Brighton Line

The bike tour operates in waves that start from different locations in downtown Manhattan not near the cruise port or your hotel. The travel north/uptown on 6th Ave in Manhattan to Central Park and 6th Ave a.k.a. Avenue of the Americas will be closed to vehicle traffic for its length as well as 59th Street or Central Park South is closed. From your hotel, an Uber or Cab could go uptown/north to the first Central Park Transverse Road at 65th Street to cross to the Westside of Manhattan and then downtown/south to the Port. Yes you will need some extra time as people will not know that 6th Ave is closed but you will still be able to get to the ship.

Last cruise in November the tent was is the closest bus stall to the ship in the middle row. Our Uber just pulled up to the bus stall next to it around 11a there was only one bus in the row. YMMV

The industry as a whole is shifting to room keys at the room. It is a saving to the cruise line by not bringing the keys ashore and having the port contractor search for keys that are in the wrong location and delaying boarding just to find or print another key as well as bringing ashore the equipment and supplies to make those keys. At least the passenger is aboard and the ship can sail while they address card issues.

So my lobster tail tasted terrible because the person at the next table was in a ball cap which he refused to remove? I wear a uniform at work and even when I volunteer so I don't want to wear one on vacation.

I just love not handing over my keycard everytime I want a drink in the Yacht Club. They have lounge butlers that aren't assigned cabins/passangers that know your drink of choice (bar staff anywhere else) and in your hand just after you sit down in the Top Sail Lounge. The YC staff generally feel friendlier that what I have experienced in the Haven and yes the YC MDR with different menu every day for lunch and dinner is way better than Haven's get old quick menu. Special orders do not upset them, if it can be made in the YC galley or you want something from the ship's MDR as long as you give them notice it will be there for you. And yes the pizza, you will get on board ship shape and leave in the shape of the ship.

Rent a Boston Whaler go to the shipwrecks, feed the fish, snorkel the reefs, find a beach or sandbar, do your own tour of "Homes of Rich & Famous".

It's simple, a License proves identity and a Birth Certificate proves citizenship exactly what a passport or passport card would do if you had it though you cannot fly with a passport card (valid for enhanced ID for domestic air travel if Congress does not push that back again)

Bermuda has one of the highest port taxes on the east coast after New York City, sailing between the two you are clobbered. On top of that the Bermuda tax varies during time of year and length of stay in port. It is based on 24 hours/night docked. Are you sure the $140? Is that total or per person? My past two cruises with 3 nights docked it was $150 a person and that includes NYC port taxes as those were the only two ports on the sailings. When we did not go to Bermuda and went to the Caribbean (the Cape and Nassau) from the $150 we got back around $79 in OBC for missing Bermuda if that gives you a data point.

Meravigila Deluxe Suites are all walk-in without doors even and rainfall showerhead with an additional handheld showerhead though both cannot be on at the same time. There are no tubs. The inside YC cabins have smaller showers with glass doors and no rainfall showerheads. I don't know about the two larger suites, I have not stayed there. I disagree Deck 16 is best as you can walk out of the Top Sail Lounge right into the hallway to your cabin instead of out the main door past the Concierge.

Half a pizza?? You do realize you are on a cruise, just be like everyone else and order 2 and throw out three-quarters of both pies.

Is your cabin number a YC cabin? Then you do not have to worry about what "experience" level you have on your documents. Even your keycard will say Yacht Club.

If it is a US port of call after a foreign port of call all passengers must clear customs so this means getting off the ship and doing so. This is not just for MSC but for any cruise line as the US Government requires. That's why Vancouver is not stopped on the way to Alaska 😉 only before the home port in Seattle.

It is not open the galley and most of the restaurant staff are ashore staffing the restaurant on the island. The buffet on the pool deck will be open for lunch, you won't have to go hungry or get in line with the reduced masses at the ship's buffet.

And there are Lounge Butlers who work the lounge but are not assigned cabins who I guess you could call bar staff at any other location on the ship.

Not considering it, but it comes up in the MyMTA App as one of the trips as well as MNRR to Subway and even Amtrak to Penn all in the MTA App.

And before we had the East River Ferry by Hornblower that runs a line that never enters the East River from St. George Staten Island to South Ferry and then to the west side to Battery Park City and Midtown West on the North River (Hudson) the water taxi service painted their boats to look like a NYC Medallion Taxi so Water Taxi was a named used. Still see some of those yellow boats around but I don't think they are run by the original company.

I've heard that the ship is considered full at the number of people that would be double occupancy in every cabin even if guests are not two in every cabin. That is the goal of sales (not counting any single occupancy cabins like on NCL). Purely from a sales aspect nothing to do with SOLAS or actual number of people in each cabin. Total different of the feeling of a full ship. Trying to get or return your silent disco headset and it taking almost an hour to do so would make me feel that the ship is behind full occupancy.

