Best Cat Mom

I have slightly different question: why give out cash to each crew member? Why does it seem that nobody wants to simply charge that extra gratuity to their on board account and add the name(s) of the targeted crew members? We did this once because we did not have enough cash and did not have ATM machines available when we realized that our cash was so low. Would these funds still go to the targeted individuals in full? Or would the funds go into a pool like the Daily Service Charges?

9 hours ago, LHT28 said:

just ask the wine waiter to leave the bottle on the table

It is not a problem

From what I've read in this thread, that may or may not work. But yes -- definitely worth trying. And if this is the one thing I complain about after our cruise, then I'll know I had a great time! 🙂 

11 hours ago, clo said:

Why can't you refill your own glass? A handicap perhaps?

🙂 No, he just likes being chivalrous. Though as I type this, maybe that would be even better if we were drinking Chivas. 😉 

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

They have never left the bottle or the decanter of wine on our table. 

My husband prefers to be the one to refill my glass.  If he speaks to our Butler in advance, might the various venues all get the message and leave the bottle at his disposal? Does anyone have any experience with this type of request? If not, I guess we'll find out... but whenever we're out for dinner, allowing him to decide when to refill my glass and with how much liquid is one of his biggest complaints. (In our experience, servers tend to overfill.)

I guess if they don't tap dance into the Terrace, we'll be fine! 🙂 Thanks!

On Seaside, we ordered Room Service pizza. I am extremely gluten-sensitive but not "emergency room visit" sensitive. I plucked the toppings off my husband's pizza and had no issues. The toppings came off clean and I had zero issues. Yummy!

I had not even considered that Deck 11 is right under Waves until I read this thread. We're in 11060 which is apparently under some "dead"space. Does anyone know for what this area is used:

21 hours ago, clo said:

Actually there are pre-made egg whites. I don't know about cruise ships but if Costco has them.... 🙂

We buy them in the paper containers and cook them fresh at home. Does Costco sell them pre-cooked? Are they already cooked and you just reheat them?

10 hours ago, Twiga said:

Best Cat Mom:  Have a wonderful cruise!  Please post afterwards and let us know how you enjoyed the cruise and, especially, dressing up!  Bon voyage!

Thank you!

I intend to post our thoughts, here and on the MSC boards as well. We had recently discovered MSC's Yacht Club and love the exceptional service and intimate feeling of their European-style ship-within-a-ship. We're looking forward to trying a cruise line where the whole ship is a 'ship-within-a-ship.' Whenever we would leave the YC on MSC, we couldn't wait to get back to the  sanctuary of it as soon as possible. We're looking forward to being on a smaller ship so we feel the movement more as well. Sometimes a ship large enough to hold 4.5K+ guests doesn't even seem to moving and I need to find a view to the outside to make sure that I'm not just in a big hotel. 🙂 

Thank you to pna, CintiPam, clo, Twiga and Mura !!! I am so relieved. I did not want us to look pretentious. Thank you SO much. I will have on white jeans most days (we'll be in the Caribbean) but will feel good when I get to dress up with my guy later. Vacations are our fun time. 🙂

I knew when we booked our first Oceania cruise that there would not be any formal nights and that business casual was more the norm. However, I was hoping that we wouldn't stand out too much when we will 'dress up' for dinner. I travel all the time for work and am looking forward to having my hubby with me for all those nights in a row for a change. We like to get dressed up and go out to dinner the few times we have a chance and I was not going to alter our behavior for this cruise. Will we really look 'off' if I'm in hose and heels every night and he is in a blazer and dress pants most nights, with a few nights of suit and tie?

I know not to expect formal dress from others. We never felt out of place on NCL when we dressed formally -- even when others in specialty restaurants were in cargo shorts and flip flops. We just like to make our time together feel "special." Am I crazy to think that this will work out okay??

We upgraded back in August for a September 2019 sailing and found the information on this thread helpful when talking with MSC via phone:

Posts #62 and #64 have info on language and codes to use with the CSRs on the phone.

Hope this helps. We very much enjoyed the Premium Plus package and felt it was well worth the extra charge.

On 2/2/2020 at 10:20 PM, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

After the 4th day our Butler noticed we drank wine and beer.  He removed most of the soda from the refrigerator and kept it stocked with beer.  When he brought canapes or dinner room service he would always bring a few glasses of wine and more beers.       

We have the Prestige package and a PH with a Butler also but I did not think that minibar alcohol was included. Was your Butler just being proactive and anticipating you asking for drinks or were minibar drinks part of your suite amenities?

