mattwright
-
Posts
449 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by mattwright
-
-
I do like the look of the MSC models. I just don't like that they don't match the style of all the other basic ship models I've collected over the years.
But like I said before, at least it'll stand out... for better or worse.
-
2 hours ago, Norwegian Cruiser 73 said:
You're welcome. They are only available in metallic finish on a wooden stand. But they are in my opinion far more accurate and detailed than Royal Caribbean and Celebrity models so I think they are very nice. I believe you will be happy with the model 👍
Thank you again for the information. You're right, they do look nice and detailed. I do like the metallic look, but I was thinking more about consistency when displayed with the rest of the model ships I've collected. None of the others are metallic or mounted on a base like that, so it will certainly stand out... for better or worse.
-
Excellent! Thank you very much for your reply and photo.
Are their model ships only available in a metallic finish? Or do any of them look more like the sample picture I posted above, kind of the standard ship models available on all the other major lines?
-
We have our first cruise with MSC coming up in May. I have collected model ships from our other cruises and am curious if MSC (or at least Seaside) offers similar model ships onboard in the gift shop?
For example, this is the style of model ships I have from Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, and Celebrity.
If you've seen - or purchased - these onboard MSC, just let me know.
Thank you!
-
1
-
-
Good pics of the menu and food options here. Any chance you'd be able to do the same for their offerings at other times of day? I've seen and read so little about this venue otherwise.
Thanks!
-
Back from Empress this past weekend! Here's the model and price. Still working on writing a review... have 50+ pictures ready to go :)
We got back yesterday from our great cruise on Empress. I just took my model ship out of the box to put on the shelf with my other ships and instantly realized something that didn't click when I originally saw your picture...
Because of the side of the base they printed "Empress of the Seas" on, the ship is backwards compared to every other Royal Caribbean ship model. With all the others, the ship is facing left when the name is facing forward. On the Empress model, as you can see in your picture, the ship is facing right when the name is facing forward.
The couple of Norwegian ship models I have also face right, which I've always thought was appropriate to set them apart like the NCL "rebellious fish" logo & slogan. So at least Empress won't be the only ship I have facing that way, but it's the only Royal Caribbean ship that does.
Just a little thing, but it's gonna trigger some OCD part of me every time I see it. :mad:
-
After reaching Diamond Plus with Royal Caribbean, I was very happy to jump ship. We've sailed with Norwegian and Princess so far and have Celebrity booked and likely MSC after that. The variety of other ships, lines, and itineraries continues to make the cruise experience more enjoyable for us.
Each line - and each ship within each line - has unique pros and cons that will create a different experience, and even just the process of comparing and contrasting those differences can be entertaining in itself. In our experience so far, even if we recognize more cons during the cruise, it's the pros that we actually remember more afterwards that form a lasting impression of the line, ship, and cruise.
-
Back from Empress this past weekend! Here's the model and price. Still working on writing a review... have 50+ pictures ready to go :)
Excellent! Thank you for the undisputable proof! I'm heading over to check out your review thread now, but thanks again for updating this thread too.
-
We were on Empress earlier in March. They did have the ship models in one of the shops. I did not notice the price though. Sorry!
That's good to hear. Thank you for the confirmation!
They better save one for me in May. :D
-
Most definitely!
I'm overdue for writing a review. I "take" here on CC, but don't "give." :D I'll change that after my cruise next week. Anything specific you want me to report back on (besides the models)?
I can't think of anything in particular. Since it's still 50+ days until we sail - and Empress will be based out of Tampa by then - I'm sure a lot of little things could change between now and then. Still, looking forward to your general impressions, pros & cons, and any comparisons between Empress and other ships (RC or otherwise).
Have a good cruise!
-
Great, thanks for the confirmation!
UMDelt, I'm hoping you'll come back to the thread when you're back from Empress with your own confirmation about the ship models.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about Empress in general. We're just back from ten nights on Royal Princess, so now we're shifting gears to looking forward to Empress.
-
This thread includes pictures of all Patters from the January 19-28 sailing of Royal, plus a good review, commentary, and pictures of the ship and ports.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2445700&highlight=royal
-
If we don't get a confirmation from another CC member, I'll certainly report back after our cruise on Empress in 3 weeks :D
Excellent. Many thanks!
-
I certainly hope they're available by now. We'll be on Empress on May 15, and I'd be extremely disappointed if I couldn't get a model ship. I've gotten one from every ship I've ever sailed on and would really hate to have a gap in the collection.
-
Thank you for this thread and all the pictures. We'll be on Royal Princess on March 10. Different itinerary, but it was good following the experience of your cruise, seeing the daily newsletters, and learning some tips and tricks along the way. This will be our first Princess cruise after 20+ with Royal Caribbean and a couple with Norwegian, so I'm enjoying learning what I can about Royal Princess so I don't feel like a total cruise newbie again.
-
Not sure bars are open 24hrs, it's been reported they do shut down! But agree it's Happy Hour as long as they are open!
I'll find out next week. From the recent Escape Dailies I've seen, there is a gap in bar coverage late at night after the Skyline Bar and Spice H2O Bar close at unspecified "late" hours. Then the Atrium Bar and Garden Cafe Bar start things off again at 7AM.
So you're right. 2AM - 7AM may be slightly less happy hours.
-
Hello,
is there a Happy Hour for drinks on the Escape?
Thank you.
All 24 hours, if you have the UBP. :D
-
Checking a few sites, I only see a schedule for Empress through late-June. Any idea when a full schedule of itineraries will be posted?
