sanbixby

Nevermind!  I did some additional research and figured it out.

Hello,

   We would like to see the ice caves at the Mendenhall Glacier.  Does anyone know if there is time to do this during the following tour that is run by Royal Caribbean or if there is a way to find out?  This is our first trip to Alaska and our first RC cruise.  Thank you. 

MENDENHALL GLACIER AND GARDENS

JUNEAU, ALASKA  e

I apologize if this has been asked and answered but I can not seem to find it anywhere.  We will be on RC Ovation of the Seas in July as a large group of 13.  This is an unfamiliar port to us.  As I watch trip vlogs, everyone talks about the 10 minute walk from the shared ride drop off to the actual terminal.  

My father, while not in a wheelchair, has some mobility issues and this will be an ordeal for him.  As such, my questions are:

1) Are there transport wheelchairs available at the shared ride drop off that we could use to convey him to the terminal?

2) If we have a private car service, can they drop off closer to the terminal?  We would be fine with hiring a car for him and my mom if need be to get a closer drop off.

3) Any other insights/suggestions for this?

This is a dream vacation for them and we certainly want to start it out right.

Thank you in advance.

18 minutes ago, RHDZ said:

It dropped from $63 to $50 in the last hour for our 2020 Alaska cruise.

Ours too.  Is this a good price?

3 hours ago, Beav1279 said:

No. I'm in Alaska for June 2020 and I got the deal.

Not showing on my Alaska booking for July :( Maybe because we have never cruised with RC (although I have a Crown and Anchor number)

We finally arrived home and I wanted to capture my thoughts before time and distance cause them to fade too much.  For some background, my family has been calling this my "doomed" cruise because originally it was planned as a girl's bday trip with a friend who never had cruised before and she chose this ship for the Cuba stop but she had a car accident resulting in a crushed ankle and could not go.  So we changed my husband into her place.  Then our flight times got changed.  Then Cuba was no longer on the table and it was too late to change all the other plans. Couple that with lots of negative reviews and things were not looking well. And, as a disclaimer, our other two cruises on MSC have been Yacht Club.  For this cruise we were booked in an Aurea Suite 1217.

Monday - Embarkation - Rainy and steamy day in Miami. Our embarkation papers indicated a 4:15pm boarding time but since we had to check out of the hotel at 11:30am, we headed to the port and checked in @12:30pm.  We walked right through security and were onboard within 20 minutes (if that).  We snuck to our room and met our cabin steward, Emmanuel, who said our room was not ready but we asked if we could just stow our carryon in the closet and he let us. We ate at the buffet (not crowded) and explored the ship until we could get into the rooms @1:45pm.  Our luggage arrived not too terribly long after and I unpacked everything.  (Am I the only one who does this?).  We had to take our life jackets to the muster drill which was not something we had to do on the other MSC ships.  We added our credit card to the kiosk and only had to wait for one person prior.  Dinner and then off to the first night's show which was a Grease show.  Cute but not WOW! Seas were rocky and I felt really ill which is unusual.  I think I really felt that it was a small ship.

Tuesday - At Sea day- Weather cleared up for the day and outdoor sun was the name of the game!  The Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle broke my heart.  MSC does such an amazing job with this (cake, champagne, hors d'orves, senior staff, photographers).  Unfortunately, my husband and I were the only 2 that showed up.  AWKWARD! The captain was not present but the other staff were lovely.  SIDE NOTE: If you sign up, please go.  They are generally interested in what we have to say and they want to please. They also will make you feel super special as they make it a point to say hello and chat whenever they see you.  Rough seas again tonight so I had to leave dinner early and went to bed and slept it off.  I have never had this issue.  I was walking like a drunk woman and I don't drink. I did not attend tonight's show.

Wednesday - Roatan - Eh  It was okay.  We did the 3 hr island tour with an amazing guide named RJ or Burt or pretty much whatever you wanted to call him.  Very charismatic.  If I were MSC, I would make the Buccaneer an excursion.  Gorgeous water with hammocks strewn over it and spectacular views.  I could have spent the entire day there.  Stunning.  The beach we ended up at Las Palmas was disappointing for swimming but had amazing nachos. Tonight's show was ??  It was alot of classic songs.  Nicely done.

Thursday - Costa Maya - We have been here before so we just shopped and then had the pool to ourselves for quite some time. 

I think tonight's show was Adams Family. It was okay.