We have our first cruise on Oceania coming up in March and having drinks refilled daily by the Butler would fit our normal routine quite nicely!

When I order scrambled -- anywhere -- I order scrambled egg whites. I have found that no one has pre-made or powdered egg whites so this is my way to know that they are fresh. And I can still ask for cheese or other additives so they don't come out nearly as tasteless as they might sound.

Our first cruise on Oceania is in 41 days (not that I'm counting LOL) and I intend to try this strategy to avoid any not-made-to-order scrambled eggs.

1 minute ago, KatieBelle said:

Once again, Waves had great bar service in the morning.  I was served a mimosa or bloody mary promptly.

This might be best for us on the days that we don't plan to get up at a set time. We enjoy our holidays the most when there are no alarm clocks, not even a butler knocking on our door. Thanks!

8 minutes ago, ORV said:

Do you plan on getting the Prestige package? Having your butler bring glasses of champagne with OJ on the side would be your best bet. Getting a drink before 10am is usually a challenge. I don’t have experience with Barristas early in the day. 
 

We chose the Beverage package as our O-Life option and will upgrade as soon as we are on board. Sounds like the butler will be our best friend every morning. 🙂 Thanks!

18 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

The GDR would be your best bet. I will probably take awhile to get one delivered. You’d probably never see it happen at the Terrace.

Maybe the best way is to stop at one of the bars on the way to the GDR then? Coffee with Bailey's is an option for us as well. If we stop at Baristas on the way to breakfast, we could just bring the fortified coffee into the GDR -- right?

I should have mentioned that we're in a PH. Maybe having the butler bring it would be smartest? Then we can either have it in the room or bring with us to whichever venue we choose for breakfast.

7 hours ago, Mrs f. said:

We were on the Marina. As per our CURRENTS 

 

Breakfast in Suite                 6:30

Horizons Coffee Corner      6:30

Waves                                    7:00

Terrace Cafe                         7:30

MDR                                       8:00

 

This was a port day for us

We'll be on our first Oceania cruise in March. We like to have mimosas at breakfast. Which dining venue serves alcohol at breakfast?

Sarcastic Mama -- are you comfortable traveling in Italy? If your answer is 'Yes,' I believe you will be fine. If your answer is 'No' or 'We have never traveled to Europe,' you may want to do more research before you book a cruise on MSC.

An example of why I say this? Let's take the time and pacing of dinner to start. In our experience, dinner in Italy is vastly different from the US. Dinner in Italy starts later at night and is a leisurely affair. In our trips to Italy, we learned not to make reservations before 8pm and to expect to stay for 2 to 3 hours to enjoy all the courses of the meal. On an MSC sailing, you'll probably feel that dinner takes longer than expected on Carnival (this is a guess from me as I've never been on Carnival). To be clear, you shouldn't expect a 3 hour dinner on an MSC ship, but you should not expect 45 minutes for a 3-course meal either.

This is just a start of the differences. You need to decide if the differences are 'good, bad or ugly' to you personally. We love a leisurely dinner and we learned to love it when we traveled extensively in Italy in the 90s. To us, that is 'good.' But I know that to others, that is 'bad.' If you do some reading on these boards, you'll learn what to expect. Whether those are good/bad/ugly, will be up to your personal feelings on each situation.

[If you can't tell, we love MSC. I'm just trying to make sure you realize that why we love MSC may be exactly why you don't. 🙂 ]

19 hours ago, kitty9 said:

We recently returned from a cruise on Riviera and dined in LaReserve.  We met at 7:00 right outside the LaReserve dining area, where we were served champagne.  At approximately 7:30 we moved into the dining area and the meal started.  

 

We we were told that no food or drink, other than water, is allowed in the Spa Terrace.  It’s not really a place for something like that, but more a quiet place to relax.

 

We we are on the same cruise as you, plus the 14 day cruise before that.  Looking forward to seeing some good weather. 

 

With regards to embarkation, the big three cabin categories board first:  Owners Suites, Vista Suites and Oceania Suites.  PH suites are next.  Everyone waits in the same area (If the ship is docked at Terminal J) and there are announcements when categories are allowed to get in line to check in.  You’ll see carpets on the floor that indicate where you’ll get in line for check in, one for the Big 3 Suites, another for PH and so on. In all our cruises on O, they tend to be pretty strict on who checks in at what time.  Plus, just because people board at 11 or noon, your suite/cabin will not be ready then.  You’ll be directed to a public area, like the buffet or a lounge, to wait for the announcement that cabins are ready, which two weeks ago was 1:45.  

