DaisyGirl55

Any suggestions for our stop in Brindisi?

Do I need to buy tickets ahead of time, or can I get off the ship and buy them at the port?  Also, is there a best way to get to the train station from the ship?  Taxi perhaps?

I'm hoping this is a good sign that we will begin cruising again soon!

I am booked for 2/14/21 on Harmony OTS.  One of the stops is Coco Cay, which shows up in my excursions list.  Does the entire experience at Coco Cay now come with a price tag?  Or can I still go by the beach area and kick back in a lounge chair for a bit?  I'm not into water parks, so I can always stay on the ship - but I was wondering how it works now.

Like most everyone else on these Boards, I have cruises that have been booked, cancelled and re-booked.  Right now I have a BTB schedule October 10 on the Breeze out of FLL.  I also have one in Feb 2021 on RCCL, one in May 2021 on MSC, and another Carnival cruise in July 2021.  

Right now Carnival says my October cruise is a go.  Some family members say I am crazy to cruise even if my cruise is not cancelled.  So my question is this:  For those who have a cruise booked that is still a "go"...will you get on the ship?  Even if you have to wear a mask, stay socially distant, and be served at the buffet cafeteria-style?

I hope they don't post pictures.  I prefer to see them in my mind - all lit up and sailing off into the sunset.

I have a BTB booked for 10/10/20 and the way things are looking I don't think it will sail.  I expect it to be cancelled, but will still be disappointed if it does.

Is it better to let Carnival cancel my cruise or should I pull the plug myself and re-book to next year?  We have over $600 OBC plus my DH has a 25th Milestone credit as well.  This cruise was actually a rebook from the cancelled Mardi Gras repositioning cruise.  I don't want to lose my credits, so should I wait?  Or am I going to lose them anyway if Carnival cancels my cruise?

We have three cruises booked for 2021.  Really hoping cruises start back up again soon.  The withdrawals are getting serious!

I have a sinking feelin (no pun intended) that my October 10 BTB cruise on the Breeze will be cancelled.  This was a rebook from the cancelled Mardi Gras.  Need a spreadsheet to keep track of credits, OBS's and pricing changes!  My TA said that all credits and OBC's will carry over to my next booking if Carnival cancels and not me.  Hope that is true as my OBC total right now is a bit over $600.  But if I read the posts correctly, I may lose some of the original OBC.  

What a mess....

I have a BTB scheduled for mid-October.  At this point, I should probably prepare to rebook for next year.  

That is starting to be a challenge as 2021 cruises are priced higher and the ones I want are about full.

Sigh....

I have a BTB scheduled for 10/10.  I just paid off the cruise as the final payment date was due.  Kind of like a crap shoot.  Don't make final payment - lose the cruise.  Pay the final payment and my money is tied up.  

This is tough to wait through as this cruises was scheduled after the Mardi Gras cancellation.  Trying to keep track of credits, OBS and such is a nightmare.  

Guess I just have to wait and see what happens.  I know, I know - safety first....but dang it!  I miss cruising!

17 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Thanks for your review.  I sailed on Meraviglia on January 5th and agree with your comments about the friendliness and service of the bar/lounge staffs.  Really enjoyed Meraviglia Lounge.  The ship's Promenade is lovely and I liked the Dome Shows that I saw.

 

Which MDR were you assigned?  Which experience did you book:  Aurelia, Fantastica, or Bella?

 

An interesting excuse because your friend's cabin did not get serviced by the Cabin Steward:  "He ran out of time."  That's a new one for me.  

We were in Waves Restaurant - early seating.  We had the Fantastica experience.

Just to let everyone know...we were able to bring our small fan and some snacks with no issues.  Thanks to all who answered my questions pre-cruise!

15 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

Ah now I see!  Your other posts says you paid $215 to upgrade - that's the cost for BOTH of you.  And THAT'S why your package was accepted in the specialities.

 

(I'm not picking on you.  I just want to make sure others understand that the Easy Package is definitely NOT accepted in Speciality restaurants.  Want a glass of wine?  Get up from the table, walk to the nearest bar, queue up and walk back to your table.)

That makes sense!  I was not aware of the difference in the Specialty restaurant since my hubby had the upgrade.  He was able to get his glass of Jack and Diet and I had a glass of White Zinfandel.  

16 hours ago, nickyj said:

How much did it cost your hubby to upgrade?

He paid $215 to upgrade for the week, and it was well worth it.  I kept the Easy package as I usually drink wine.

15 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

We were on the same cruise.  Its interesting how different our experiences were.  Ill be adding my review within a few days.

 

Too bad you missed the shows.  In our opinions, it was the BEST thing of the cruise.  In fact, probably the best showroom entertainment we've seen in 25+ cruises!

 

(For future readers:  we made reservations each night for the 7pm show.  After the first night, they didn't even check.  Sometimes a bit of a hassle to find seats, but just don't be overly picky.)

I think it is always interesting how people can be on the same cruise and have such different experiences!  I look forward to your review.  Thanks for your feedback

Just sailed on the Meriviglia last week.  While we felt the specialty menu choices were limited, I was able to find something to my liking.  My husband did not.  The best selections were in the Butcher's Cut.  Good steaks, Filet Mignon, and good sides.  In the Ocean Cay restaurant, I had spaghetti and clams which was delicious.  My husband had the fish selection and it was not good at all.  In Kaito Sushi restaurant we had Miso Soup, Shrimp Scampi and Hibachi Chicken.  All very yummy!

We were able to use our Drink Packages, both Easy and Premium in all three restaurants.  The only exception was dinner in the Cirque show.  

We sailed on the Meriviglia 2/16/20.  Once on the ship we were approached about upgrading our drink package.  My husband upgraded his, and I kept the Easy Package.  

