Homosassa

Some of the questions are due to ignorance about genetics. My husband is blond, I am a dark brunette, my daughter is a red head. Many think that I can't possibly be her biological mother, including those nice Canadian border folks on at least two occasions.

LOL - We started cruising when there was no such thing as a TV in the room. There wasn't a radio either. I remember being excited when we took a cruise in 1978 when two channels for music were available in the cabin. Both had music on loops and one could select either channel to listen to in the cabin.

The use of POS shows the pitfalls of a multinational corporation being caught by a word or term meaning something different to some parts of their consumer base that what is intended. Some of us still chuckle at the unintentional truth for Spanish speaking consumers in naming the Chevrolet Nova.

On the Radiance OTS, it was obvious if real cream cheese was used. The cream cheese had been frozen and was that lovely grainy, crumbly texture. The smoked salmon display in the WJ was a winner - platters of various types of salmon (RCL couldn't screw that up) accompanied by a bowl of cold already toasted bagel halves and crumbly cream cheese.

MSC is not for you. By the way, loss of satellite feed for the cabin TVs is common on different cruise itineraries due to the path of the satellites and blockage of the signatures due to the earth's curvature or the surrounding geological features. Some itineraries that satellite fee can be expected include parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean or blockage by the mountains in Alaska or other sailings through mountainous terrain.

OP, there has be numerous threads that contain explanations on how port fees are calculated and when, if ever, there may be a small refund in the form of onboard credit. I suggest that some research be done and learn that there is no theft.

Early show time was 7 PM on our cruise three weeks ago.

Coffee Time was the syrup of choice in our house.

Because cruise ships don't go ashore (well, except for those lines that state they have a port of call in Orlando, FL)....

The ice crystals in the imitation soft serve were pretty glittering in the lights in the Windjammer....

I grew up in eastern Suffolk County on Long Island; we share the same accent with Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts (syrups for coffee milk also a grocery store staple). Of course, with the outward creep of "City" people to the east end, the original east end accent is more difficult to find. My brother who still lives in Suffolk, is frequently asked by City transplants where he is from.

Hopefully by June 2024, MSC will have their pre Covid passenger cruising demographics back in place. This means that any cruise, including those from US ports, have a good mix of international passengers from around the world. That mix means many extended family or affinity group that include children . However, the big difference is that it means one will be cruising with others where discipline (rule setting and behavior limits) are still the cultural norm for children. MSC carries through on this standard by expecting parents to be responsible for their children's behavior and not let them roam the ship alone. I will not go into the details on this thread on the MSC family friendly program and activities geared for those who cruise to be with their children and not expect the ship to be an unsupervised playground. If the pre Covid standards are reestablished, I can state from experience that while there may be children on board, the children will be a unintrusive part of the cruise experience (other than marveling at the fact that parenting styles still exist where the children might be seen, but not disrupting others with their behavior).

Cabot Cove, Maine, is a better option for personal safety....

Hopefully the slipping is a temporary where Celebrity is having the same problem as MSC. Restart prices for Celebrity were comparatively low to their prices before Covid. Those prices were combined with drink packages and passengers that usually would sail lower down in the cruise experience tier have been sailing Celebrity. The passengers on board affects the overall cruise experience and there are many on board that use behavior learned from the other cruise lines.

No, I have sailed the Empress and the Radiance of the Sea when it was first put into service. What was done to the Empress over the years also is a sad existence for what was once called the Royal Caribbean yacht by its crew and passengers.

Sure, you are late to the party. When the ship was built in 2001, the entrance to the Schooner lounge started amidships and ran from side of the ship to the other. It contain a stage (platform) for a live music and a dance floor. After it first destructive dry dock, the two specialty restaurants and associated service areas were taken from the Schooner lounge area. In the same way, the Windjammer is about a third of the size it used to be before that area was carved out to add the two specialty restaurants at the aft end. The access to the deck with outdoor seating was lost, as well as the bar that serviced the area. The bright airy Centrum which used to be open from deck 4 up to deck ten. Either side on all decks contained lounge areas to sit that were glass floor to ceiling windows on the sides of the ship (you can see the sad remnants of those windows). All the glass windows of the multi story Centrum core and other extensive use of glass were to give the ships a light filled interior and those ships were known as the "Radiance" class. More cabins were jammed into the ship (deletion of the library, game room and cabins in what was once open lounge area of the decks around the central Centrum area. The deletion of the open public spaces with the addition of more passengers is what leads to the overcrowded conditions on board.

