KeywestK

Congratulations, Clarea!

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Chops used to be consistently excellent. Then we had some pretty bad experiences and decided no more. Because we had OBC to burn up on Allure last December, we decided to go to Chops. It was outstanding! Had I paid the $49 pp out of my own pocket, I would not have complained. Food and service were both top notch.

With all due respect, the original question is not fair. We all agree that RCI offers many options regarding size, amenities, price ranges, and options for itineraries. It stands to reason that, for the most part, the smaller and older ships in the fleet will be relegated to the shorter itineraries. There are so many options, that by the time you factor in individual tastes and preferences, there really is no "right answer."

I have sailed on just about every class of ships in RCI's fleet, and while I prefer some more than others, there were none that were bad. Granted the older ships had some quirks that we had to deal with, but nothing that I would consider a deal-breaker.

Pick the itinerary you want to do, look at the ship that's being offered for that sailing, and decide for yourself if you want to do it. Don't go by other peoples' opinions. If it's a ship you weren't previously familiar with, you might surprise yourself and find that it is a great experience. And something different that what you are used to.

Have a great cruise!

Just want to add a situation we found ourselves in two years ago. We were living in a temporary housing situation while our new home was being built. All of our "dressy clothes" were in storage, as it never occurred to us that we would need them. We decided to book a last minute cruise, and then we realized we had nothing dressy. All we had were casual clothes and bathing suits. What to do for formal night? Very simple. DH wore khakis with a nice collared shirt. It was a little easier for me to pull together a little dressier outfit. He felt a little self-conscious for about a minute and a half, and believe me, we looked fine, and no one gave us a backward glance. So wear what you want, within reason of course, and enjoy your cruise.

If you opt for the Main Dining Room for breakfast, and if you don't want to sit there for a ridiculously long period of time, ask for a table for 2. Over the years, we learned that if we sat at a large table for breakfast, it's takes too long.

We avoid the Windjammer at all costs.

How calming it is to find somebody else looking far out. We have special dates in 2019 and 2010. First is just about to be booked, I already have an offer for that.

My husband thinks I am crazy. Now I can tell there are others, like me.

We're not crazy at all.....just excellent at long-term planning!😉😁

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We are booked through March 2019. Already picked my ship for 2020 when that opens up;)

LOL, I thought I was the only one waiting for Feb. 2020 bookings to open. Planning on celebrating a big birthday and a special anniversary on the high seas!:cool:

On our last cruise, someone was picked up by ambulance in Roatan. We were later told that that person would be flown home from a military base not too far away from the port. This made me wonder, do you seasoned cruisers buy supplementary insurance when you travel or are you covered by your already existing insurance? If you buy extra insurance, what should it absolutely include? I imagine the bill for something like that in Roatan would be rather big...

 

Thanks for any input on this. :)

Check out http://www.insuremytrip.com, put in all of your parameters, and compare different options for policies. Figure out what will work best for you and your travel needs, and make the investment. I would NEVER travel without insurance, whether it's a cruise or a land trip. Emergency medical evacuation does not come cheap. It's waaaaaaay more than the relatively inexpensive cost of the insurance.

I have been using packing cubes for many years now, and I wouldn't dream of going on ANY trip, long or short, without them. Besides keeping everything beautifully organized, it keeps everything clean and wrinkle-free--especially when TSA goes through my bags (which happened as recently as this spring!) Originally, I purchased two sets in two different colors for DH and myself (3 different sizes,) but found the large packing cube to be the most efficient. So I bought another set of 3 large cubes. Best travel money I ever spent.

Make the one time investment. You will be glad you did!

https://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/large-packing-cubes-3pc-set/48438?productid=1234149

I've read a lot of positive reviews about the ABC islands. Why do you think the Divina's itinerary is awful?

Sorry for the delay in responding.....first time I've been on since my original comment.

