mikefromny

Thanks for the nice review, but if Carnival isn't winning on the actual ship then they're in real trouble. You're comparing a 25 year old ship to a ship that's less than a year old.

Nothing starts my cruise out like sitting outside in Central Park with a Kummelweck sandwich!

In January ship time stayed Eastern time. You can always check ship time in the app.

We took this same cruise in January and loved it. I love Symphony, I thought the food ranged from good to some items were very good. I always find RCL's service to be fantastic. I also agree that there's no need for the drink package unless you're a fish.

I don't know the answer to your questions, but another important thing to check is if it covers your airfare and hotels if you don't book them through Royal. If not, I'd suggest a third party policy.

Just got off Symphony and re-used my wow band from my last cruise on Oasis. I like them, but they're not the end all be all. Most bars take them and most waiters will take your cabin number instead of taking your wow band. They are waterproof and very handy for getting into your cabin if your hands are full. Also, you can't use them to get on and off the ship - you still need to use your sail pass for that (I don't know why that is). I'll keep using them since after the first purchase they're free to get reprogramed each cruise.

We like ocean-view balcony cabins mid-ship deck 9. It's only one deck up from Central Park and makes grabbing a bite at Park Cafe easy. Otherwise, it's pretty mid-ship to MDR and up to pool decks. If you can spend the extra money, we really love the ocean-view balconies over the courtyard ones (Central Park & Boardwalk) for two reasons: first - you're on a cruise and who doesn't love a view of the ocean and the fresh breeze; and, second - with the interior balconies you need to keep your drapes closed for any privacy.

Thank you! You just answered my biggest question. We both plan on using our phones and I will have a travel wifi repeater and I was wondering if I need to purchase another wifi package. Now it appears I probably won't.

It's my understanding that MSC's wifi plan is really per device. If you bring a streaming stick do you et an additional device or use your phone as a wifi hotspot?

I'm curious, are MSC's walls metallic like many other cruise ships? We usually bring magnetic hooks and I'm wondering if we'll be able to use them on the Meraviglia? TYIA

Thanks, but not necessary. I'll just wander from food venue to food venue like I usually do. I did love yours though. Enjoy your cruise!

Can you please run for President? This is awesome! I'm already thinking how I can make this for my Jan RCL cruise.

From what I hear on the boards and see on YouTube, I wouldn't be trying them if it weren't in YC. That cruise is not until 2025, so it will be a while before I can tell you if it was a good move or not.

This whole discussion interested me so I compared the Caribbean Princess (2004) to Adventure (2001) for a balcony cabin. In March 2025 (same week) Princess was HALF the price of Adventure. If you up the Princess to their top package it was still considerably cheaper - $3,908 vs $5,987. This will really make me think before I book my next cruise. Royal already has moved me to try MSC's Yacht Club for an upcoming cruise. It was the same price as a Grand Suite on Odyssey and seems to offer much more.

I'm not discounting anyone else's experiences or opinions, however, I seemed to have a very different experience than many others. We've been on Symphony and Oasis this year, both with the new menus, and both times we enjoyed the MDR. I'm not going to say it was gourmet quality food and I will agree that the shoe-sole-sized "McRib" steak was not great. However, we enjoyed at least one entree each night, often enjoying several between the two of us. We also found the service to be terrific. All in all, the MDR is part of our cruise experience that we enjoy. In reference to the cold food for MTD cruisers. Someone much wiser than me pointed out that it seems the kitchen caters to the two main seatings. The further off your MTD time is from these times the less consistent the food quality and temperature. That's not an excuse, if RCL is going to offer off-time MTD then they need to up their game in executing it.