Neotericisis

@Hydrotx thanks again. This was a great help. I appreciate you taking the time to post everyday. 

On 3/16/2024 at 4:27 PM, P27159 said:

I understand why they have cut offs, but have found for the other ages they tend to be flexible.  I wonder if they will see my 18-year-old girl, who could probably pass for 15, and look at her differently than say an 18-year-old boy that looks like a man, and there may be concerns about preying on younger girls. I guess the only way to know for sure is to find out once we’re on board, but was wondering if anyone had this specific experience that can comment for sure one way or the other.

I have the opposite issue. My son is 14, we sail next week, and he will be 15 in July. I am going to see if I can get him into the teen section because he is a High School freshman who is 6ft tall and 220 lbs. I posed this question here and the responses said that it could go either way. I’ll let you know after I come back if I was able to bump him up to the teen section. I don’t understand why they have the youth group stop at 14 since that is High School age. My son would feel very awkward with the Middle School group. Plus he would stick out like a sore thumb. I plan on requesting manager approval if they deny my request. 

Im on that sailing. Its sold out (its Spring Break so Im not surprised). Im guessing they are booking guaranteed cabins at this point so I agree with calling to see what they can do about an upgrade. I did get the upgrade offer email a few weeks ago but did not do it because I am traveling with my sister and we have next door balconies.

See you on the ship! 

This is great! Thank you so much @Hydrotx I sail on March 24th. We have the same itinerary with Port Canaveral on March 26, Ocean Cay on March 27, and Nassau on March 28. 
 

Any details, tips, tricks? How is the weather and the temps on board? This is pretty early in  the year for me so Im expecting the first 2 days and the last day to be chilly (although today is 69 and tomorrow is 72 in NJ). 

I would sue. Your case is pretty clear cut and you can likely file the Complaint in court yourself (its not worth hiring an attorney). In my state it is $50 to file. I would add on the fee to file in your damages. Im assuming it would likely qualify for Small Claims Court so thats normally a super simple Complaint format and most Courts have free downloadable packages with forms and instructions. I know this must be super frustrating for you. 

On 3/8/2024 at 11:50 AM, Frequent_Cruiser said:

 

Thank you so much for posting the menus! I truly appreciate it. 2 more weeks to go. This has been a crazy week (death in the family etc.) so this has been a big help for me. I really need this getaway. 

Hi guys, 

Does anyone have  MDR dinner menus for the Meraviglia 7 day cruises out of Brooklyn?
 

I am sailing on March 24th and the ports are Port Canaveral, Ocean Cay, and Nassau Bahamas. 
 

I would like to book some specialty dining restaurants, but I want to do it on nights when the MDR menu isn’t the best. Its my understanding that day 2 is the elegant night, so we’ll definitely be in the MDR that day. I know its best to reserve dining as early as possible so knowing the menu ahead of time would greatly help.
 

I have a balcony Fantastica cabin on the 12th flr., so unfortunately I won’t have access to Aurea or YC perks. 
 

Thanks!! 
 

14 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Wow,

Given his build and such they will more than likely let him in because 12 year olds would be intimidated. 

He needs to be a "non" gentle giant for a few minutes when you make the request.  Rough and tough don't belong with 12 year olds.

I would love to see him act tough lol!!!! His little chubby face would make me bust out laughing. But I think you’re right that his size will make them make an exception. He is literally a defensive lineman on the H.S. football team, he probably would take up a whole cubby in the youth section on his own. 

4 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

With MSC, things generally aren't set in stone. Some lines (like NCL) are strict with ages but MSC is more likely to look the other way for something like a couple of months.

Im hoping so. He is very noticeably a High Schooler and would not fit in with middle schoolers given his height. Hanging out with me and his aunt wont be fun and I don’t want him out on our balcony playing with his ipad all cruise. The arcade may help with making friends, but he is very shy, so having an organized way to meet kids his age would be much better. Thanks for your help!

2 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Are you in the Yacht club? if so its basically a done deal.

 

You might run into the bracelet issue based on color. We have had a five year old and a seven being given different colors on Seaview but Meraviglia they had the same color yet different clubs

 

If not then that will depend on the number of kids. If you are sailing a vacation week it may be tough.  I sailed with my other young grand kids last year on Meraviglia and his birthday was only 2 weeks away and it was a no. I spoke to the YC concierge and it became a yes. Funny thing was after 20 minutes they did not want to stay and did not go back.

 If he is allowed tell him to keep his age quite while with the older group. 