Good to know about La Reserve so we can be sure to get there a bit early. 🙂

Looking forward to Spa Terrace regardless of service there -- but thanks for the info.

24 days at sea for you? Sounds nice. This is our first cruise over 7 days and we're looking forward to seeing how we are on a longer (for us) cruise.

Thanks so much for the info about embarkation! We're used to having no wait at all. Now we know we can take our time that morning and not get there too early.

See you in March!

Just now, Flatbush Flyer said:

I bet you walk faster at home after any time spent in NYC.

Definitely! People think I'm running and I think people are too slow. LOL

On 1/3/2020 at 10:38 AM, glenneagle said:

I have not seen food or drinks served at spa terrance. Its a small area with 4 to 5 loungers and a hot tub .Its very quiet and no servers food or drink

Enjoy your cruise...

 

I thought I saw a video with 3 rows of around 12 loungers each by the T-pool. Seemed large enough that there might have been food/beverage service. No biggie. Plenty of other places to eat/drink.

Thanks!

On 1/2/2020 at 8:31 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Midwood HS and Brooklyn College (though I've been in NorCal since my early 20's  [along with a zillion other Brooklynites])

 

BTW: on Riviera, there's a small casino bar aft of the casino and the far better (IMO) Martini's bar forward of the casino. Horizons (up top) is the largest bar. Try them all.

We hope to try them all!

PS 205 for K-5, then Seth Low IS 96 for 6th grade, then Mark Twain JHS, then Stuyvesant HS (in the old building near Union Square). Grew up on 65th St between Bay Parkway and 21st Ave. Now living in KY, just south of Cincinnati due to a work transfer. No accent except when I spend some time with others from NYC. 🙂

Hi Mura --

Thanks for your reply.

Regarding

***

5. Will Butler bring you food/drinks at locations other than your cabin (such as in the Spa Terrace)?

We've never asked him to do so but I think if you ask nicely he'd do so!  But should you really need him to do so -- why not just order those drinks in that location?  I guess I'm missing something here.

***

I did not realize that the Spa Terrace had food and beverage service. When I referred to the Spa Terrace, I meant the area at the front of the ship by the spa that is only available to Concierge and higher cabins (hope I did not use the wrong name). They serve food and beverages there already? Awesome! (Seems comparable to the Yacht Club pool area on MSC, then.)

La Reserve is at 7:30pm? Flatbush Flyer suggested 6:30pm. I guess I'll make sure any of the activities I buy (in advance of boarding and confirming the start time) are earlier just in case.

Don't worry -- we will not smoke on our veranda, or any place else. We are not smokers and want to be sure to avoid smoke in the Casino and Casino bar. Just wanted to be aware so as to not be disappointed if we were to visit that area of the ship and find smokers.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. Looking forward to having such a great time that we book another cruise before disembarking!

22 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

OK to show up earlier. Crowd depends on how fast you Board and "special" area depends on port.

 

Smart phone app? LOL.

 

Upgrade Prestige only once onboard. Everything but a handful of highest end cognacs and single malts (including Baristas drinks) are included. Note that included wines are from a limited "by the glass" menu. Consider bringing your own wine (as much as you care to) - free in cabin & $25 corkage at dinner.

 

NO SMOKING in the casinos or anywhere else other than one corner of pool deck and enclosure in Horizons Bar.

 

Dietary restrictions? Inform O (yourself or TA) several weeks prior to boarding. Good idea to remind a Maitre d' once onboard. BTW, you're in for a world of better food than what you've experienced on the lines you mentioned.

Hi Flatbush --

Thanks for the reply.

We're leaving from Miami (should've put that in the subject -- at least I remembered to put it in my signature in the 'upcoming' section). My husband said that all my questions about adult beverages were, to paraphrase, 'interesting.' We are looking forward to not working and being able to be 'adults' all day long. LOL

I thought the smart phone app would get me an answer similar to yours, but wanted to ask just in case.

I'm okay with wine by the glass so I can change wines with different courses. We may bring something special from our cellar or pick something up in Miami but not sure yet.

Good to know about the lack of smoking in the Casino. Looking forward to experiencing that bar and not dealing with smoke.

We are so looking forward to the food. On NCL, we always dined in the specialty restaurants and avoided the Main Dining Room completely. (MSC's Yacht Club was an upgrade from NCL's Haven in that they have different menus in the YC every day, unlike Haven's static menu.) Food is why we're trying O. We hope that food is why we become O-loyal. 🙂

Thanks again for your reply.

PS: Is Flatbush a reference to Brooklyn? I'm from Bensonhurst.