Avril

I'll be extra careful. Thank you.

 

I've heard the tourist harassment in Jamaica is legendary. It must be awful because a number of people who have been there on a cruise tell me it's better to just stay on the boat. Heard positive things about Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

Yes, being careful to be back on the ship on time is important but what the poster here meant was that they often miss GC (meaning the ship won't stop there) because of weather and/or sea conditions (wind, waves, etc).

If you do get off in Jamaica, please let me know what it's like. I'll be going there on my cruise in December (we're gong to Ocho Rios) and I'd love to know if it's as bad as they say and I should stay on the ship or not. Thanks in advance!! :D

I downloaded the app for my phone but when I open it and go to enter my booking number (which it asked for), it says at the top of the page "Log in to start your Cruise experience on MSC Meraviglia". I don't see any options for any other ship. Is the app only available on the Meraviglia and if so, will it be put onto other ships sometime (hopefully soon)? I'm sailing on the Divina in December 2017 and I would love to be able to use the app onboard. I've used similar apps on other cruise lines and they're great. Thanks!! :D

You can download the Carnival HUB app to their phones and use the Chat feature (only works between people on the ship so no Facebook, email, any other social media, etc) without buying an internet plan (I think). It's $5/person for the whole cruise. The HUB app itself is free. They will be able to keep in touch with you and each other but they won't be able to go online or on social media.

Thanks! I used to be able to post pics easily, now.....not so much. I am sure it will be worked out by then.

No Problem, it'll be an awesome trip (I hope)!! :D How did you do it Jimbo? I've never posted pics on here (that I remember anyway) so I have no idea how to.

Put you are arriving by bus or car.

Ok, thanks. :D We probably will take a taxi from our hotel to the cruise terminal so I guess car would be the right answer here.

I agree with the others on what to say but just wanted to comment that your trip sounds AMAZING!!!!

Aww, thanks!! It should be a lot of fun, I'm really looking forward to it!! :D

Under "Travel Information," choose that you will not be flying in for your cruise. Then, answer by car or bus (whatever is appropriate) for how you will arrive at the pier.

Thanks so much!! :D I've done B2B before when both cruises were on the same ship and the 2nd cruise immediately followed the 1st but never one that's on 2 different cruise lines with 3 days in between.

Want to read reviews of that back to back!

 

 

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Absolutely Jimbo, I'll be posting pics and info for sure when I get back (just have to figure out how to post pics here). :D

I'm sailing on the Horizon Transatlantic I was just wondering about the Travel Information part of the Online Check-In. Where it asks about my flight information pre-cruise, what should I put? Im not flying to Barcelona to board the ship. I'm sailing on the Norwegian Star Transatlantic which arrives in Barcelona 3 days before we board Horizon. The only flight I have pre-cruise is when we fly to Miami to board the Star. I have absolutely no idea what to put for my pre-cruise info (since it only asks about flights, not other cruises especially not those on lines other than Carnival) and am a bit confused. Has anyone else been in this situation and what did you put? Thanks!! :D

Too long, haha!! :loudcry: I have 268 days (according to MyNCL) until I board the Norwegian Star for the 1st half of what should be an awesome trip. We board the Star in Miami on April 22nd, 2018 for a 14 Day Eastbound Transatlantic Crossing to Barcelona, spend 3 days in Barcelona, then board the Carnival Horizon for a 14 Day Westbound Transatlantic Crossing that ends in New York. I'm super excited!!!! :D

Does anyone know which dining room they put each seating and experience in? I'm sailing on the Divina for Christmas and New Years this year and was just wondering if there is a way to know which dining room we'll be in. We requested late/second seating and have the Fantastica Experience (Deck 10 aft-facing balcony cabin if that matters). Thanks!! :D

We are Diamond. Do we still have to pick a check in time? This is the lst time I have ever had check ins (cruising on 9/23) so don't know the guidelines. TIA.

I'm Platinum and went through a port with Staggered Check In last year (Barcelona, not that it matters cause I think they all work the same). Yes, us Platinums and Diamonds do have to select a check in time but we can show up whenever we want (for example, we can still arrive at 10am even if we picked a 3pm check in time). :D

I saw someones photos of the lobster rolls they got from the Seafood Shack..and it did not look like real lobster meat.

 

I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada.. home of the most fantastic lobster rolls .. East Coast Atlantic Canada's finest !!

 

The photos I saw from the Seafood Shack did not look like real lobster? I mean.. the lobster meat seemed too 'white' ... where real lobster is like a slight off-white with some orangey/reddish tints here and there..

 

Has anyone had the lobster rolls? Is it real lobster or that fake lobster stuff you can buy at the grocery stores? When I cruise on the Conquest this coming September, I don't want to pay $12 for fake lobster.

I had the booster rolls on the Vista when I was onboard last year, they are delicious and defiantly real lobster meat (not Canadian or American East Coast lobster but it is real meat)!! :D I'm from Canada as well (I live in Burlington, Ontario) and have been to the East Coast many times (including the end of June/beginning of July this year, we were in NB for week and then went to Charlottetown for Canada Day and a couple days after) so I know exactly what your lobster is like. The lobster rolls on the Vista were just as good IMO and I'm very excited to have them again on the Horizon next year!! :D

We took Royal to Cuba. They seemed to be aware of the documentation requirements of the various passport holders on board. Even the differing requirements of Cubans, depending upon what year they emigrated.

