3 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Which Amusement area? There is a basketball court, a video area, a water park, a ropes course.

The Fun Pass Package refers to XD Interactive Cinema, Formula Racers, and Flight Simulators to Video & VR Games, Bowling and Billiards as the Amusement Area on their website.

5 hours ago, Tierun said:

Are you referring to the game room? Water slides? Bowling?

The Fun Pass Package refers to XD Interactive Cinema, Formula Racers, and Flight Simulators to Video & VR Games, Bowling and Billiards as the Amusement Area on their website.

Amusement Area - Is it open on port days and also while docked at Ocean Cay? Does anyone have the posted open hours?

18 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

You will have to join us on Seascape! 😀❤️

Safe travels today!  We will be in your cabin soon.  So looking forward to it.. We will have our 2 granddaughters with us..

1 hour ago, APDMOM said:

Back from our walk - can you tell we LOVE MSC?  (Well, we love cruising in general, but MSC is special to us):

 

Note my “Made in Mexico” flip-flops in my hand 😁

Thank you guys for a great day by day update on your cruise!  It’s been fun following you!  Have a safe drive home! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  Thank you so much for your wonderful posts!  
 

2 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Jackpot!  At least that is how we feel about these balconies we found.  The only 2 beside each other that remained on the aft were 12344 and 12348.  

 

These are some pictures of the room itself - 12348:

 

 

 

 

With storage in the main closet as follows - standard for MSC balcony:

 

Thank you for these great pictures!  We are in this cabin (12348) December 18th.  We are following you on your journey.  Have fun!!!

Can the Specialty Dining Package be used in "Hola tacos & Cantina" instead of ordering from the Hola Tapas menu? 

30 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

After a disappointing experience on Seaside a few years back, we have decided to give MSC another chance with a short 3 night sailing on Meraviglia in Feb. 2023.

 

This time around it is only 2 of us sailing with the Fantastica experience.

 

My general question is "Should we try and talk to the Maitre D' upon boarding, and request a table for 2 or bite the bullet and buy the 3 night Specialty Restaurant Dining Experiences?" ( I am aware that these are not "full menu" dining packages)

 

Can you upgrade the experience at Kaito to the Hibachi? Or can you only get the sushi/tempura option? (we are not big seafood eaters)

 

Can you use one of the meals at Hola! or are restricted to only Butcher's Cut, Kaito and Ocean Cay? (a YouTube review suggested that you could)

 

Do you think the Maitre D' will be happy to accommodate our "table for 2" request? Reports here seem to indicate inconsistent experiences with Maitre D' attitudes.

 

This being our second time around with MSC, I am trying to avoid the circumstances that made our previous cruise with them less than desirable.

 

I don't really want to deal with a Maitre D' that will be combative. To me that kind of interaction is the opposite of the experience I am looking for on a cruise.

 

I am hoping to have a much better experience this time, as MSC's prices can't be beat and the ships are absolutely stunning. We would love to keep them in our "wheelhouse" of all the lines we currently enjoy sailing on. 

 

Thanks in advance for any information!

Good questions Island Dog.  We sail on the 5 day cruise, December 18th.  Would also like see answers to your questions................

2 hours ago, JAGR said:

We are sailing in a few weeks.  I just called MSC and booked both shows.  Got the dates we wanted and just need to find the show time we want when we board.  That saves the 15% service charge if you wait until the day.

 

Not sure about Aeroplex's discovery of a discount, at least on sailings out of Canaveral.  The discount did not show as available with the Specialty dining experiences.  There are so many experience levels for specialty dining on these upcoming cruises (3, 4, 5, and unlimited) that I think the offer may not be included.

Thank you for your information.  I just called and was able to book both shows!  

When can you purchase tickets for the Carousel Shows on the Meraviglia?  Just booked a December 18 sailing and as of now the 2 shows are showing fully booked.  Does MSC reserve some seating for onboard purchasing?

30 minutes ago, socialworker said:

I apologize for beating this old horse to death, but I'm still unsure if we need Pre-Travel Tests for our cruise departing Vancouver on 9/3/22.  We know we don't need pre-entry tests prior to our flight from Chicago to Vancouver, just the completed ArriveCAN form.  We also understand that we could be selected for a random test by airport authorities. But will we need to show negative test results (taken 48 or 72 hours previously) in order to board Royal Princess in Vancouver? 

 

I know Princess lifted testing requirements for sailings less than 16 days in length, but does that override Canada's restriction(s)?

 

Thank you all for your help.

 

 

It is very confusing.   We board the Royal in Whittier on Sept 10th.  Take a look at the Canadian Government Travel website: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/cruise.  

COVID-19: Cruise ship travel requirements

Pre-embarkation COVID-19 testing

Pre-embarkation COVID-19 testing
All travellers 5 years of age or older must have a COVID-19 test to board a cruise ship in Canada or to board a cruise ship that will dock in Canada at any point on the cruise. You must provide proof of one of the following accepted types of test results:

Proof of a professionally administered or observed negative antigen test taken no more than 2 days before you’re scheduled to board your ship
the 2-day window does not depend on the time of day the test was taken or the time that you board
for example, if your ship is scheduled to leave on Friday, you could provide proof of a negative result from an antigen test taken any time on Wednesday, Thursday, or on Friday
it must be administered or observed by a pharmacy, laboratory, healthcare entity or telehealth online service
the test must be authorized for sale or distribution in Canada or in the jurisdiction in which it was obtained
Proof of a valid negative molecular test taken within 72 hours of your scheduled boarding time
for example, if you’re scheduled to board at 11:00 am on Friday, your test must have been taken any time after 10:59 am on Tuesday
it must be administered or observed by a pharmacy, laboratory, healthcare entity or telehealth online service
the test must be authorized for sale or distribution in Canada or in the jurisdiction in which it was obtained

22 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Thank you!  Understand!

