resstation

We will be on the Pride in late July. Our family has the T-Mobile unlimited plan. We wouldn't need to purchase wifi if we can use our smartphones when docked at the ports - is that correct? Or is cell service/island service spotty?

We were on the post drydock trip and did a cabin crawl but not to your room type. What room are you in - maybe there are some pics around.

 

From what we could tell, they put in new carpet, new beds and linens, and it appeared they put in new decorations and possibly pictures. Oh, and new pillows on the couches/chairs - don't recall if the couches/chairs were new. In our room the couch was new.

It is 8702 - I've seen older photos. Just wondering what may have changed. I wasn't sure if the refurbished only the suites on upper floors or all suites. I would also love to know if there is an actual view from the floor to ceiling window in the "2nd bedroom" area. It doesn't appear that there is.

Does anyone know what kind of refurbishment (if any) was done to the SI cabins? They are the 2 bedroom, aft (not the 2 bedroom with the weird layout).

So which is better right or left?

If you're interested in seeing the Napali Coast, port side is better (left). *You can remember port is left as both words have the same number of letters. At least, that's how I always remember.

Keep in mind - if you are using the connection to stay current on emails, you do not need to purchase as many minutes as you may think.

When you log in, let your emails load onto your device and then TURN OFF wifi to read them and compose your replies. Then turn on wifi to send them and turn it off again. This way you are not burning minutes while you're reading the emails and responding.

I don't usually utilize the spa services on cruises, but I will have a couple of days to relax onboard while my husband and son go on some exciting excursions on our Hawaii cruise.

Does anyone have any "must try" services? Are there services to avoid? Heavy upselling?

There is nice beach at the pier and is where the Ironman leaves from on the swim portion of the race. Lots of shops and walking around at the pier.

 

As for the Kahaluu Beach Park it's no more than 20 min. away and approx $20.

Excellent. Thanks so much!

Hello - We will be visiting Hawaii for the first time in early August and the only stop where we don't have an excursion planned is Kona. We would like to explore on our own. I know we tender from the POA - is it very far/expensive to get a taxi to Kahaluu Beach Park? And after we are done there, is there anything to see nearby - shops, restaurants, ect.... Thanks in advance.

Thanks very much!

I've been reading the posts and it looks like we will have plenty of time to disembark and get to the airport for a 12:20p flight - but I want to make completely sure I'm not missing something. We always carry our own bags off if that makes a difference. We'll be returning to port the first week of August. Thanks in advance!

I'll be in Yacht Club leaving next month on the Divina's repo from Genoa to Miami. I'm curious about the demographics in YC - nationalities of most passengers, ages, families with kids (hopefully well behaved), etc.

This would probably be a good question for an MSC rep to answer. We spent most of our time having a great cruise, not asking people their nationalities and ages. The children we saw in the YC were VERY well behaved - as were the adults. I heard people speaking several other languages - and I would say, from only the folks I noticed around me, 40's and up mostly.

I should add - just because we had very well behaved children on our cruise doesn't mean you won't get some not so behaved ones on yours, since the "population" changes weekly. It's just a toss up. Enjoy your cruise! You will have a wonderful time.

For example, last year in the mdr, we had formal, gala, flower power night, italian night, and the others I forgot :p

Oh, thank you. Now I understand. We did have formal night and I do remember Italian night - but I don't recall anything else. It is pretty low key there.

Hello YC specialists, i was wondering if the YC restaurant follows themes like the MDR? Thanks in advance!

We've only sailed in the YC, so I'm not sure what you mean by themes in the MDR. The first time we sailed out of Miami, Le Muse was "meh". After the fourth night we just wanted something different. The last time we sailed out of Barcelona and we couldn't get enough - it was superb. Not complaining, though. I wouldn't sail anything other than the YC on an MSC ship.

For such an important matter why wouldn't you CALL CARNIVAL DIRECTLY and get the answer?? I would also request that they send the information to me in an email that I can print out and have with me just in case. And I'd do that twice to make sure I get the same answer from both representatives.

And don't forget the specialty pizza restaurant! THAT was extraordinary - but if you go there, you pay. If you wait until after 9pm, room service will deliver to your suite FREE OF CHARGE.

What are the Eately and Galaxy if not speciality restaurants?

Oh THOSE. Haha. Always empty. We tried Eately on our first Divina cruise and it was an awful waste of money. Stick with Le Muse. We had the Sofia Loren suite last month. Perfection.