Friday - Cozumel - See Costa Maya above :-) Tonight's show was opera (I think)

Saturday - Sea day - My husband did the Behind the Scenes tour and really enjoyed it. This was the Captain's Cocktail reception for Voyagers Club members.  There were about 25 families there.  The captain spoke briefly. Tonight's show was The Beatles.  What a great show! (If you were at the second show, I was the one celebrating the milestone birthday!)

Sunday - Key West -We had to be up and ready at 7am to meet with US Customs.  Every person had to attend during their assigned group and present photo ID. (No declaration forms were needed for US Citizens) After your passport was checked (a visual match to your face), your key card was punched by a crew member.  So for those of us without excursions, this was a downer to plans to sleep in.  Boy was it HOT!  Tonight's show was The Abyss.  I got it and I didn't get it. But the costumes and black light were mesmerizing. 

Monday - We were early disembarkers (Group A) and off the ship by 7:30ish.  You walk right off with no customs check because they did it in Key West.

Overall thoughts on personnel: Everyone we encountered displayed the same professionalism, enthusiasm and pride in their work as we have experienced on all other MSC ships.  On the first day, we told Emmanuel that all we wanted was ice in the ice bucket all day.  He delivered.  He was just like the YC butler ninjas who go in and out of your room and make it tidy and fill the ice bucket and you never know they were there.  Miguel, the cruise director, is just a lovely and genuine man. The Captain was not as visible or personable as Captain Marco and Captain Scala were.  That being said, my husband did say he saw him walking the ship in early morning hours.

Overall ship thoughts:  It is an older smaller ship.  Nothing has that "new car feel" but any issues were addressed quickly.  The movement of the ocean is more pronounced.  The MSC shop carries items from other ships but not anything specifically Armonia. The only fine jewelry shop is EFFY.

Overall food thoughts: There are only 3 gelatto flavors on any give day and vanilla, raspberry and pistachio seem to dominate. We ate the buffet for breakfast and lunch.  The most frustrating part was that plates and cutlery were at both ends of the buffet which created some log jams as folks were going in opposite directions and meeting in the middle.  Food was ok.  Not spectacular but people were not wasting away.  Our dining was in La Pergola dining room.  Our waiters were David and Tartuan and they were great.  My advice - don't order and cooked fish dish.  By the time it arrives from the kitchen it is dry and overcooked.  It happened everytime we ordered the fish.  Your experience may be different.  The menu was still cuban heavy during the night we would have been in Cuba.  The main dining room is odd in that you have to walk through it to get from one end of the ship to the other (either deck 5 or 6 - I can't remember which one)  Overall food was a solid B- some great some not so great.

Voyagers and Aurea Experience - We had a welcome fruit bowl with a plum, kiwi, pear and several apples.  We also received 2 complementary drinks at the Vitamin Bar. Our gold Voyagers gift was pens with cruise ships that move as you tilt them.  My husband had the Bali massage and said it was well done.  I had the hot stone massage.  It was different than others I have had - not better or worse just different. This was more like a Balinese massage and then after the body part was done, the heated stones were used for a minute and then placed on the various body parts. We also received a MedSpa diffuser. The spa is small. Some heated loungers and sauna room. Don't go planning on using it as a destination within the ship (like on Seaside).  I almost think that unless the cost were not terribly different, I would pass on the Aurea balcony and go with the Fantastico (Is that the right term?)

Final thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised.  We used this as a "relaxation vacation" and entered with the mindset that we are on vacation so how bad could it be.  I was happy to see that the issues that some others have shared were not experienced.  We definitely picked the ship for the itinerary.  I don't think I would book it again unless it was definitely going to Cuba.  The kids on board seemed happy.  Most of the guests looked happy.

I did not take photos of planners or menus as there are plenty floating around out there and, honestly, I was lazy and on vacation.

On 6/9/2019 at 5:41 PM, Brill said:

I've used Freedom Car in the past. Great service. 410-321-5600.

We have also used Freedom Car from Baltimore to BWI on several ocassions and have always been please with their service.

I cancelled a cruise in April and it took until late May (and many calls) to get my refund.  This was within the 90 prior to sailing so I don't know if that impacted anything.

A few years ago, we cancelled a cruise prior to the 90 days and got our refund within a week or two.

5 minutes ago, AerynSun_JohnCrighton said:

Are you in a year round school system then? We got out last week and us teachers don't go back till July 31st. I am taking some paid training this month though.

No. We historically begin near Labor Day and end mid-June.  Our governor mandated a post Labor Day start and end date by June 15th (which is why I felt comfortable booking the cruise). But with snow days, we needed and additional day to meet the required number of student hours (addition of June 17th) 

She just messaged me again and said now we are getting it.

