travelingtink

No, there is only a formal/gala night on 7 days or longer

I rarely book cruise line excursions as they are overpriced and not usually of interest to me. I like to explore the port and experience what the locals like. I’ve been to Nassau a few times, but not in about 10 years. When researching for this trip, I found Tru Bahamian Food Tours and it sounded like just what I was looking for, a 3 hour walking tour with local bites and drinks. Booking online was easy, they even had an Apple Pay option. There was even an opportunity to identify dietary restrictions. I immediately received a confirmation email with all the necessary details, then a couple of reminder emails as our date approached. We met our guide right outside the port shopping area. The groups are limited to 12 people and we had a full group. We were the only cruise passengers, all other participants were vacationing on the island. Our guide BrendaLee (Bahama Bre) explained the logistics of the tour, and we were on our way. Our first stop was a local restaurant where we we served a plate full of Bahamian treats. This was pretty much a full meal so be prepared. We had conch fritters, stewed chicken, coleslaw, peas and rice, mac and cheese, and plantains. This meal came with a drink called switcha (lemonade) which you can upgrade to the drinks package and have an alcoholic version. We had pre purchased the drinks, but you are given the opportunity to add it during the meal. Second stop was Graycliff for a chocolate sample, followed by a quick tour of the grounds where we purchased a couple of house made cigars. We moved on to Chillin, a conch stand where we we served conch sliders and received a tasting of a local sweet red wine. Next up was The Towne Hotel for Bahama Mamas and a visit to Mack, the hotel’s resident parrot. The last restaurant we Athena Cafe where we enjoyed conch chowder and a cocktail (which I don’t remember what it was). We ended the tour at a nearby souvenir shop where we were given a rum cake sample. This tour provided plenty of food and drinks (too much for some), and our guide was fantastic, providing history tidbits along the way. The walking was easy, suitable for young children, but there are some small hills, so I’m not sure about those with mobility issues. There were times we were walking down the side of the street due to lack of a sidewalk (but this was rare). The only downside is because of our short time in port, I didn’t have time to shop, but that was no fault of the tour.

Ordering two at a time is very common, even encouraged by the bartenders because of the long lines

Forgot to mention in my original post that we were Bella Inside, the lowest of the low hahaha. We didn’t even book Drinks and WiFi. No special perks for us, other than my Gold status.

Very similar to my thoughts as well. The issues we’ve seen complaints about did exist, but going in with the right frame of mind we were prepared and had a great trip,

1 - We completely unplugged, so no WiFi for us. I did see instructions for connecting to a different hotspot while on the island but I can’t speak to usability. 2 - The bars would run out of certain beers, so people had to hunt down which bars had their choice. I heard that the pub ran out of Guinness, and Corona was hard to find. Certain brands of spirits would run out, sometimes the bartenders would substitute, other times you had to select a different drink. Lines were almost non existent. 3 - the Lighthouse beach has umbrellas and a variety of chairs, lounged and beanbags, but all other beaches only have lounges and no umbrellas. 4 - I used the Thermal spa because my gold status allows on hour. It was fantastic, best I’ve experienced on any ship. There are multiple whirlpools, saunas, showers and lounge areas. My favorite is always the heated stone lounges, but I also enjoyed the ones in the salt room. I don’t know the cost of a pass, but I would imagine it would be worth it. 5 - can’t help here, I never pay for upcharge restaurants, just not my thing when there is perfectly good food available in the main dining rooms 6 - On a 4 night, there is a White Night that a good portion of cruisers participates in, then a less casual Caribbean theme and a Sunshine, which was loosely at 70s/80s night. Longer cruises have more themes. 7 - Each evening had a dance party with the cruise staff around 10pm. Then there were several bars that had live music (jazz, reggae, soft rock) and a DJ playing at the Horizon pool (aft of the ship) late night, 8/9 - Didn’t look at spa options and didn’t have a balcony 10 - check out the Bahamas board in the Ports of Call section for excursion ideas, “best” will be different based on what you like to do. We booked an independent walking food tour and had a great time tasting many different local foods.