Trivia games on board ship on many cruise lines are well attended by all ages and, with the exception of the games on Carnival that are geared to alcohol impaired brains, usually require a range of knowledge that require a good education at least the high school level and beyond.

If you have any options to stream or do on demand of the Smithsonian's Channel "Mighty Ships," Season 2, episode 6, features the Divina. What struck me was the Captain's description of the Divina (MSC) experience as words to the effect (don't remember exact quote) of an upscale experience at affordable prices. Before covid, this was a good description of the MSC experience. As things hopefully start to get back to normal with the international mix of passengers and getting a handle on the booze cruise crowd that was attracted to MSC because of the low restart prices, it will once again become the standard for MSC.

Good to know. The two MSC cruises I had booked post covid were both cancelled due to problems with Covid restart and I haven't made it back to MSC. I am waiting for the seven day or longer itineraries to reappear and my dream, the Armonia sailing out of Tampa (yes, I know you are pushing for Baltimore which would also work well for us with a visit to daughter and son-in-law in Howard County, MD).

If the gluten free is absolutely necessary because of a medical condition, be sure to notify Celebrity by contacting Special Needs. If it is a life style choice (gluten free but hey - that wheat beer special sounds good as does the pasta dish), you can wing it on board ship.

The 1/14/23 Radiance of the Sea cruise gave out Royal Caribbean highlighters. If one was lucky, it wasn't dried out and unusable. There was also the joy of playing Trivia in what should be renamed the Rowboat Lounge instead of the Schooner Lounge as the lounge is now about a third of the size of its originally designed size because of the addition of two specialty restaurants in the former Schooner lounge area. Frustrating overcrowded for Trivia and other functions.

Because the answers in blue didn't copy, I am responding to the following answer that Nunagoras gave: "I have sailed many times on NCL and Celebrity and once on Princess. I have some questions about MSC that I was hoping someone could answer. - While I haven't cruised any of those cruise lines, me thinks that NCL would to be ne nearest product wise to what you will see at MSC. X and Princess seem to be a superior product, IMHO. Looks like my answer will also be in blue: Having cruised frequently on Celebrity, Princess, HAL, and no longer cruising on the bottom cruise tier level of NCL, Royal Caribbean (reaffirmed two weeks ago when for reasons I will not go into, I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise) and Carnival, I disagree that NCL is the nearest product wise to MSC. I know people love to boast and compare about the Haven vs the Yacht Club, but as a cruiser who will not do either as if I want that luxury experience, I will sail on ships that offer that experience throughout the ship and not in a compartmentalized small area, I find that my Bella experience for on board entertainment, food (I prefer the Italian/European levels of seasoning and sweetness), and service to be far beyond what is offered on NCL. As I can accept the MSC differences, I find MSC to be similar to HAL and Princess (Celebrity is slipping down) and - surprise! - Viking Ocean.

As a fellow Bella cruiser, I am disappointed that the Bella category appears to now only be a guaranteed cabin rate. Guess I will have to go Fantastica to be able to select our low deck as possible , amid ship inside cabin. I will definitely miss having the traditional assigned dining time of Bella.

If your pocketbook can afford it, try a Mediterranean cruise on Viking Ocean. The experience is first class and far beyond that on any lower tier line .

Here is another option for a bus transfer from Seward to Anchorage. We booked with this company in July 2022 to travel from Seward to the Anchorage airport. There is an option for drop off at various downtown Anchorage hotels. While the Celebrity transfer buses are in the parking lot between the ship and terminal, the A.C.T. buses are located in the lot on the other side of the terminal. This is not a problem because if one has luggage to claim, it is in the terminal. The A.C.T. bus company has a check in desk in the terminal where one shows the reservation information and you are assigned the bus number outside the terminal front doors. The road to Anchorage from Seward is often in sight of the rail road tracks and the scenery is therefore the same. Do note that there are restrictions on the amount of luggage allowed to be checked for the bus or for carryon for the bus. We had no problems meeting the luggage limitations . https://alaskacruisetransfer.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAofieBhDXARIsAHTTldoFR2ofbE99VN4-upf7xOIVCKg7ixdOmrFBx6j_l2PuojkvLzRkzhEaAkdaEALw_wcB