Gallivanting Souls

We will be on a cruise that stops in both La Romania and Amber Cove. If you could only choose one port to do a tour in which one would you choose and why? I'm not in shape to do the 12 waterfalls of Dmaja (sp?). We did a tour to the telerifico last visit to Amber Cove. Never been to La Romania. ATV's looks fun.

Let me know what you all think!

TIA

14 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

Is this just Princess but all in the Carnival system?

So far only Princess. We will have to see in the days to come. I think they all need to pause. Hey everyone, let's go back to talking to our kids, playing board games and watching the 1000 channels of tv with nothing on. We can do this! We will survive until we can again cruise!

On ‎3‎/‎5‎/‎2020 at 9:57 AM, BrandFam4 said:

We may be there for hours then if I let my kids decide when to stop. :-) LOL

What are the options to getting there on your own?

On ‎3‎/‎6‎/‎2020 at 3:48 AM, KennyFla said:

Just out of curiosity, which ship were you on?

We were on Davina.

Our cabin steward refused to remove the items in the mini bar. He said they would get charged if they were removed. Made the fridge useless.

What was your original room type?

You're bringing powder creamer then? I can't imagine that they allow a bottle of half and half?

The one time my DH entered and did not win. He was the harriest of the men. I sware he is related to Chewbacca!

The guy who won, was an elderly man with much charisma and rocked the crowd. When my DH volunteered for it, I could not believe it. It was so out of his norm. He is not the "look at me, see me shake it" type. He did have a great time and took home a medal that we still have. I have video too, if I ever need to use it! He was a celebrity after that as we passed folks in the halls. "Hey, you're the guy who should have won the hairy chest contest!"

We used http://rissalena.com/ on our whale watching tour last year. No problem getting off ship and doing independent tours unless time in port is VERY limited. You have to do your part and line up ASAP for the tender and make sure you are back and waiting for tender back on time!

No need for scare tactics. Some people should never do an independent tours. Others, who can watch time, limit alcohol, and be back to the ship will do just fine. Know yourself and your limits. Cabo is a great port for independent tours! Far off ports like in Alaska, or possibly Europe, maybe go with the ship provided tours.

We also will be embarking on Jan 12th. Our posted time to board is 1PM. We plan to arrive right around then. I hope not too much delay getting off as we need to head to hotel, do laundry and next day board another cruise. Have a great trip!

I recently booked with MSC after final payment. I did the status match and was matched to Silver. The email the sent me said I qualified for 5% off my cruise to contact my travel agent. I booked directly through MSC. I emailed them back stating this. I got an email saying since my cruise was already paid, I could not get the 5%. Which is correct?

You have two options here, possibly three.

Option 1.) Cancel your MSC cruise and forever go on wondering how it could have been.

Option 2.) Go on your MSC cruise with an open mind and have (possibly the time of your life).

Option 3.) If you go with option 2 above, there is a good option to have an UP sell. Take it if it's that important to you.

If it were me having to make the decision, option 2 would be my choice. My DH and I will be getting on the Davina in 10 days. We are going with an open mind and happy because any cruise is better than being at work!

Come back and let us know which choice you made and how it worked out for you!

15 hours ago, woopuppy said:

Yes I am on that cruise.  I am taking all the documentation I have from the website and from talking to MSC with me.  

Care to share?

I like magnets. I have started buying small items that are particular to that port. In Roatan I found a small wooden hand carved sloth and I added a magnet to the back when I got home. This is the way I am wanting to do my magnets from here out. I am tired of finding made in China on the back of them. I also have a small turtle carved out of a piece of stone that I really like. 

 My hubby has bought coffee at some of the stops. Magnets don't take up as much room :)

On 12/1/2019 at 6:11 PM, woopuppy said:

I did double check my cruise documents and it only states I need my passport.  No where on the documents does it say Florida resident rate.  

Are you on the Jan 12th Davina? I booked the same fare. 

On 12/3/2019 at 11:40 AM, jdvmd said:

Seems like we are always hearing about the negative things. How about a thread that talks about positivity?