-
Lou, awesome pics and review... I noticed you ate lunch at The Republic a few times. Is this an expensive place for lunch? Is each item priced differently, or is it like Johnny Rockets on Royal Caribbean where you pay one price and eat what you want? thanks, John
It's priced per item. I found this in another thread about Escape's various menus and prices.
-
Does your tub require workers to wait around in case you want a bath?
Maybe if you're in the Haven...
-
Independence Of The Seas at Labadee in December 2008. Pictures of the ships at Labadee were so much better before they installed the pier.
Voyager Of The Seas at Labadee in April 2007, taken from the now-nonexistent Hideaway Beach.
Brilliance Of The Seas docked at Castries, St. Lucia in February 2013.
Adventure Of The Seas docked at Roseau, Dominica in April 2010.
-
No passport is required for this cruise, only a government issued ID and a birth certificate. So, how are we all getting off in Tortola without passports?:confused:
If you arrived at Tortola via ferry from one of the US Virgin Islands, you would need a passport for entry into the British Virgin Islands.
It's different when arriving via cruise ship. You rarely, if ever, have to show a passport except upon your return to the US.
-
For those who have taken the excursions boat over to St John, how soon after the ship's arrival at St Thomas does it depart? Is it within the first hour? Then what time does it depart St John relative to the ship's departure?
I've always done St John on my own to maximize our time there, but if the exursions boat offered a comparable timetable, we'd consider it just to avoid the trouble and expense of taxis to and from Red Hook at St Thomas.
-
You make a good point, as somebody that is only been on two cruises and I'm going on my third in November what is something that is on a Caribbean island that you cannot see or do through a ship excursion?
In 24 cruises, I've only ever done two official ship excursions - and that was the same excursion on two different cruises, which we did because it was the only way at the time to get to a private island (Isla de Pasion, Cozumel) for cruise passengers.
If you're only doing ship excursions, you are really missing out. You're only seeing the smallest fraction of these destinations through an extremely narrow, distorted lens.
A ship excursion is comparable to eating at a McDonald's in a place you've never visited. It's easy, familiar, and you generally know what to expect. Yes, it'll probably be mostly fine, and you probably won't leave hungry. But all around you are incredible restaurants where the food and experience would be far superior and unique – the kinds of places you’d be raving about to friends and family for the rest of your life - if only you had been willing and able to try something new when you had the chance.
Think you at least got a good deal eating at McDonald's instead of going somewhere else? In a real McDonald's, that might be the case. McDonald’s is cheap. But ship excursions are notorious for being far more expensive (the cruise lines mark up the rates so they get their cut; it’s just business) than doing the same or similar tours or experiences on your own. For example, see some kind of “beach break” excursion listed? Say the cruise line is offering it for $100. But on your own, you could probably go and have the exact same (or better!) experience for $30. And if that beach break excursion is listed as three hours, you could probably stay for six hours if you did it on your own. So you’d be spending less money but getting more time there. Win-win.
Beyond that, instead of wasting so much time at the ship or pier meeting the excursion group, taking roll, and getting herded into a bus with 50 people, you could have immediately gotten off the ship and gone to that beach with only those you’re traveling with. Similarly, if you’re on a tour, why spend the whole day on that bus with 50 people when you could be on a private tour with just a few people instead? At each stop, you’re getting out and taking pictures just with your friends and family, not with an additional 50 people that you’re waiting for to get on and off the bus at each photo stop. Again, that private tour will likely cost you far less than what you’d pay the cruise line, you’ll have more time to do it, and you’ll have more freedom and personal space to enjoy the experience without being herded around all day on the strict, limited timetable of the ship excursion.
In my examples above, I’ve just been talking about the advantages of doing the exact same tours/activities on your own instead of through an excursion. But the best thing about doing “excursions” on your own is that you can find so many more (and better!) things to do at these incredible destinations than the few things that are offered through the ship. Remember that example “beach break” excursion? Why spend the day on the beach with busloads of people from the ship(s) when, if you’ve done your research, you can find another better beach five minutes away in the opposite direction where you can spend the entire day and have it relatively to yourself? Or on a tour, private tour guides usually go out of their way to avoid the crowds of the cruise tours. They’ll make an effort to get to popular sites before the crowds, so you can enjoy that attraction, landmark, or scenic overlook with just a few people instead of dozens or hundreds. And private tours are also able to go more off the beaten path, taking you to destinations that the big cruise excursion groups can’t go to.
I will admit that the one big perk of doing a ship excursion is that you’re guaranteed not to miss the ship when it departs. But unless you really have trouble planning, organizing, and managing your time, it really should not be a problem to get back to the ship on time by yourself.
So yes, ship excursions may be the quickest and easiest way to do something at a port. But with the limitless resources of the internet, anyone can research a destination and find countless options of things to do and see without needing to be dependent on the restrictive, over-priced options that the cruise lines offer. And for those who can’t or won’t spend the time or effort in advance to find the best way to have the best experience in port, then I kind of think they deserve to spend too much money, be herded around all day, stuck in the crowds, and not having any idea what else they’re missing out on.
One final thought, related to the (hopefully accidental) schedule changes. If you've ever been to St. John, then you'd immediately understand why people would get so worked up over losing even one hour there. If you haven't been to St. John yet, then make an effort to go... just don't do it through a lousy, overpriced ship excursion. :D
MSC Seaside - model ships in gift shop?
in MSC Cruises
Posted
Thank you very much for posting those pictures and confirming the current price!
I'm actually surprised they're only $35 since they're metal, especially considering the standard models from other lines are usually sold onboard for that much or more (I think my last model, Norwegian Getaway, was $45).