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.

22 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

Park Cafe, Sorrentos, and Cafe Promenade are options. Especially Park Cafe.  

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.

3 hours ago, shmabbies said:

And for those who still have questions about "how many devices" have access to the YC wifi (I could never discern a straight answer to that question before we left & I decided it was another of those MSC features that vary by ship, itinerary, country cruise was booked in, and who knows what else) there were two of us and we were able to enable two devices each, so four in total for the cabin.  We are Americans, booked in US, sailing in Med on Seashore.  As with anything MSC - YMMV.

 

 

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.

On 11/10/2023 at 3:04 PM, benjaminnicholas said:

 

People here have already talked about how to cast or stream from a self-brought device.  

 

That way, you have exactly what you want.

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?

On 10/26/2023 at 10:26 AM, JamieLogical said:

There are no hooks on the walls in this room. The regular balcony rooms have two hooks on the walls and two inside the bathroom door. This room has the two on the bathroom door, but none on the walls.

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

7 hours ago, buffet24 said:

Hahaha!!!  Thanks!   If you want to post couple of your dailies for a typical Sea Day and a Port Day, I'd be willing to try to make one up for ya...  Otherwise, enjoy your upcoming RCL cruise!!!  😉 

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!

On 10/25/2023 at 9:21 AM, buffet24 said:

Nice!!!   Wish you safe travels on your way to NYC and hope to cross paths!

 

Also, I LOVE BUFFETS... (can you tell by my user name??? 🤣🤣🤣)

 

So I made up this chart to plan out our dining times, snack times and show times... I'm a visual person, so trying to decipher all the Dailies (posted by Jamie!!!  🙏) schedule in my head...my head was spinning so I had to put it in a drawing...  Sorry... it's one of my shortcomings...  🤣🤣🤣😥😥😥

 

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

1 minute ago, orville99 said:

 

We used to sail on Princess and always enjoyed their ships. Looking forward to them finally bringing a ship into Port Canaveral so we can add them back to our options. Not really a fan of MSC unfortunately.

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.

On 10/23/2023 at 7:37 AM, orville99 said:

Wonder costs more because RCL knows they can extract that price from people who want all the new bells and whistles on a new ship. Put an older RCL ship (even an older Oasis class ship) on that same route and date, and the cost will be lower.

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.

As an aside and a plug for Jamie's, my wife can't eat garlic, onions, or gluten (yeah, try eating Italian). We told the head waiter at Jamie's on day one of the cruise. When we went for dinner a few nights later he remembered us and brought one of the chefs out to go over what they could and could not cook that would meet my wife's needs. They were amazing!

19 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

You’re comparing lunch vs dinner.

 

Although it’s the same menu IIRC.

The only difference I see is lunch does not have the lamb chops or the short ribs (both were really good in January). I still see plenty of good stuff for lunch and at $40 versus $100 it's a great deal.

Thanks to the boards I now see that lunch is 35% off (I'm going on Symphony in January). Dinner is only 20% off. But I'm happy to snag lunch at Jamie's at under $40 per couple. Especially since we have 4 sea days (that's a lot of El Loco Fresh 😉). Even with the smaller menu, I'm sure we'll still love it.

I'm wondering if anybody sees the 35% off in their planner. Mine is only offering 20% off. I never seem to get the full advertised discount and I'm curious if it's because of the ship and sailing I'm on or RCL never gives the full discount to anyone. Considering we can't see what other sailings get offered we have no way of knowing who really gets these discounts.

We sailed on Oasis out of Cape Liberty in June. There were seven of us and there was only one person that was seasick on a couple of nights (MDR seemed the worst for her). She is very prone to car sickness and sea sickness. I don't think anyone was bothered.

On 9/15/2023 at 6:06 PM, BirdTravels said:

Insurance covers your losses. They do not allow you to randomly "reschedule" a cruise.

 

That is a cancellation for a non-covered reason - so you would need to have a Cancel for Any Reason endorsement. 

 

If you cancel for any reason, your reimbursement will take several months. So you have to front the costs of a couple of cruises. 

On 6/5 we filed a claim to cancel one of us from a cruise of 8 leaving on 6/9. We had the money in our bank account on 6/14. The key is to have ALL of the paperwork they need when you file the claim.

14 minutes ago, Babr said:

Link did not work, but if this is the Classic Plan with Trip Cancellation, scroll down to page two under Cancellation. Look for the question, “What risks are insured.” Notice the sentence in bold.

I do see it now and it makes total sense. It's interesting that it applies to the Pre-existing Conditions Exclusion Waiver too, since if you know someone is terminal then it is "foreseeable." I'd hate to have to test how closely they'd investigate that one. Luckily, any claim I've had to file with them has gone through smoothly.

13 minutes ago, Babr said:

 

The Allianz website states that foreseen events - named storm, for instance - are not covered. You still have coverage for unrelated events and medical. Be aware that your coverage begins the day after they receive payment.

Their website may say that, but their NY policy doesn't (at least I can't find it). I agree it should. You should not be able to buy the insurance only after knowing you need it.

2023-06 Allianz Classic Plan with Trip+.pdf

3 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

It isn’t that it isn’t covered (and that in itself depends on the policy) you cannot BUY insurance to cover a hurricane once it has has been named. Just like you can’t insure against an illness after the fact.

While that would make sense and most property insurers will put binding moratoriums in place in these situations, Allianz seems to be allowing me to insure a cruise to Canada that leaves tomorrow. Go figure. Your logic is 100% correct and also explains the pre-existing conditions exclusion but they don't seem to be applying it to hurricanes.

4 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Not a covered reason once the NHC names a storm

I've never seen that in any NY policy. Weather is a major driving force of these policies (especially for non-cruise travel).