While wind is a big factor as the ship is one big sail, you also have a tide/current component the Master factors in. There is a "rescue ship" (says RESCUE on the side) stationed at the island that has tug boat capabilities from what I observed that can offer assistance but I've never seen it used just moored with a crew nearby the docked ship.

Not single ticket MNRR/LIRR ride which will come up on the train app.

MetroNorth from Connecticut does not go to Penn Station and Amtrak does not go to Grand Central. Phyiscally Grand Central Station is further north and east on 42nd Street between Park Ave and Lexington Ave. Penn Station south and west but if taking Amtrak arrival is in the Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station on 34th Street between 8th and 9th Aves. Address is 350 W 33rd St, New York, NY 10001. There is no connection between the two Commuter rail stations, though technically doable it would require multiple trains and a trip out to Jamaica Queens for a transfer back into Manhattan.

Check Amtrak out, if you purchase you can get fares less than what MetroNorth charges and you can have the crew call ahead for Red Cap service to help with your bags at Penn Station. There is service at Bridgeport BRP to NYP here is random March 3rd morning trips

Even closer I've walked with airline-sized check baggage to the C/E subway stop at 50th Street and 8th Ave.

This wasn't MSC but I reserved one cabin for Nephew and myself and wife reserved the other with her sister and niece. When I got to the cabin with my nephew so he could get his bags (yah we should have swapped luggage tags) the bed was set up as two separate and the Cabin Steward was doing his intro when I asked him to put the beds together at turndown. The look he gave us, stared at me then my nephew, went back and forth. I was about to ask a question, thought better of it, and said ok. We got a great kick out of that look he gave us.

Yes, I hope the person wasn't singing Frank Loesser's 1944 "Baby, It's Cold Outside"

Every PDF you get from them on the last page. FINAL PAYMENT IS DUE AS FOLLOWS: • 75 days prior to your cruise on cruises 4 nights or less (excluding World Cruise) • 90 days prior to your cruise on cruises 5-14 nights (excluding World Cruise) • 110 days prior to your cruise on cruises 15 nights or more (excluding World Cruise) • 120 days prior to your cruise on World Cruises & World Cruise Segments • All cancellations and/or requests for refund must be submitted in writing. Cancellation Policy - EXCLUDING MSC YACHT CLUB & WORLD CRUISE: CRUISES 4 NIGHTS OR LESS: • Cancel 74-51 days prior to departure: Deposit Non-Refundable • Cancel 50-31 days prior to departure: 50% of the total fare • Cancel 30-16 days prior to departure: 75% of the total fare • Cancel 15-00 days prior to departure: 100% Penalty CRUISES FROM 5-14 NIGHTS: • Cancel 89-61 days prior to departure: Deposit Non-Refundable • Cancel 60-46 days prior to departure: 50% of the total fare • Cancel 45-16 days prior to departure: 75% of the total fare • Cancel 15-00 days prior to departure: 100% Penalty CRUISES 15 NIGHT OR MORE: • Cancel 109-61 days prior to departure: Deposit Non-Refundable • Cancel 60-46 days prior to departure: 50% of the total fare • Cancel 45-16 days prior to departure: 75% of the total fare • Cancel 15-00 days prior to departure: 100% Penalty Cancellation Policy - FOR MSC YACHT CLUB & WORLD CRUISE: MSC YACHT CLUB CRUISES 4 NIGHTS OR LESS • Cancel 51 days or more prior to departure: Deposit Non-Refundable • Cancel 50-31 days prior to departure: 50% of the total fare • Cancel 30-16 days prior to departure: 75% of the total fare • Cancel 15-00 days prior to departure: 100% Penalty MSC YACHT CLUB CRUISES 5 NIGHTS OR MORE • Cancel 61 days or more prior to departure: Deposit Non-Refundable • Cancel 60-46 days prior to departure: 50% of the total fare • Cancel 45-16 days prior to departure: 75% of the total fare • Cancel 15-00 days prior to departure: 100% Penalty MSC WORLD CRUISE: • Cancel up to 60 days prior to departure: Deposit Non-Refundable • Cancel 59-10 days prior to departure: 75% of the total fare • Cancel 09-00 days prior to departure: 100% Penalty Please note that certain MSC Cruises USA promotions may include a new NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT requirement. These promotions are identified with 'NR' in the promotion name. For bookings with a NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT designation, a 100% cancellation penalty will be imposed on the applicable deposit amount charged at time of booking for cancellation and/or changes made at any time beyond 24 hours after initial booking.