claireruth

Thanks for sharing this! I presume the $7 drinks are well liquor? Is there a list somewhere of what those would be?

We're doing our first MSC cruise for spring break next March, and I'm wondering if MSC normally does any kind of Black Friday specials for drink packages or excursions? TIA!

I would read that as when you book a balcony room it would be the same price as an oceanview, not that you'd get upgraded when booking an oceanview. Can you cancel it and rebook?

We actually stayed at an Airbnb for the night before our cruise out of San Pedro this past July. It was a lot cheaper than any of the hotels nearby. It looks like it's not available until March, but it was within walking distance of a lot of bars and restaurants, and it was a quick Uber ride to the cruise terminal the morning of our cruise. This is where we stayed: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/54226127?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=7cd4274c-07cd-466b-af7e-475ea905c739

I have your blog pulled up in another tab to read more about your cruise. We recently booked this cruise for spring break with our two teenage sons, and we're all really looking forward to it. Quick question...is Chimay included with the drink package? If so my husband will be a very happy guy! 🙂

We have two cabins booked with my husband and one kid listed in one room and myself and our other kid in the second room. My husband did a status match and is Diamond on MSC. Can all four of us use the priority check in benefit?

I appreciate the dissenting voice, lol! I guess it may end up depending on what our flight times are. If we get there early enough in the day to spend time in Rome, it makes sense to go. If we end up there later in the day or evening, we may just want somewhere to crash after a long travel day.

I like to use flights.google.com to track airfare. You can put in your travel dates and set an alert so you'll get an email notification when the price changes. I have the Hopper app on my phone that does something similar, but I like Google Flights better.

Yeah, that was kind of my thinking...I'd rather some time there than none!

We are taking an MSC cruise out of Rome next March for spring break. The way our travel days/flight times will most likely work out means we'll get there morning or midday the day before we get on the ship (ideally we would get there 2+ days early but with school schedules we just can't make it work). From the map it looks like it's roughly the same travel time from the airport to Civitavecchia or Rome. Does it make sense to go into Rome for roughly 24 hours and then to the cruise port from there, or is it better to go directly to Civitavecchia? We'll have two days in Rome after the cruise. I feel like more time in Rome would be good, but not if it significantly complicates travel plans.

I'm interested in booking a cruise for spring break for myself, my husband, and our two teenage sons (17 and 14). We want two staterooms so the boys could have their own room and we'd have our own. Would we book it with my husband and one kid in one room and myself and the other kid in the other room? Is that the best way to do it? When we're on ship do we need to change it so everyone is listed in the right room, or will that not be allowed because they're minors? TIA!

Any Long Beach locals have suggestions on restaurants/bars/things to do in downtown Long Beach? Basically the area on the map. TIA!

Once I was logged in to my cruise planner, I had to click on the "Beverages" menu to see it listed. I think the main page only showed things I hadn't purchased yet. I did end up canceling what I had originally booked and rebooking when the price dropped. I'd gotten an email from RC offering 35% off I think it was for purchases for the specific cruise we were on, and that ended up being cheaper than the original promo I'd used.

Thanks for the info! We'll be there on a Thursday night, so hopefully there's not too much noise. Normally we'd do a hotel especially just for one night, but the Airbnb price was a lot better for somewhere just to sleep.

Appreciate the concern!! It looks like it's at 4th Street between Magnolia and Shoreline? We looked at Google Street View around the area before booking, and it seemed decent. We've spent a decent amount of time in LA, so we had a general idea of where to avoid, but also I realize you can be in a nice area one minute and super ghetto the next.

We actually booked an Airbnb for the night before our cruise out of Long Beach coming up in July. It ended up being significantly cheaper than any of the hotels near the port, and it looks to be just about a 15 minute drive from the cruise port. We'll just Uber from the airport there, then the Airbnb to the port the next morning.

My husband and I are doing this cruise at the beginning of July...I just checked us in today!! I'm also curious about the adults only pool area...was it pretty crowded? I think most schools are still in session (we are also in Phoenix, and I know a lot of kids are done this week, and mine are done next), so that may change when we're on the ship since there might be more people in general. I'm glad to know approximate travel times to the port, too. We got an Airbnb for the night before, and it's near the Hyatt. If you flew out of LAX, how was it getting back to the airport? Our flight is at 11, but we want to take advantage of the Delta lounge beforehand. 🙂