Av8tor

From my only MIA cruise experience:  Don't depart or return on the same day as the Miami Marathon - road closures made it a MESS getting to/from the port!!!

I not sure, but I don't recall there being a notification of a received message on the MSC app but that might be because I hadn't given that app the proper permissions on my phone to do so.  Perhaps somebody else will chime in about that...

Sunset in NYC at the end of August is 7:30 pm.  It won't be too dark at 8, but still nice...

On 5/21/2024 at 7:09 AM, Notch8 said:

OK… at the excursion desk they had a display of an UPDATED map of Ocean Cay.  They didn’t have printed copies though…. but they did have printed copies of the old map.

 

I took a photo of what appears to be the updated map; compare to the old map.

 

Looks like many of the food trucks are gone.  Let’s hope “Seakers Food Court” is larger than it was before.

 

(First one is what I believe is the NEW map; second one the OLD map.)

 

Looks like they added more bars around the island too!

I'm surprised nobody on this thread has brought up that even though you can board a closed loop cruise with just a BC or EDL, you'd better not have an event that requires you to fly home from one of the international port stops since a passport is required for air travel...

Not doubting you, but I find it outrageous that insurance wouldn't make you whole for this.  Did MSC refund 100% of the cruise fare you paid plus give you 50% FCC?  Were you hoping insurance would cover the additional hotel, meals & travel expenses caused by the cancellation?

I'd think that would've somehow been covered.  The devil is in the details and policy fine print...

Wonder if you would have had better luck purchasing a policy on your own and not through MSC?

Ben & David thing???  My old grey matter is drawing a blank....🤔

7 hours ago, wgeddings said:

But there was a 15% “gratuity” added so it really cost $67.85.  The worker implied that she got none of that so where does it go?  This is not about tipping or not tipping, this is about being honest and open about pricing.  

 

 

 

Nice review, thanks.

Perhaps the spa employee said that hoping to get an "additional" tip?

No idea, but my experience is that scuba excursions are rapidly becoming a thing of the past on cruises.  Your husband is correct that the ship won't wait for any late self-excursions, not just scuba ones.  If the scuba provider offers dives for cruise passengers (some don't) and the port arrival time is early enough for the dives and departure is late enough to allow for a "safe" leeway, the dive operators are usually very good about getting you back to the ship in plenty of time.  Just be sure to confirm the dive shop's cancellation policy for missed port calls just in case the itinerary changes or the ship can't dock/tender.

I can see your point of view, but I disagree in your interpretation.  The passage you quoted is contained in an explaination of benefits given to Voyagers Club MEMBERS.  If somebody isn't a member, they don't get any of the benefits.  Seems simple to me and I think your reasoning is just wishful thinking...

You must be the only person sailing!!!  😁

Seriously, just start a new topic and create a roll call for your cruise. With only 2 weeks to go, you might not get many posts, but it's worth a try

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

According to the T&C that everyone is quoting, there is a second condition to the notification process:

 

"To qualify for the future cruise credit or refund, you must notify the Company via telephone at 877-665-4655 within twenty-four (24) hours of receiving the test result and no later than noon on the date of embarkation and provide verification satisfactory to the Company of test results administered by providers other than those retained by the Carrier"

 

Besides the notification (your phone calls), did you also provide verification (documentation) of the test results from the doctor?

 

If you did not provide the acceptable verification of the test results before noon of embarkation, you did not meet all the conditions necessary to be given a FCC or refund.

 

 

With the verification part of the requirements coming after the word "and" in the passage you quoted above, I read that as a seperate item NOT related to the "no later than noon" portion.  If they wanted the noon requirement to apply to the call AND the verification, they should have put the noon specification at the very end.

I think the OP is in compliance with what the T&C require...

mu .02

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Well, we have had a change of plans. After pricing out flights to Miami for the week in question, it was just going to be too expensive. My husband refuses to fly anything but Business/First class and round trip flights were going to cost as much as the cruise itself. 

 

...have you considered back robbery??  😄

Not sure if you can do that directly. However, you can add that OBC to a casino machine and then close it out to get cold, hard cash to use for tips or just fatten your wallet!

Talk about thread creep - what started out as MSC sailing out of LA has evolved to the for now scrapped plans for a new cruise terminal in Seattle.  Not that I mind...it's good to keep up on developments in the cruising world!

2 hours ago, Stockjock said:

I also see MSC Magnifica in San Diego on Feb. 3rd, 2026.  But it's a one-time stop.  Could it be headed to Alaska?
https://www.cruisetimetables.com/san-diego-california-cruise-ship-schedule-2026.html

Might just be me, but I doubt there's much call for Alaska cruises in February...brrrrrr!

I only saw it from Oct/25 through Dec/25 with 7 day cruises so maybe Mexico or west coast cruises?

Could find nothing for any of those timeframes on MSC's website or any other site.

It'd be nice to see some departures on the other side of the country for a change.

While the DL & BC may be OK for the closed loop cruise itself, just keep in mind that, without a current PP, you could run into problems if that person has to fly back to the US for some reason (illness, injury or cruise interruption).

I agree.  I don't THINK there is a restriction on bringing flowers onto the ship, but there are prohibitions against taking them OFF the ship.  Once on board, they have to stay on board and must be disposed off by the cruiseline according to proper protocols to avoid possible infestations/contaminations to floral & fauna at following ports.

6 hours ago, petuniaflower said:

Thanks, msc kind of lists it as having one by saying all ships except..so I was confused.

I hadn't seen that, but in my explorations of Seascape, both on the deck plans and onboard, I didn't see any such thing...

No tennis court.  If you check the MSC website, they have deck plans for all the ships and you can explore as you desire

11 hours ago, ConnieTact said:

There were photo opportunities with the stars in the promenade! 

Cat Woman or just your plain ol' Dominatrix??   Inquiring minds want to know...

4 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

 

There is an outside chance to catch a SpaceX launch on 1/17.  I say outside chance because that will be a manned launch and the safety standards are probably much more stringent.
 

Manned flight safety standards are indeed more stringent, but that probably doesn't apply to the exclusion zone for personnel safety.  That's to protect those on the ground & sea from spacecraft debris, not the astronauts themselves inside the spacecraft, so it sould be the same restricted area for manned or unmanned flights...

5 hours ago, GACruiseDad said:

 

 

I tried contacting my travel agency and they basically dismissed my concern and said MSC wouldn't over allocate a cabin because it was done by a computer and computers don't make mistakes...

 

 

I'd  be looking for a new travel agency!!!!

Nice review, but from its title I was wondering when Seashore started sailing from New York! 😲

Now I get that it was New Years...