 

I sailed last month on the Seaside. Beautiful ship. Found so many innovative things onboard. I have been on about 80 cruises, all the lines.

 

A few of my favorite things:

*The self-serve dispensers for soft drinks, beer and red and white wine at the buffet.

Are these dispensers only for those with a drink package? We will be having our first cruise soon on the Davina. TIA

We will be there Jan 20th. I have hired a car to take us to the Cable Car and a city tour. This is not the port for (us) to hang out at the beach. We will save that one for Grand Turk and St Thomas after our city tour.

Check out the spa. I am sure you can find some needed treatments. You could also get your hair done. At the pay coffee location they have really tasty slices of cake. Maybe some nice coffees to go with it. You could do drinks ala carte, or check out all the drinks of the day. Maybe even buy a drink or two for a new friend! You could order room service late at night or the items for a fee.  How about some souvenirs from the gift shop? Maybe even an outfit or two if you are feeling any of them! You can always cash out as someone mentioned earlier. You've got lots to spend. Have a great cruise!

My DH and I will be sailing soon on our first MSC cruise. (MSC Davina Jan 12). On Carnival, I really look forward to the Chocolate melting cake. Does MSC have something you look forward to like this?

Can you please share with me your favorite dishes?

Bonus points if you include pictures.

Extra bonus points if you include any up charge or if it costs.

And finally for my own knowledge, if the dish contains shellfish, as I am allergic. Others might still be interested in these dishes.

TIA

8 hours ago, skings said:

Hi "family" I am also "gold" on Carnival 39 points. I sent my paperwork in October and have not heard from MSC.

How long did it take for your approval? Sent picture of Carnival page with name and id# with list of cruises.

 It took a couple of weeks for me. I wasn't sure I wanted to bother to only be matched to silver, but hey, it's a free drink!  Try this number 877-665-4655.  Good luck!

I'm Gold on Carnival and matched to Silver on MSC. Cheers to a free drink!

2 hours ago, Skier52 said:

It is standard balcony cabin 192 sq ft ( living area 168; bathroom 24).balcony 42 sq ft. As it is on the rear hump it has uninterrupted views and is not affected by the overhang.

it Is in a good location so you should have no worries other than nearly a  quarter mile hike to the theatre. but it is going to be a long walk from any cabin to somewhere on the ship just because of the sheer size of it

 

pete

 

Thank you Pete,

I guess I won't have any problems getting my daily steps!

On 10/28/2019 at 12:56 PM, rhodges said:

Thanks for the info.  I will try to google Native Tours.  We are also going to the following ports:  Belise, Ocho Rios in Jamacia, Grand Caymon, and Honduras.  Does anyone have suggestions for excursions at any of those ports.  We sail on January 17, 2020.  Thanks!

We used King David  https://www.altournativebelizeservices.com/

Our group of 7 adults had the best time seeing Altun Ha Mayan Ruins. He has several other tours to choose from and you can work with him to make the perfect tour. He can also be found on facebook  https://www.facebook.com/kingdavidbelizetours

He usually gets back to your really quickly. We will be using him again. Next time maybe doing river tubing and Lamai Ruins? So many choices. Might have to come back and do a land tour!

Very interesting thread. This will be our first trip on MSC on the Davina. Can you PLEASE give me any info on 9252. It looks like a pretty good location to me! TIA

48 minutes ago, caugh51654 said:

I’m researching the same now for a January  sailing.  I found a tour group on Trip Advisor that I’m considering .  It has great reviews but I don’t think I’m allowed to post the name unless I’ve taken the tour.  I found it by searching for best tours in Costa Maya.  The title is Balacar - 7 Colors Lagoon . We aren’t interested in the ruins but like this one since it stops at the open cenotes and the lagoon which looks beautiful.  Will follow this thread for any experiences.  I believe I found the tour you are referring to. I hope you clicked on their website and booked direct. TA is nice advertising for these companies, but takes a big chunk of their profits. The tour does look cool. Thanks for talking about it.