alohayall

The rest of the story after the video was interesting - adds more impact.  The tidbit that the passports are collected for you to be left behind.

And what about meds or forms of payment you might have left behind?  Or you just wore swim attire off the ship.  Wow.  You could be left in a predicament that goes even farther than being left in port. As though that wasn’t bad enough.

Thanks for keeping us entertained with your adventures.  And the misadventures of others.

And if Homosassa had not posted, OP couldn’t tell us the irony of having gone to the town of Homosassa to get a Covid test.  
 

That’s a place I had never heard of.

• 19 hours ago, juancarlosgarciasanchez said:

  @alohayall

  Thank you

  Do you know if MSC currently requires a 48 hour negative COVID test to board their ships? 

  
  And notice that, just like Hobby3333 ^ asked - it is 2 days, not a specific 48 hours pre-cruise for testing.  You can test very early in the morning 2 days before a late afternoon departure.  For example, Thursday morning for Saturday sail-a-way.

20 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

How did you ever get the status matching approved? We can not get an answer. Thx for any info you can help with.

I sent mine in. A day later sent in my sister’s - which came through the next day.  I did mine again overnight and got an answer at business opening.

Many reports of delays in other people’s Status Match.  (Weeks, maybe months). I wonder if it is one person doing the processing - and not daily?  The other secret may be in what you send as proof of qualifying program.

I matched Disney Cruise Line - made a screen shot of the page that showed my name, membership number and status. It probably had the internet search date at the top.  
 

As with things MSC, sometimes it is just follow-through.  I actually have not had any significant problems with them.  They just don’t seem to have achieved a proactive, confident customer service corps that I grew up with from corporations.  
 

Good luck.  I think the free dinner (each cruise) in Butcher’s Cut + the % off cruise fare is definitely worth any effort to follow through.

They may be trying to determine what venues will be available from a staffing view.  I hear reports of Specialty Restaurants being closed on various cruise lines. 
 

I think it will be a wait until closer to sail date thing.  Which means more checking the website for you.  But it’s better than a ship with disgruntled dinners for 2 weeks.

Wishing you good luck and good food.

Butcher’s Cut on Seashore - it was one of the best Caesar salads and filets I have had.  The cheese rolls + butters were excellent, too.

Crunchy bits of Parmesan along with shaved Parmesan.

I couldn’t finish my Dining Experience meal at Butcher’s cut, so they boxed and bagged my leftovers. Leftover filet for breakfast was great.

Cruise enthusiasts that I listen to suggest vaccination will be one of the last things to go.  Masks, testing - would drop off first. Increase passenger capacity. See what the effects of all this is. And make sure the onboard cases do not require hospitalization, evacuation or major medical care.  They are showing that even with vaxed passengers (plus young children), they can handle Covid.  Vaccination until at least the end of the year.  As it has been since March 2020 - don’t expect normal again until / if it is. 

For my late November 2021 cruise, at 20 days, check-in was still not available. Maybe not even at 15.  It was a test in patience.  I did sail and had a nice cruise.  (After a long, hot, check-in and boarding process in Miami).

I found this YouTube video from Jan 2022 for a fairly recent tour of the ship.  It helped sell me.

(Not a link - go find it on YT.)

Thanks everyone for the clarifications on stateroom requirements for buying drink packages. I posted info from memory - but mixed up rules from different cruise lines.  

Glad to have a sharing community.  

7 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Just an FYI, North Star is free on port days but costs money on sea days. 

Thanks - yep, I had it backwards. On Sea Days, they take you out over the side of the ship. And Port Days, you only go up.  

Laundromats in Barcelona between cruises

From an internet search, there are some pretty nice self-service laundromats in Barcelona. One company I found is called Splash.  And there were plenty of others. A Google search brought up lots on a map of Barcelona, with reviews (with pricing) and photos (yep, that pretty much describes using the internet; mea culpa.)

