Sixtytwo

We did a New York to Rome TA on the Gem in April '22 with about 900 passengers. We had a great time! NO LINES anywhere! The vibe was good, but after a few days it did seem strange that we never waited for anything. No lines. No pushing and shoving to get on/off an elevator. Shows were, more or less, sit anywhere. Truth be told, it really was strange.

Hmmm...I am a bit confused by some of the responses about rebooking. Last week I saw the Labor Day "event" and thought I would see if we could upgrade from our inside to a balcony. Well, it took two phone calls with MSC to get it done, but we were successful! We have a balcony and our fare price went down (!!!) by about $300US. It may have just been my lucky day, but it worked out well for us! 🤷‍♂️

The Gem has shows in the evening, trivia in the atrium every sea day, bingo, it has a casino on board. Depending on how many sea days you have, you will likely find that meeting other passengers is really easy. We always enjoy meeting folks and getting to know them. My best advice is to just relax and enjoy your cruise.

As Green posted, we truly loved Cadiz(Seville)!! We spent the time there just walking around the historic city, enjoying people watching and the peaceful atmosphere. We found a little square and a sidewalk restaurant and enjoyed some great eats and more people watching. 👍

Very quick...NO. We live a little to far from any port to make such a short cruise a value. If we lived a couple of hours from a cruise port, we might consider it as a needed mental break.

Hmmm...In the casino on a recent NCL cruise, you can put cash into the machines but you get a paper "receipt' showing how much money you have on your casino account. This can then be taken to the cashier and redeemed for real money. But, I never saw any other transactions on the ship where cash was used. Everything was done on the sail and sign card. I will be interested to see how others interpret your question and address it.

Not an insurance pro, barely an amateur, but one thing we did on our last TA was to purchase med evac coverage. If it is required at sea, it is EXPENSIVE based on a few posts found somewhere. Hank, I know you likely have some experience in this area, what are your thoughts on the medical evacuation coverage?

I would agree with what others have said. We have only done one MSC cruise on the Meraviglia but have another booked in January. We did find the MDR food at dinner to be a little lacking but we never did without food! There are lots of good things to eat and I have serious doubts anyone, regardless of food preferences, will go hungry. However, I fully understand that not all reviews are written just to please me and some are truly someone ranting because some minor issue upset them. Go! Try it yourself and decide if a second cruise with MSC is in your future.

I can understand the financial issues being faced by cruise companies. I am reminded every time I check my NCL stock! Thanks for the info.

Hank, is Virgin already trying to get out of the cruise business or is much of the chat less than factual? Bur, come to think of it, I have not seen very much ad space given to Virgin lately. 🤷‍♂️

For itinerary, I like #1. For price, which I am always conscious of, I would choose #3.

hobo, if it is not on the booking pages, you will likely have to call RCCL and talk to an agent who should be able to link the two reservations. Just a guess since we have never sailed on RCCL.

Maybe On Board Spending?

Just a friendly FYI...be sure what you keep to carry on includes anything you will need between boarding and the arrival of your luggage at your cabin. Meds? Change of clothes? ID? Boarding documents?

Used to be that anything that would fit through the scanner is OK to carry on.

The rule that I remember is anything that will fit through the scanner is OK to carry on. 🤷‍♂️

Not sure why you would want got "overcome" the requirements. If you find a pharmacy or clinic in Dubai 3 days prior to sailing that will administer the PCR test, I see no reason you would not have results back prior to boarding. Maybe the situation is totally different in Dubai and test are not given the same as in the USA, but try to Google "PCR test in Dubai" and see what you come up with. Good luck!

I looked at Jiffy Jeff and it looks very reasonable unless there are only 2 people and it goes up...way up! I believe it is cheaper to Uber or Lyft and very likely just a convenient.

Good deal! I sounds like I need to touch base with you for help if we land in Rome again! 😁 You have likely been to Trastevere but that is one of our most favorite places in Rome. Good luck on your cruise and I hope you have a wonderful time!

If this is your first visit to Rome, I highly suggest doing a HOHO. Rome is a large city and some things are fairly far apart so trying to see "everything" will be most difficult. If you do decide on the HOHO, make the entire "loop" the first time and figure out what you want to see. Then go around again and get off at those stops. Between the time to get from the port to the city and back, I would guess you will only have time to see a limited number of sights. Good luck and I hope you love Rome as much as we do!

Hank, I have followed your post on CC for a long time and I can honestly say your advice is always right on! Thanks for many years of advice on so many cruise topics! 👍👍

Try doing a You Tube search for videos of your ship and cabin. It is likely you will find at least one video that will show you the exact layout. I would not place total trust in what someone tells me on the phone or internet.

It does look like a lot to get done before December! Hope everything is done an working before Jan 8, 2023! 😁