We’re not Yacht Club unfortunately. Its a Spring Break sailing so I expect it to be packed with kids. He is 6 ft tall, 220 lbs, and growing a baby beard/peach fuzz so hopefully they will see my line backer son and make an exception. He would stick out like a sore thumb with 12 year olds. He is a gentle giant and quite shy, so I hope they accommodate him. 

Hi guys, 

We are traveling in March and my son will be 15 in July. He is a Freshman in High School. He does NOT want to be with the 12-14 group. I saw tours of the teen club online and I agree he should be with the teen group given the amenities and vibe of that lounge. The 12-14 group area is geared towards Middle School. On Carnival we were able to change kids club groups in situations like this when we traveled with his cousin who was close to his age. Does any one have any experience getting bumped up to the next kids club age group? 
 

Thanks for your help. 

3 hours ago, tammyjw305 said:

 

Oh, our Spring Break is March 10th-17th instead. I guess it is better if they spread Spring Break crowds out some. I should have been more specific. Have fun on your cruise!

 

Tammy

I’m actually a little nervous because though we are in NJ, NYC’s Spring Break is the 24-31 so public school kids will be out. I hope its not too crazy since its a NYC port. I’m hoping my 14 year old son will meet some nice kids since its just him and parents are uncool lol. I’ve heard that the Brooklyn port had some kinks since it was fairly new, so I’m hoping its all ironed out by now (I saw a video with an almost 3 hour embarkation wait at this port!). They now have scheduled check-in times so I’m crossing my fingers. There are still some cabins left, but the prices are still affordable so I’m sure it will be at capacity by the time of sailing since NYC is so populated. 

On 12/22/2023 at 1:34 PM, tammyjw305 said:

Thank you for sharing! I'm eager to read your first review too. We are taking our 2 teenage boys over spring break year and trying MSC for the first time. Doh, my husband like the tea. The weather may be better, but there will be lots of people being spring break time. 

 

Tammy

Hi Tammy! We’re on this ship for Spring Break too! 03/24-03/31

1 minute ago, mnpurple said:

I just used this to purchase excursions. I'm hoping to get the credit. I wish they had some kind of confirmation and it didn't take a few billing cycles to know if you get credit. 

I agree. My sailing is in March, so I won’t know if I got the credit until a month after my cruise lol! 

Hi there! 
 

My Capital One Venture card is offering a $44 statement credit for MSC bookings. It doesn’t specifically state a purchase limit, nor that it needs to be for new cruise bookings, so I’m going to try to apply it to my wifi package. We’ll see how it goes! Just thought I would pass the discount notice along in case anyone else can benefit. (I did a search and did not see it previously posted). 
 

Here are the details from Capital One: 

I’ll be on this ship out of Brooklyn on the March 24-31 voyage- when are your dates? I have a similar concern as we’ll still be pretty north for the first sea day. I am seriously considering making it a spa day. The deals aren’t too bad for a basic massage if pre-purchased ($102 online for a swedish massage, I think thats not horrible), and its my understanding that you get access to the remainder of the spa if you book a service. My trip is during Spring Break so the ship will be packed. I don’t expect much from the solarium area on the first sea day. 

Thanks for this question! I didn’t know it was possible to move balcony dividers and my sister and I have side by side balconies for our upcoming cruise in March. I’m definitely going to inquire about this! 

This is why I bring my own pop on board plus I drink Pepsi. I dont care coke or coke products. 12 pack of Pepsi will last me all week on a cruise. Free lemonade and free soft vanilla ice cream mixed half and half makes for a great copy cat Chick-fil-a frosted lemonade. these 2 things and some mixed drinks is all i need.

Never thought of doing the "frosted lemonade". I will be trying it this August though!

This is cute!!! We haven't told our children either (DS 8, DD 9). When we went to Disney last August I went over board with buying stuff (even got monogrammed beach towels with matching bathing suits!) and ended up putting it all in 2 boxes (1 for each) outside by the mail box. I got a stock photo of a clip art mail box and cut it into puzzle pieces. I made them go on a scavenger hunt with each clue leading to a different piece of the puzzle (It was like 8-10 pieces). The last clue was the mailbox's face so they really had no clue what it was. They then went out to the mailbox and there was a letter from Mickey and the gang which detailed that they were leaving for Disney early in the morning (we wanted to tell them the day before because new tablets were part of the package so they needed time to program them). I was hoping for a BIG reaction, but I think it was just hard for them to process. They were just shocked, LOL. They were more interested in their new toys/gadgets and it really hit them once we arrived.