Yes, the ABC islands are excellent. We've been to all of them, and would go back in a heartbeat. We've been to Aruba many times over the years. The ports listed on this Divina itinerary are not appealing to me at all. We've been to all of them, and I'd happily pass on them in the future. I'm not a big fan of the Western Caribbean ports, with the exception of Grand Cayman, which unfortunately is not on this itinerary.

Certainly opinions are subjective.

Nassau: For the first time visitor there, it's OK. Anyone can always find something of interest.

Ocho Rios: Only go on organized tours. Do not wander around on your own. Do not take a taxi. Friends of our felt very threatened in a taxi. Our friends made an agreement before getting in the taxi for a driving tour of a specified amount of time for a specified amount of money. The driver totally disregarded their agreement, took them for a ride that long exceeded their comfort level, and charged them a lot of money. It was a horrible experience.

Cartegena: I honestly can't remember what we saw or did there, so I have to wonder how memorable it was.

Cristobal: This was the pier that we docked at on a partial-Panama Canal cruise. There was some shopping at the pier, but nothing much else there to see or do.

Puerto Limon, CR: We took a tour here, and there really wasn't much to see. The Caribbean side of CR is nothing compared to the Pacific side--or even the central part of the country.

As I said, these are merely my opinions, but I would never pick this itinerary. There are too many beautiful and interesting ports to go to. And the ABC Islands are winners, every one.

So they do not put a group together? Our 5 cabin reservations are linked together.

I think you should call MSC and see if you can get clarification about that. If your reservations are linked together, I'd hope you would all be seated together.

Based on itinerary only, it would be Navigator. The ABC Islands are wonderful. The Divina itinerary listed here is, IMO, awful.

You are correct. When booking the Bella experience, you may request your dining preference, early or late, but it will not be guaranteed. You must book the Fantastica experience to have confirmation on your preference. That said, I read somewhere on these boards that MSC will be rolling out My Time Dining late this year or early next year, which may be a good solution for you.

Enjoying your trip report very much! Thank you for everything you are sharing, as it is helping with my planning for our December cruise.

Hope your travels back to Sweden were easy and uneventful!

Very helpful thread. Thanks to all who posted.

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Thank you for a great review. It doesn't matter if you cruise "from the cheap seats," or in the most luxurious suite......any vacation is what you make of it. We did many of our earlier cruises on a very tight budget, and honestly, those were some of our best cruises. We are so looking forward to our first MSC cruise this year:):cool:

We've found the lounges are much less crowded right after early traditional dinner starts.

We also found that to be the case, which worked out great for us.

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Since this is a seasonal itinerary, it's very popular. When we did that itinerary, we booked it a year in advance to ensure our preferred cabin.

I'm just thrilled that I don't have to cook or do the dishes.

Exactly!

I've always found the pours to be generous.

Looking forward to reading more!

Thank you for your review! Sounds like a great week on Divina:cool:

Eagerly awaiting more! I, too, am trying to learn everything I can about MSC prior to our Divina sailing in December.:cool:

While many people love the mega-ships, many do not. We did not. I'm glad we tried it once, but I have no desire to ever do it again. Had we not had an ocean view balcony, I would have had little opportunity to experience and enjoy the ocean. The OP hit on so many of the same feelings we had about our Allure cruise--too scheduled, MDR was only fair, and we thought the Windjammer was abysmal. I always preferred "smaller" ships, and our Allure cruise only reinforced that opinion.

Another long-time RCI cruiser here, and we, too, are booked on our first MSC Divina cruise for December. We went with the Fantastica Balcony experience for a few reasons: mainly this allowed us to choose our preferred dining time, without worrying about them assigning us a dining time. Also, this gives us each 12 drink vouchers, which would be close to what we'd get in RCI's Diamond lounge each evening. Plus they're offering restaurant vouchers, AND status match to our RCI D-status. All in all, very nice incentives to try a new cruise line, which I'm really ready to do.

I agree with you--the customer service has been excellent. We are working directly with an MSC vacation planner, and he's been very responsive to phone calls and/or emails. So far I'm very pleased with the MSC experience. We're very much looking forward to our cruise in December.