This has been a headache and a half cruise.  I am half afraid we are going to board and sink. 🙂

It was originally a 50th bday girls trip and then, at day 89, my best friend's car was hit by another car and her ankle was shattered.  We canceled and rebooked under a different promo (saved some money even with losing the deposit) with my husband going in hopes she would mend and we could swap names out and she could go.  No such luck.  Then the school system I work for added 6/17 as a work day. And now Cuba...  I need a vacation from my vacation!

I haven't heard from MSC yet but my travel agent just reached out to me to tell me our new itinerary (sea day and Key West) and I asked about the OBC.  That is only being offered to those currently on the ship because they did not have an opportunity to rebook like everyone else will have.  

MSC site does not say anything about OBC for future sailings on those onboard now. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/About-MSC/News/MSC-Cruises-Cuba-Update.aspx 

It indicates it will waive cancellation fees and transfer balance for rebooking.  Does that mean you must rebook or you can cancel and get a full refund?  At this point, frustration is getting the best of me and I may just eat the airfare loss and cancel if I can get the entire cruise fare back.  

1 hour ago, OceansOfTravels said:

I know I said earlier that MSC's lack of communication was justified, but I'm starting to get upset. I saw the message on the website that said something would be coming tonight at the latest, but I really wanna know what's up. My cruise is in 10 days. I think we are still going to go through it, especially if they're gonna offer 50% compensation in return for people who stick it out. The way I see it, that is excursion/beach club money, and assuming there are many people (like on this thread right now) that cancel it because they cannot get to Cuba, an already-small ship will be practically empty. But, I still want to know what's going on so I can plan accordingly. 

We are also 10 days out and I am hoping itinerary changes come out so things can be booked (if need be).  We have airfare and hotel the night before so I am sure we will still continue.

4 hours ago, AerynSun_JohnCrighton said:

Depends on what's offered. I've been to Nassau counless times and wouldn't care for that.

I would love it if MSC were as generous as Royal Caribbean

"“We have secured alternative ports and we are in the process of communicating the new itineraries to our guests and travel partners,” the company said. “For these guests, they will have the option of remaining on their sailing with the new itinerary and receiving a 50 percent refund or they may cancel their cruise and receive a full refund.” (taken from the Cruise Industry News website).  One can hope...

1 hour ago, AerynSun_JohnCrighton said:

Depends on what's offered. I've been to Nassau counless times and wouldn't care for that.

True. 

It would take a lot of scrambling at this point to switch to another ship (with an earlier sail date than 6/17) due to flight and hotel changes that would need to be made.  I hope the cruise continues with a stop elsewhere. I would be willing to try for another ship but it would entail much time to coordinate.

42 minutes ago, rwdtgb said:

MSC is still selling our cruise due to depart on October 28th. From what I can tell there are at least 150 cabins available. We are just under deposit and can cancel before final payment is due next month. Will sit tight for a few days and let the cruise line figure this out before I move onto plan B...

I wonder, since MSC is largely European and they do not have travel bans in place, if they will continue with their itineraries as planned with only Americans unable to disembark.

We are also on the Armonia leaving 6/17 with a private tour the day we dock in Cuba.  At this point, I am printing everything from the government's websites and placing it with my copy of the VISA when we return home just in case I need the documentation at a later date.

Thank you so much for sharing!

I am wondering how long your refund took to receive.  I cancelled on March 20th and still haven't received mine.  They have told the travel agent that it has been processed (last week).  I have received a fell refund for the excursions we booked but still awaiting the actual cruise cost.

Thanks for posting while on your vacation!

Thanks so much for writing this review!

Thank you!  We had them in the YC on Seaside and loved the convenience.

Hello,

   Does anyone know if the Armonia uses wristbands instead of keycards?  Trying to decide if I need to bring a lanyard or not. THanks in advance.

How exciting to find this thread and read it during my sick day at home! 

I have been on the Divina (my favorite) with Capt. Massa and Seaside with Capt. Scala.  I was sad to hear he would not be my captain on our upcoming June 17th cruise.

This is a 50th birthday trip that I am sharing with my best friend of 45 years and her first time cruising EVER.  We are doing Aurea class (I have only done YC on my previous 2 cruises with MSC) and I was anxious because the reviews I am reading have been mixed.  

Thanks for your positive, detailed review!  I look forward to reading the rest of it.