My husband and I just spent a week on the MSC Meriviglia with 6 of our friends. This was in total cruise number 53 for me, but my first with MSC.   Still putting all of my thoughts together but wanted to write a short review while it is all fresh in my mind.  We stayed in balcony cabin 12161.  Near the elevator, and very quiet.  A few kids running once in a while, but not too bad.  In the middle of the ship so it was easy to go anywhere we wanted.

The ship was absolutely beautiful, and the Promenade was very nice with the restaurants, shops, chocolate store and various bars.  I was amazed at how clean the ship was, and you would be hard pressed to find a bit of rust anywhere.  Our balcony was a good size, and our cabin steward was efficient and kept our room spotless.  One of our friends in my group was not so lucky as there were a few days when their cabin was not serviced at all.  When they questioned this, they were told it was because he ran out of time.

We had the Easy Drink Package but upgraded to the Premium package once on the ship.  $215.00 for the upgrade.  It was on my husband's card, but he was able to get drinks for me as well on the Premium list.  The crew in the bar areas were all very pleasant and always had a smile when we saw them.

Crew in the dining room was not so friendly.  Our head waiter, Augus, was attentive although busy.  His assistant staff was not so good, with one of the girls going so far as to roll her eyes when we asked for some Tabasco sauce.  We only ate dinner in the dining room twice, the first two nights.  We tried breakfast on the second morning but went to the buffet every morning after that.  We actually loved the food up in the Lido area.  A lot of choices, food always hot, and very delicious.  

Speaking of food, we bought the Tryptic Dining Package:  Butcher's Cut, Ocean Cay Seafood, and Kaito.  While the food was delicious and well-prepared we were shocked that our menu choices were so limited.  For the most part we were all satisfied with our choices, but some dishes that were on the limited menu were just downright awful.  However, the staff was quick to allow for a change in the selection.  The biggest drawback was the very rude and very obnoxious sommelier in the Butcher's Cut restaurant.  When we asked his name, he actually covered up his name tag and refused to give us his name.  We found out that he had only been on the ship a week.  Hopefully he will either get with the program or realize that he is in the wrong profession.  

We went to the Cique du Soliel show, Sonor.   It was out of this world phenomenal!  Our package included dinner, which was so yucky that after the show we all went up to the buffet...LOL. 

The casino was fun, and only very smoky one night.  Most of the time it was tolerable.  There are a few non-smoking machines, but as they are near the smoking machines it is a moot point.

The MSC app and internet package worked quite well, and allowed us to stay in touch with each other through FB Messenger.  It was nice to be able to pull up activities, billing, and other information.  

We did not make it to any of the shows as we were not aware that we needed to make reservations.  Every time we thought about it there were no seats left.  

I can't really comment on the ports as we stayed on the ship all week.  We stopped at Costa Maya, Belize, and Roatán.  We were supposed to stop at the new port of Ocean Cay, but the water was too rough to do so and we had an extra sea day.  

One of the bad things that happened during our week was we had no hot water for two days.  None.  Zero.  Zip.  Made it difficult to shower!  Thankfully my hair is short so I was able to wash it in the sink.  Even still...Brrr!  The other issue was a language issue.  I don't mind the announcements in several languages.  I have no problem cruising with so many people from other countries.  Our main problems were with the crew and even the staff.  We had a hard time when we asked questions.  Being that this was our first MSC cruise, we did have a question here and there.  

All in all it was a good week.  Will I book another MSC cruise?  Yes, but maybe not right away.  We had fun, but nothing stood out to make it a new favorite cruise line.  I have read on this Board that there are other ships in the MSC line that we should try that are better than the Meriviglia.  Maybe we will try another ship and see how it compares.  After all, I was on a cruise, being catered to and getting some much needed R&R.  

Any questions let me know!

Am I allowed to bring a small fan with me when I sail Mereviglia next month?

We usually bring some snacks to enjoy out on our balcony (nuts and such). 

The website says no food.  Is this what they mean?  Or are they talking about other food?

2 minutes ago, JennN said:

I’d complain about the fact that those of us on the sailing don’t even have emails from Carnival yet. It’s a Crappy way to find out. They should have been ahead of the news leak and gotten us letters first. It’s not their first rodeo. If you call they tell you to refer to the email. 

Very True!  However when my cruise to Alaska on Celebrity was cancelled several years ago, I found out first here on Cruise Critic.  Tried to call my PVP but phone busy.  Guess I can figure out why...

this stinks....

I was so excited to celebrate my retirement with a repositioning cruise out of New York, and for 15 days, and a Journeys cruise as well....

Yes I can book another cruise, but it will not be anywhere near the experience I was so looking forward to.

I am booked on the Mardi Gras repositioning cruise next year in September.  I would LOVE to get one of those brochures!  I may have to contact my TA and see if she can send me one

I am cruising next year out of NY, but do not know if it is out of Brooklyn terminal or Manhattan.

Does it matter which terminal we sail out of in regards to sailing by the Statue of Liberty?  Be kind of disappointing to sail out of NY and not go past the Statue. 

Also, do we sail under any of the bridges?

HiJamman54

I am sailing on the Magic 09/28 for my first visit to Bermuda and I have to tell you that I really enjoyed your review! 

The pictures are great, and I am even more excited than I was before.  I also appreciate the tips and the information in your posts.  I think this is going to be one awesome cruise!

9 minutes ago, vache said:

Sailing on the Magic Sep 28 and it took 8 weeks exactly to get a response from the steakhouse.

WOW!! 8 weeks is a long time to wait for a response

I am sailing on 9/28 also.  I submitted my reservation twice, with no response.  I have never had that issue on other Carnival ships.  I sent in an email today as suggested so hopefully I will hear back in a day or so.  Especially since we want to go on the first night and will be celebrating our 43rd anniversary