This is their first cruise and all they know is that they are going out of the country, they don't know if its flying, driving, or cruise. My son over heard me talking about the Bahamas so I keep trying to confuse him LOL. Hmm, we are driving to Charleston from NJ so maybe I'll fool them and say we are driving to Mexico! With my luck they'll probably be all excited for Mexico and be disappointed that its now the Bahamas LOL! Maybe I'll say Canada, but they may pick up on the fact that we are headed south :confused:

Let us know what you decide to do for the big reveal!

I was on Fascination back in 2004 and loved her then. The mere fact I'm looking forward to sailing her again should tell you a lot! She is due for refurbishment between January 31 and February 17, 2018. So, for me, she'll be almost new when I'm on her next.

Great! She'll probably end up like Ecstasy (which we will do in August)- a Fantasy Class ship with Alchemy, Red Frog, Blue Iguana, and Guys. With these additions I think she will be awesome! I don't particularly like the bigger ships too much, as while the amenities they offer are nice, they don't necessarily justify me having to deal with the extra crowds.

Cruising can definitely be an addiction, welcome.

Grand Turk - a great beach day, walk off the ship and sit on the beach. OK, snorkeling right off the beach. Walk to the left and you will run into Jacks Shack.

San Juan - one of my favorite ports. The forts are wonderful. $10 gets you in to both and they are very different. Old San Juan is walkable, it is only seven square blocks, but it all seems uphill. Find the San Juan Gate, and also tour the Cathedral, it is breathtaking even if you are not religious. Casa Cortes is a restaurant where everything has chocolate in it. I had a chocolate grilled cheese that was amazing.

St. Thomas - a lot to do. If you like marine life try Coral World, and Coki Beach is right next to it.

 

You are very smart to fly in the day before, definitely cuts down on stress. Some hotels have a shuttle to the port.

Cheers is worth it to me, since it includes almost everything. (oh those adult milkshakes...yum.) Tips are included in the price.

 

What ships are you looking into?

This is exactly what I was going to say!

I've never been to Amber Cove, so I can't comment too much on it, but I have been to Puerto Plata in DR and its my understanding that the beaches are on the same side of DR. Given this, I would skip the beach and do something else like zip lining or parasailing, or even that 27 waterfalls excursion. For San Juan definitely do your own thing and tour the forts, get some yummy pina coladas, and hit a bar up with nice salsa music. In St. Thomas, Coral World has some nice excursions (Helmet Diving was so professional) and Coki beach is wonderful (I've been there a few times, I always get some locally caught fish steamed for me, my husband likes it fire roasted- so good and FRESH!). Jack's Shack is great at Grand Turk, but if you want to do some touring, you can rent golf carts for cheap. I like Coki beach better than the sand at the Grand Turk port as it is more powdery and has great snorkeling.

We sailed this ship in March and had a great time!! Would do it again in a heart beat and definitely recommend. Sorry your AC didn't work well! That would definitely make things a little uncomfortable. But as far as the ship, I have to disagree. Yes, it is an older ship but has been maintained nicely in my opinion,

 

Donna

I am "dittoing" this simply because she is an older ship, but clean and the service was really good. To each their own, but lower than 75 and I'm in Antarctica. Sorry to hear the OP wasn't happy. I just don't want others to take this opinion as the same for all.

We had fun, but I've gotta admit, not only is she old, but there are many amenities on other Fantasy class ships that she still doesn't have (alchemy bar, Guys, Red Frog, Blue Iguana...). BUT it's such a port intensive itinerary that you don't spend much time on the ship. The fun team is really awesome and we enjoyed the shows and comedy (I was chosen as the Diva for one of the shows- you'll see what I mean when you go). Lots of fun. An older ship with kick butt ports is worth it. You'll have a blast!

The lanyards from the casino are coils and don't hold up well. I have one from the Behind the Fun tour and one Carnival gave me. My son lost his card 3 times one day so I got him a lanyard and that didn't happen again. I don't get people thinking they are tacky.

 

Many times they now come with a pre punched hole. I take my own hole puncher in case it isn't.

I agree, the casino ones have too much elasticity. They are purposely built that way though so you can clip it on to you and it can stay comfortably in the slot machine. Many land based casinos have the same thing and I always see die hard slot players using them so they don't forget their card. If I ever forgot my lanyard at home I would buy the most basic one I could find in the gift shop. The prices actually aren't bad, a basic one is around $4 or so. They have really nice braided "leather" ones for around $10.

Party Nights were the flat $15 plus 15% gratuity ($17.25 total) on our last few cruises with DD (6yo).

Thanks for this answer! I have 2 (8&9) and I never even thought of this!!