Ok, thats good to know, thanks!! :D Do you think NCL would be the same? I didn't know Cubans had certain requirements for entering their own country (or at least, the country they came from). I'm not sure if we need some kind of travel visa to visit Cuba like the Americans do, that would be something I'd have to check out because if needed, we would have to get one of those since it has nothing to do with the cruise line and they probably don't care if we have one or not. Just curious, did Royal say what you had to do for the P2P requirements? I might be interested in joining in just for the experience!! :D

I've always wanted to go to Cuba and as a Canadian, I've always been able to with no restrictions. :D I just haven't gotten there yet. I started to go on cruises and any desire for a land vacation disappeared (something I think most of us here can understand), haha. Now that cruise ships are starting to go there, combining the 2 seems like a great idea!! My question is, would NCL know that I'm a Canadian and don't have the restrictions/requirements that Americans do or would I have to participate in the P2P activities/events since NCL might not know that we don't have to and I'm guessing they're responsible for making sure passengers fulfil/comply with the regulations? I am interested in getting to know the people and culture of Cuba so even if we don't have to, I might be interested in participating anyway. What kinds of thing are required for the P2P requirements?

Also, the ship. I've been on 4 NCL cruises (Epic twice, Breakaway, and Jade) and loved them all!! I know the Sky is a smaller, older ship but what's she like? Will I enjoy her after the other ships I've been on? I think any ship is good, being on a cruise sure beats being at home!! :D Does the ship stay docked in Havana for the overnight or do they sail away and come back in the morning? I was thinking they might sail at night so they can open the casino and shops (after all, they are in it to make money). It'd be great if they stayed docked though, that way you can go enjoy the nightlife on shore!! :D

Thanks so much from a Canadian who's very excited to get the chance to go to Cuba on a cruise ship!!!! :D

here you go

 

 

 

cabin 12226

 

 

 

 

Pete

Awesome pictures Pete!! :D Are all aft balcony cabins on Divina the same? I'm sailing on her for Christmas and New Years 2017/2018 in an aft balcony on Deck 10 (10277). Is this what our balcony will look like as well (size, furniture, shape, etc)? Do you have any pics of the inside of the cabin? Thanks!! :D

what is a cruise point? I'm Platinum and never heard of this

Um, that's how you got to be Platinum. By collecting cruise points (or VIFP Points). For every day you spend onboard a Carnival ship, you get 1 point (so a 7 Day cruise is 7 points). You have to have 75 points to become Platinum. Do you have an account with Carnival (you sign up on their website)? It'll have the number of points you have as well as a list of all your past cruises (along with a few other things). Haven't you ever wondered how you got to be Platinum?

Hello,

 

I am trying to figure out what I should put as my expiration date for the Loyalty Match Application for my Carnival VIFP status. Does it ever expire? If so, where can I find this information? Thank you to anyone who can help.

Just leave it blank, that's what I did and it worked just fine. Your Carnival VIFP Club status and points won't ever expire. :D

The nightlife was really good. The Galaxy nightclub was open to all hours with a different theme each night. I'm not talking about the first night where I wasn't sure what was going on there... message me I'm not sure if I can say it here.

 

There was also live music in almost every lounge and bar. All kinds, always something for someone.

 

There were different parties each day. One was the white, flower glory, Italy, two formals. And the galaxy matched themes with those. There was a fluo fluo party up there second formal night. Which is a backlight party. The cruise staff has color up there for you. It just takes two washes to get it off!

 

Activities included your normal cruise stuff including ballroom dance lessons. I'm a dancer but i made the mistake of going to them. They are taught in the standard style, I know American, big difference.

Great to hear about the nightlife!! :D I'm sure it'll be the same on a holiday cruise. I've been on a couple of cruises where the ship was pretty much a ghost town around 11pm-midnight, pretty boring in my opinion. Haha, that 1st night sounds interesting, I'd love to hear about it. I'm not sure how to private message you here but you can friend me on that social media site we can't mention here that starts with an F and ends with a K if you want (Avril Birnie - I have a picture of a horse and her foal as my profile pic) and tell me all about it there.

Live music is great as well!! :D As long as theres lots going on all night and lots of people around, I'll be happy.

The theme parties sound like fun!! :D I cruise Carnival a lot and they have a couple (as does NCL which I've been on 4 times) so I have an idea what those will be like. What did people wear for Flower Glory and Italy? I may need to work on those a bit. I have a perfect dress for White because of NCL's White Hot Party. Fluo Fluo sounds interesting/fun as well, what did they do for that?

Did they have any pool/deck games during the day? Those are always fun to watch!! Any deck parties at night? I always enjoy those. I'm not a dancer so probably wouldn't go to the dance lessons (although it might be fun). Since you are a dancer though, I'm sure you did fine at them!! Just curious, how is American Ballroom Dancing different than Ballroom Dancing anywhere else?