From reviews:

Splash offers three sizes (and prices) if washing machines that run for 30 minutes; price 5-10 euros. Dryer runs for 15 minutes for 2 euros. And efficient in that time. (Hot? Adjustable?) Need to bring cash (perhaps 20 euro card can be purchased with card? But less hassle if prepared with money).  Washer has soap and softener included - and maybe only choice?

Open 8 am - 10 pm.  
 

You probably could drink some coffee or have a quick breakfast during the hour you need for doing all your laundry.

Some cruise lines spell out “Do not put CPAP machine in checked luggage.”  Possibly a liability issue. As we know, they are often ~$1k. I don’t think people would put many things that expensive in their luggage.  
 

But more important is the risk of not having a functioning machine the entire vacation.  
 

I often wonder about not having a back-up.  My only reassurance is how long- lasting our machines have been.

Airlines allow you an extra carry-on for medical equipment - they don’t want the responsibility for it, either.

I have bought two travel machines over the years - each to get a smaller unit. My current one is an automatic pressure CPAP; now it adjusts itself if my pressure needs change due to body weight change.

Included (per Royal Caribbean Website), where available

Ice Skating

Rock Climbing

Zip Line

Flow Rider

It also helps to know which class ship you are considering.

Quantum Class has the

North Star viewing bubble (sort of like a single unit from the London Eye on a crane). It’s been free on Sea Days and for-fee on Port Days.

iFly sky-diving simulator

Oasis Class has ice skating, carousel, zip line over Central Park (I think)

Lots of ships have rock climbing wall, Flowrider surfing.

…. As others have said, Beverage and Dining Packages are ship and date dependent. Find the highest price you see and use that to determine your final cruise cost and whether that’s what you are willing to pay. Then watch for an actual price drop on everything - including the cruise fare. Actual $ amounts - not % off.

Ballpark $80/day pp, every adult in your cabin to get a rough estimate on drink package.  Kids would also have to get some drink deal, too. Soda-only is ~$12/day.

While the prices may not be current?, they most likely have not gone down.  Here are some of the menus from RC’s website.

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

I think you need to have two dinner reservations each night.........Reserve 5:30pm and 9:30pm

Agreed. If your appetite (or stomach) is limited, focus on best quality meat and seafood.  Skip salads, potatoes, and rolls.  Hit Playmakers at noon for a juicy burger and/or wings.  And give that Fish & Ships lobster roll a try - and then you can report on it. 

I don’t think you can win the contest like the drinks on the beverage package.  
 

Should make for another Live from… report.

Found these times for Indy from a March 2022 3N cruise to Coco Cay and Nassau.

Boarding Day:

Coco Cay:

Nassau:

For my upcoming October Seashore cruise, here is what is offered:

This Butcher’s Cut offer has more courses than the Dining Experience offered in other packages and to Diamond Voyagers’ Club complimentary meal.

Here’s an example of the Dining Experience menu in Butcher’s Cut.
 

The Specialty Restaurants also have a la carte pricing on them, so it seems likely that you can just pay for those items you want, especially if you eat lighter.
 

Looks like you have cruised a lot on Carnival - did your Status Match get you Diamond on MSC - and your free Specialty dinner?

If dining at Butcher’s Cut, they have outdoor seating.  In December, a little windy, but very nice view on Deck 8.
 

from the MSC website (also Butcher’s Cut, opposite direction).

I didn’t discover the buffet’s outdoor seating until disembarkation day in Miami.  Nice area.

Is it the unavailability of a dining package or in making reservations?

Finding details online is a bit challenging, but I have found this aspect which might address some questions:

You do not need a pass for each person, but the person who’s name is associated with the pass must be present.  
 

And it offers you a discounted rate for activities.  

This is the offer for my Seashore cruise in October. For the price of $80, I would have $140 in credit to use on the listed activities.

I think the Interactive XD cinema is Virtual Reality goggles for simulated rafting and other activities.
 

On Cruisemapper deck plans, those handicap accessible cabins are designated as Aurea Balcony.  So, yes, they would have same benefits. Unless they have been re-categorized by MSC.

Glad they took your money. But what a frustrating process.

Hope you have a great cruise.