Fully vaccinated US citizens arriving in Vancouver on the Royal Princess.  Will embark in Whittier on Sept 10th and disembark in Vancouver Sept 17th.  Must we furnish an antigen covid test?  It seems confusing.

7 hours ago, gvre said:

Just off the Majestic on Sunday and they did the Chef’s Table.

This was our 5^th Chefs Table and our least favorite. No Lamb chops or sliced beef tenderloin. They gave us a veal chop that was very chewy, a rubbery lobster tail, and sweet breads.

Rest of meal was great!

Thanks for your response.  We will be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary and would like to experience the Chefs Table on the Sky Princess transatlantic this November.

Is the Chef's Table being offered on the Regal and Sky Princess at this time?

On 7/18/2021 at 6:09 PM, wowzz said:

Which is why us Brits are tearing our hair out! 

Just policy made on the hoof.

 

Wowzz....Same here in the States.  Policy made on the hoof and who do you believe????

12 hours ago, jwattle said:

Since you first posted about your balcony upgrade, we've been reminiscing about everything balcony that we love: everything from the quiet times gazing at the water, morning, afternoon, night; reading quietly; sharing a breakfast; having the Ultimate Balcony Dinner (do it, it's AMAZING!); looking at sea life. Anyway, sea days or port days...balconies are a favorite of ours, no matter the time or the weather! Also, once yours is assigned, and you see the category, check back in; we can all help with input on the location, and if there is a more favorable location. Once you're assigned, you can always request a move within that category if it's available! 😊

Agree, the Ultimate Balcony Dinner is amazing!!  Highly recommend the experience........

1 minute ago, 1965 said:

I did it! 😁

Good for you!!!  Enjoy your cruise!  We're on the Sky Princess November 5th crossing.

13 hours ago, 1965 said:

Our inside dropped from $949 to $809.  I'm a little conflicted because that is a fantastic price. But I'm thinking I may never again get such a good price for a balcony. We're retired public school teachers on a very careful travel budget, so have only had one balcony cabin 2 yrs ago on an inside passage cruise. I'd love to surprise my DH with a balcony. 😊

Surprise him!  You both will  be glad you did.  We've done 4 west bound Fall transatlantics and have enjoyed our balcony cabin on all of them.  Of course there will be times that you may not be able to get out on your balcony but hey, that happens even in the Caribbean.

8 hours ago, Cruisin' Firerunner said:

We are fairly new cruisers (only one as of the time of this post) and have never been on Princess before. I have booked a 2023 Hawaiian cruise for my wife and I, and while the actual cruise dates fall on my birthday it will also be our 30th anniversary a few months after the cruise. So this has me wondering.... since the unofficial reason for the cruise is to celebrate a major milestone together, would it be wrong to list that as a celebration in the booking also?

Nothing wrong with listing your 30th anniversary as a celebration.  It is the reason for the cruise.  My wife and I will celebrate our 50th in December and we're taking a Nov 5th transatlantic cruise as a celebration.  We listed it on the booking..............Do it and enjoy your cruise!!

On 9/12/2018 at 6:14 PM, oceanlov1 said:

I just got off the Paradise and did the overnight in Cuba. Have been on Paradise 3 times since the dry dock. It is a really nice ship and I think you will really enjoy her. I probably shouldn't go here, but the CD Brandon was NG(no Good). I have sailed many many Carnival cruises, but this guy needs serious improvement.

 

Cuba was special. There is something about it that just grabs you. The people were all very nice despite there living conditions. You will see what I mean. I cannot wait to go back to Havana.

 

Have fun!!

Happy Sailing!

We are on the Paradise in April 2019.  Did you purchase CCL excursions or private excursions?  Also do you know if there were folks that checked "Support of the Cuban People" on the Guest Affivadit and disembarked on their own?

What you say makes some sense. For the last 4 or 5 days the AIBP has not been available in the cruise personlizer. If you want the package call Princess today, maybe it's still available at the current price. The soda & more package is available on line @ US$8.05/day. Doubt there are any changes.

Called Princess this morning and agent confirmed Princess was in the process of rolling out a new all inclusive drink package but did not have any information on the new package. We were able to purchase the all inclusive package at the current price. We do not sail until late February.

Thanks for the great information and all good for consideration! The balcony on the Grand mini suite is really spacious, but we know on the Regal the rooms and balconies are small, and we wouldn't be getting a mini suite on this ship. Is sailing on this ship in a regular balcony cabin worth giving up the personal space? My husband is leaning towards the larger balcony, but the beauty of the Regal is really calling to me, and he's willing to do either one.

We are trying to decide between a 10 day Mexican cruise on the Grand...we have a deposit on a mini suite....or a 14 day western Caribbean on the Regal. The port itinerary is not of much importance, but the ship is, and we have not been on either ship. Any suggestions, pros and cons of each ship? The balcony on the Grand is hard to pass up, but so is the beauty of the Regal. Unfortunately we can't do both.