Was the food and drinks good? Those are 2 of the most important parts of a cruise IMO.

It'll be so much fun to try a new (well, new to me) cruise line, new experiences, and to make new friends, I'm so excited!! :D

Took way too many photos btw, would anyone be interested once I get them to my computer on seeing a 150+ almost complete photo tour of the ship?

 

Any questions?

I would love to see your pics of the ship!! :D I'm almost your age (I'm 32, I'll be 33 on June 11th) and I'm sailing on the Divina for Christmas and New Years this year, can't wait!! :D We have the same kind of cabin as you, a balcony (we're on Deck 10), Fantastica Experience I'm trying to learn as much about the ship and MSC as I can (it'll be my 1st MSC cruise). How was the Nightlife? Were the bars, lounges, clubs, etc really busy late into the night (or early in the morning depending on how you look at it) or were things pretty dead early? Being busy late into the night would be a positive for me!! :D What kinds of activities/events/parties did they have? I've been on 36 cruises (mostly with Carnival) so I'm really looking forward to a new experience!! :D

From what I can make out, when using the web check-in you can also upload your picture for security as it will save you time dockside at initial boarding. The web check-in also includes the information you mentioned, passport, address etc.

That's pretty awesome!! :D I've never heard of a cruise line doing that before (closest thing I've seen is when Holland America asked us during check in at the dock wether we'd like to have a new photo taken or use the one from our last cruise that was in their system). It doesn't take that long to take a pic at the dock of course but any time I can save that will get me onto the ship faster, I'll do it. :D Does it have to be a passport photo (or similar to it)? There are several places near where I live that take passport photos so maybe I could go and get one taken there and they can email it to me (which will make it easier to upload to the Web Check In system). What are the photo requirements (colour, no glasses, no smiling like a passport photo or is it different)?

What photo? Can someone please explain the Web Check In process? I'm sailing on the Divina in December (from Miami) which will be my 1st MSC cruise. I've cruised many times before and have never had to include a photo in Online Check In. All I've ever been asked for are things like Personal Info, Passport Info, Emergency Contact Info, Travel Plans (flight and/or hotel for both before and after the cruise), and Credit Card Number (or just to say you're using debit card or cash) for my onboard account. I've always had my security photo (that goes on my cruise card) taken either as I board the ship for the 1st time or at the counter when I'm checking in for the cruise. And to go along with that, what is the Embarkation procedure on MSC? Thanks!! :D

For Flower Power, think 60's and 70's floral garb. The wilder the prints and colors the better. Don't worry, lots do not bother to follow the dress for any of these special nights.

Thanks, that helps a lot!! :D I can figure something out for that no problem. I know lots of people don't care about or bother with these nights (at least, they don't on the lines I've been with and it sounds like MSC is the same) but I think they're fun and I like to participate and get into the spirit!! :D Will they have any special dress codes (other than probably being Formal Nights) for Christmas and New Years?

What bartender would serve an obviously underage child? Even I get carded and scrutinized by all the staff and I'm almost 30! I could pass as a teenager but still.

I'm the same way. I'm 32 but look at least 15+ years younger. I get quizzed all the time and always have to carry my ID with me. Although I find that on cruise ships, they tend not to ask for my ID. I think they can tell when they swipe your card if you're legal age or not. Most people assume I'm in my mid-teens and are stunned when I tell them how old I am. The things some people say and the looks I get sometimes can be pretty insulting (you should've heard the lady checking us in at the terminal for our last NCL cruise). I've been told I'll appreciate it later but I'm still waiting for that day to come, haha. This is what I was thinking about when I read that part of the review, maybe this person just looked a lot younger than he/she was. I'm sure there have been people on the cruises I've been on that were horrified when they saw the bartenders serving a "teenager" a drink whenever I gone up to the bar. It kinda makes me want to get my birthdate tattooed on my forehead, lol.

Quite often these dining times are assigned to you rather than you having the option to choose your perferred seating . It depends on the "experience " you book (ie. Bella , Fantastica , etc . ).

We booked the Fantastica experience and we were allowed to choose our dining seating. We choose Late/Second seating (which we do on all our cruises). We're also Gold in the Voyagers Club (got that through Status Match) so maybe that has something to do with it. Now, this is our 1st MSC cruise so I don't know if that's unusual or not, I'm just saying what happened with us.

For a 7 day cruise, the price is only 19.90 USD. I'm not sure what the package would cost on an 11 day cruise.

Thanks!! :D For a 7 day cruise, is that $19.90 for the whole cruise or per day? If it's per day, I'm guessing it's the same for an 11 day cruise, if not it's probably different (although that would be awesome if it was that price regardless of how long the cruise is).

I'm really looking forward to this review since I'm going on the Divina for Christmas and New Years 2017/2018 (it will be my 1st MSC cruise, I have cruised many times on other lines) and I'm also from Canada (I live in Burlington, Ontario). You're off to a fantastic start and I can't wait to read more (and see more pics). :D I'd love to see as may pics of the ship (both inside and out). What ports did you go to?