Not new to MSC but new to the big ships having only sailed the Armonia a few times. All of the “worst cruise ever” reviews had me nervous so I went in with very low expectations. While everything wasn’t perfect, we had an amazing time. Not doing an actual trip report, but will address some of the areas I’ve seen complaints about, Embarkation - we had a 12:30pm arrival time, but I knew we could arrive at any time. We took our time driving down from Disney, but arrived right around 12:30 anyway. Since I had a rental, I dropped our bags off at the terminal then took the car to Budget. Only had to wait for one person ahead of me before returning my car. There was a shuttle loading but it was going to a different terminal so we had to wait only about 5 minutes for a second van to arrive that was going to Terminal 10. Took another 10 minutes or so waiting for another family to finish their rental paperwork before we were able to leave. Upon arriving at the port, it took about 20 minutes to get through security and check in. The Ship - its simply the most beautiful ship I’ve ever sailed! Took a day to really get the lay of the land, but never really got lost. We had no issues with elevators and never had to wait for another elevator because one was too full. We did take advantage of the panoramic elevators since most people don’t even realize they are there. Buffet - we always headed towards the back since that’s a tip I’ve learned through the years. Most people crowd the front but the stations repeat, so head to the back and avoid the lines. We had no problem finding options for both of us. I like a lot of veggies and lean protein and my partner is lactose intolerant. Contrary to other reviews, we didn’t eat the same thing every day and we always found tasty options. I did feel that the free drink options were lacking but it didn’t ruin my dining experience. Dining Room - yes, tables are close, but we just treated our table for 2 as a table for 20 lol. I’ve been cruising for so long that sharing a table on a cruise is standard. There was not any dish that I hated and I never left the dining room hungry. Portions are small compared to American standards but I appreciated that because it made ordering appetizers, entree and dessert doable. If you want to order alcohol they have beer and wine easily available but if you want a cocktail, you may not get it until you are almost done with your entree bec they have to order from another bar. Our assistant waiter did advise everyone of this but some were still complaining. We just brought a cocktail to dinner with us, so it wasn’t an issue. Bar Service - we did not have a drink package because I didn’t think we would drink enough to justify it based on the horrible reviews I had seen. Yes, bar lines were LONG. But if you are smart about it, you don’t have to wait long. The casino bar was always under utilized as well as the Sky Bar. The pub was loud and if you just walk by you might think the line was long but it never was when we ventured in. We did hear of bars running out of items but we always found something to drink. And since we didn’t have a package we were not stuck ordering specific drinks. Ocean Cay - bar and food lines were long, but I knew they would be so we ordered 2 drinks each when we first got settled in our spot. And grabbed food soon after the trucks opened. My one complaint was about the umbrella we rented, it didn’t have the lower half of the pool or the base that you could fill with sand to help it stand up. My partner took it back to complain and was told that they don’t come with anything else. I probably should have handled it myself because I would have asked for a different bag. There were dozens of full umbrellas across the beach but a handful of us had the shorty version. We figured out a way to prop it up but we could only get shade over one lounge this way. The beaches were gorgeous and I was able to see a few fish and a few rays even without snorkeling. Debarkation - I was not prepared for the long line down the length of deck 6 but it moved constantly and actually was one of the more organized debarkations I’ve ever experienced. I have no complaints here.

In reading the rant all I kept thinking was you didn’t like something (well a lot of somethings lol), I saw no real issues outside of the accommodations for the cpap. I’ve seen so much bashing of MSC that I expected to see comments agreeing with you but instead I see everyone leaning towards the same conclusion as me. Restores my faith in this board lol.

Question on matching to Disney. When I matched a few years ago I had to send a pic of a previous key card since the online Castaway Club page does not have a last name. Now that my grown son wants to join me on MSC, we want to get a status match for him but we do not have any of his old key cards. He also has had a legal name change since his last cruise so it wouldn’t match anyway. I’ve seen comments of people just sending a screenshot of the online Castaway page. Is that being accepted now? Even without a last name?

They changed vendors this year and I believe the package is added to your onboard account but I could be wrong. Much of it uses facial recognition to group the photos but you do give your room number to the photographer. Online Check In is now at 30 days, regardless of Castaway Club status. The only staggered dates are for booking shore excursions.

Yes you have to be paid in full by 60 days prior to sailing (if cruise is in 2023, otherwise 75 days), but Online Check In is not until 30 days. However you can book Royal Gathering before completing the check in. Some people have one person log in to book the Gathering while the other does the check in.

The Royal Gathering will be available to be booked at your 30 day mark. if you log in to the app and go to On Board Fun it will tell you what day that booking opens. Characters will also be available at various times throughout the cruise so not every opportunity to see them is reserved. Just keep an eye on your daily schedule in the app to see who will be out and when.

Both will guarantee a minimum verandah room on the ship (slight chance of a possible upgrade). Your cabin will be assigned about 2 weeks or so before sailing. The Restricted option is non refundable and no changes can be made (cannot change passengers, cannot change rooms if you don’t like what you get, can’t cancel). The Guaranteed option is a bit more flexible an usually higher in cost. With just a $17 difference, I’d go with Guaranteed over Restricted.

A couple of clarifications to what’s been posted. Currently there is no dinner served at the buffet, it has not returned yet post Covid. Also, at Palo, the adults only restaurant, brunch has changed and price increased. Brunch used to be a buffet with some plated items that could be ordered. It is no longer a buffet, but you can order as much as you want for the single up charge. There is also another up charge spot called Remy but I haven’t experienced that one as it is a lot more costly Thant Palo. I agree that you should experience the main dining rooms for dinner as each one is themed differently. There is a pirate night that many people dress up for, although not required it is fun to join in. This will be when the fireworks are scheduled. Internet has been spotty, I have heard that they are trying to make improvements but I do not have specific feedback on whether the Fantasy has been updated.

Many years ago I used to get 2 for 1 Bloody Mary an mimosas on the pool deck. I believe there were also some afternoon 2fers in one of the lounges. I haven’t cruised Disney in over 5 years so no idea if they still offer them.

I’m not a fan either

Final payment is not due until 60 days prior to sailing, however you cannot book any activities until paid in full. Your silver status allows you to book activities at 90 days prior, so the new 60 day payment window doesn’t really benefit you unless payment flexibility is more important than booking activities.