you mentioned, you do have to "check-out" at the Reception desk the day you wish to permanently leave the ship and you sign a form that says you're doing this as your own decision and acknowledging no refund for the missed days. Your onboard account is then closed. You do save however many days of automatic gratuities since you're not onboard any longer. It wouldn't hurt to check with Reception a day earlier to advise them in advance and make sure nothing else is needed from you.

Yeah, don't call and mess it up. You now have two onboard credits, the first one for $50 and a second one for an additional $50. This assumes you're on a U.S. sailing. If you're on a European sailing, the first credit would get converted from $50 to € at the exchange rate on your sailing date while the second credit should be the full €50.

Free unsweet ice tea & juices.

I don't see anything on MSC's deck plans for Deck 8 forward. No mention of a balustrade being there either.

I receive a publication called "Travel Weekly" and an article entitled "Margaritaville at Sea working to build advisor appeal" was in the latest issue. In the article they mention adding additional ships in the future but nothing is imminent but currently the emphasis is increasing those doing cruise & stay packages including Nassau. "Margaritaville has a resort in Nassau, which he called "a very logical extension for us in the future." You can read the entire article here: https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Margaritaville-at-Sea-working-attract-travel-advisors

Every cruise line I've ever been on including MSC switches to the local time at each port.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Miami Airport is in Miami. Bayside Marketplace is in Miami. Port of Miami is in Miami. I answered his question as to whether he can walk to the ship from the shopping center.

The danger in any bid is where they put you if the bid is accepted. If you're absolutely sure they will put you on a deck with cabins above and below you, fine. Otherwise you could end up on a high deck but below the pool deck or below the buffet. On a recent NCL cruise, I had booked an inside cabin and did not make a bid. Once on the ship I realized the sailing was only one-third full and inquired at Reception. They said the minimum bid was $125pp for a balcony. I agreed to make that offer on the condition I was on Deck 10 only, starboard side. Within a couple hours we got moved to our new home. Bids can be great deals compared to initial prices but just know you have no control over where you go if the bid is accepted. You can pretend to create a new booking on the MSC website and generally see how many empties are still available for your sailing. That will give you an idea on the likelihood of a minimum bid being accepted or whether you should wait until you're aboard so you can negotiate your future location.

A couple years ago we had a 10:30am flight on American. We self-disembarked among the first off, got an immediate taxi and were quickly at the airport. We waitlisted for the 8:30am flight and waited at that gate. They had seats and we were put on it. We have TSA-precheck. So even 8:30am is possible but everything has to go your way. 10:00am is possible too if you have TSA-pre.

I think he/she means Bayside Marketplace which is on Biscayne Blvd not far from the port. But no, there's a bridge from the mainland over to the island where the port is and even if there is a sidewalk over the bridge (not sure one way or another), your ship terminal could be at the very far end of the port. Just take a taxi and be at your ship in 5-10 minutes.

$30-$35 depending on traffic, plus a tip. Unfortunately, the flat rate (I think it was $28) was eliminated last year.

Uber and Lyft are not worth the hassle, IMO. You have to order it via the App and then wait for your car to show up. The fact it's in Miami is irrelevant. But I would just get a taxi; they're right there waiting for you and off you go. Just make sure the meter is working and set to zero and ask before you get in whether the credit card machine is working (if you're paying with a card). To save 5 bucks using a rideshare is not worth it, again IMO. And allowing 3 hours for check-in and security is a wise idea at MIA. MIA gets superbusy and the security lines can be really long!

Have you considered the Brightline train which goes from Fort Lauderdale direct to downtown Miami? That would put you much closer to your hotel versus Miami International Airport.

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Safaga/Cairo

I'm not aware of any place where you would learn of the "parties" onboard any particular upcoming MSC cruise. If you're sailing a 7-nt cruise, you most assuredly will have a White Night party and a 70's Night party. So bring some white clothes and your old bell bottoms so you're ready!

Exactly!

Yeah, and doing 3/4 night cruises from Port Canaveral puts them in direct competition with Royal Caribbean and Carnival on their megaships that have many more bells and whistles.

Fascinating. Thanks!