Hi Mike,

We are not new to cruising but have never sailed MSC before. Cabin 16008 just opened up for a Caribbean cruise. There doesn't seem to be too much information and what I find (brochure vs the website) conflicts. Do you know the dimensions of the suite? What did you not like about the balcony. Any and all information about the cabin/ship/entertainment etc would be so greatly appreciated. Did you eat at any of the specialty restaurants or was the Yacht club dining room really good?

Thanks for your help.

Wendy

There are no specialty restaurants - and if you didn't book the suite IMMEDIATELY I would not be surprised if it is not available.

I would like to see MSC come to Tampa or Port Canaveral.

YES!!!!! That would be the happiest news!

 

I had to take a photo and send it to my friends just to rub it in.....lol :)

Looks like we were on at the same time, enjoying our pillows! We boarded on June 10th. Terrific cruise and outstanding YC staff.

Taking a wild guess, you may be picking up on asafoetida, aka "Hing" in Hindi(?)/Punjabi(?), a very pungent spice with a distinctive smell. The smell can "get up your nose" quite easily, even for those who know what it is and have had it before in dishes. It _will_ clear your sinuses.

 

If it makes you feel any better, asafoetida was also burned, along with sulfur , gunpowder, and rotting fish :eek:, during the American Revolution in stink-bomb grenades for use in ship-to-ship boarding parties!

 

If you do find that Hing is your bete noir of Indian cuisine, from what I've found it is used in "Sambar" dishes, but also in various dals (lentils/beans/pulses).

Suggest you try some of the kormas, which are a milder cream-based sauce dish, and can be wonderfully delicate in flavors. Biryanis (rice-based dishes may be a good starting point. Dishes made with Jalfrezi seasoning might work. If in doubt, ask the cook or restaurant manager. Most of the tandoori dishes I've seen do not include hing in the spice mixture.

 

Here's hoping you find your happy medium, without asafoetida.

Thank you SO MUCH! I appreciate you taking the time to post this. Can't wait to try some Indian food!

I LOVE food - but I can't seem to get past the smell of certain curries. I understand that curry can be different ingredients and not all taste like that pungent smell. I feel about curry the same way my husband feels about cilantro. The smell kills me. BUT I have heard of some milder curries that are fantastic although I wouldn't know where to start when ordering. Can someone suggest dish that I can "start" with? What exactly IS the ingredient with that smell? If I can just avoid THAT. (Sorry if this has been asked - I didn't read through all the pages).

It didn't take us long to walk to the train station, maybe 15-20 minutes - no bus necessary (unless you can't walk) - which would also make walking the villages VERY difficult.

I don't think any cruise line comes close to offering what MSC does in terms of YC - it's amazing value!

 

How was the YC dining room? Did you get the names of the maitreD or sommelier, by any chance? We had a fantastic time on Preziosa last year and booked Divina for this year as soon as we got home! I wasn't letting her go back to Miami permanently without trying her out!

Definitely a great value. The dining room was even better than our first trip. Delicious. I can't remember the name of the maitreD or sommelier. Sorry. I know the sommelier was the same one we had on our March 2013 sailing. He's terrific. I'm so bad with names - I can call someone by name for an entire week and then completely forget the minute I'm not around them for a few days. I never forget a face, though!

I've never bothered with the pillow menu. I spend the nights onboard dancing until late - I suppose I'm too tired to notice the bed, pillows.......the cabin, even :D

 

If you're unhappy with the pillows (when not in YC) you can ask your cabin steward to replace them. Sometimes he/she can accommodate you. Otherwise you'll just have to upgrade to YC!

 

The pillows are notoriously bad on ships. I only started noticing that after reading complaints about them LOL! I'm sooooo fussy about the pillows in my home, too. People who stay with me often remark how great they are.

Usually I stay up and out of the cabin very late - but this last Europe itinerary put a big stop to that when we realized we had to be up by 5:30-6am most days for all 3 of us to get up, ready, breakfast, etc for the tours. Those Europe itineraries are so port intensive. Loved every minute! The Sofia Loren suite was fantastic and I would go again tomorrow if I could!! We are spoiled for the Yacht Club now after taking two cruises on Divina. I don't know how any other cruise line could even compare. We're going to Hawaii on the Pride of America next year and I'm disappointed there will be no YC. We did book a 2 bedroom, but I know it couldn't possibly compare to the service we received on the Divina.

We have been on the Divina in the YC twice and I follow the boards quite a bit but I haven't seen much about the pillow menu in the Yacht Club. I just want to say that it is TERRIFIC. There are 4 or 5 different choices listed on a card they have on the nightstand. Just ask the butler and he will get your choice. My husband and I tried two different pillows and loved them. Made the already very comfortable bed fantastic. Please don't ask what kinds of pillows were offered, I can't remember! I only remember the one I asked for was made of memory foam.