shukapaw

1 hour ago, Christi209 said:

How crowded was the excursion boat?  We are also thinking of doing the excursion with MSC because of the times we are in Nassau but a bit hesitant as we find the ship excursion snorkel trips are often packed and a bit of a “ party boat” atmosphere. What was your experience like ?

It was about what we expected to find in a busy port like Nassau. It was a large catamaran. I wouldn't characterize it as "packed" but it wasn't like you were going to find a nice secluded spot to sun yourself either. If I recall, they did serve rum punch after the snorkeling was completed but the hour or so ride back to port didn't allow enough time for it to develop into an alcohol-fueled nightmare. If I recall they did play (kinda loud) music on the return trip.

Unfortunately, there just aren't too many options available in Nassau (one of my least favorite ports)

~Brian

Two years ago we booked a private excursion in Nassau. We were very impressed with the company and the snorkel location.

Last year, while visiting on the Seaside, we wanted to do the same but the time we were in port didn't mesh nicely with the tour operator's schedule. As a result, we booked the MSC excursion. They took us to exactly the same place as the private excursion and the boat/crew/experience were almost identical.

I'd say go ahead and book it and have fun!

~Brian

Terminal F and D seem not far away, only one ship (terminal E) in between. A luggage cart is all what's needed.

Not true. There is a Disney terminal, Terminal 10 and Terminal G between. There is not a sidewalk all the way there. You will be "swimming upstream" as you will be going against the flow of one-way traffic. Doable... but maybe not the safest, smartest decision.

~Brian

This summer we sailed 2 weeks on the Seaside. We were scheduled to sail on the Celebrity Equinox immediately after the MSC cruise. As luck would have it, the Equinox was docked immediately in front of the Seaside in Miami. The morning of disembarkation we grabbed our bags, walked off one ship and walked about 500 feet to embark on another. It was seamless!

You may not be quite as fortunate by having the ships right next to one another. You may need to grab a cab or Uber to get you from one terminal to another. My quick calculations on Google Maps shows the MSC terminal (F) about half a mile from the Carnival terminal (D)

Have fun

~Brian

We made our Roatan excursion arrangements through Daniel Johnson. He arranged to have a private driver pick us up and take us to his sloth sanctuary (lotsa fun!) After visiting with the sloths and monkeys, we walked about 150 yards to a pier where he had a snorkel barge waiting for us. This was absolutely some of the best snorkeling I've ever experienced. After that, our private driver took us on an island tour (seeing whatever we wanted) and then to a beach for a nice cold drink in a coconut!

I don't remember the cost but it was very inexpensive. I know they can also arrange for you to visit a zipline during your visit, if that interests you.

We will be returning to Roatan in June and have already contacted Daniel to act as our host again.

Contact them... you won't be sorry.

Thank you very much for taking the time to report all of this. Glad you had a good trip

Brian

HI,

Here's some (partially) unsolicited advice from an Alaska resident who cruises a lot. I would recommend that you do one of the one-way cruises and either fly to or from Alaska at beginning or end of your cruise. spend a few days in Alaska as the cruise only scratches the surface.

One of the highlights of an Alaskan cruise is visiting Glacier Bay National Park. They only allow two ships per day to enter so many cruises do not see it. I have done Alaska cruises with and without Glacier Bay and wholeheartedly suggest you make GB a priority.

Last year we sailed south from Alaska to Vancouver on Princess, stayed a few days and then sailed back north to Alaska on NCL. (Same itinerary but in reverse) We had a good time on both (both went to Glacier Bay). However, I would recommend Princess over NCL for an Alaska cruise. Princess had Alaska-themed meal nights, Alaska-themed entertainment, a naturalist onboard to narrate points of interest, staff and crew in Alaska-themed outfits (lumberjacks, woodsmen, saloon girls, etc.) The ship was decorated with lots of Alaska-themed artwork. We had Libbey Riddles (first woman to win the Iditarod) onboard as a speaker and in one port they brought sled dog puppies onboard for passengers to interact with.

In a review I did back then I summarized by saying "NCL cruised to Alaska and Princess provided an Alaskan cruise".

You'll have a good time either way but you've been advised.

~Brian

Either way you do it you have to disembark and immediately embark again. (This is a customs thing, not an MSC thing)

Book as two separate weeks and you can take advantage of price drops on either week if the price drops.

~Brian

Thanks for those encouraging words. We are looking forward to our first Celebrity Cruise in about a month... on the Equinox!

~Brian

I believe this only works with OBC issued by Princess. If you have OBC from your TA it may be another story as that is usually not posted to your account until close to sail date.

~Brian

Thanks for the great review. Makes us "hungry" for our Seaside trip which departs in 18 days!

If I may make a suggestion, please break future reviews up into paragraphs as it makes it so much easier to read.

Thanks again,

~Brian

Great review.

We will be experiencing our first Celebrity cruise in June. We'll be aboard the Equinox and your review has certainly made us look forward to the trip.

Thanks again.

~Brian

Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more of your report

~Brian

Thanks for sharing this. Looking forward to more

~Brian

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

~Brian

Glad you had a good time. Thanks for sharing your experience with us

~Brian

You lucked out! As stated earlier, I hope others don't use your example as a reason for not purchasing the insurance and expecting a rosy outcome.

Congrats on dodging a bullet!

~Brian

Could just be a lack of understanding on how things work with MSC. Somethimes I wonder if even MSC understands their own stuff. I booked a B2B on the Seaside for June of 2019 in the YC and one of the "perks" for both weeks is an "all-inclusive mealtime beverage package". This package provides nothing that I don't already get as a YC passenger. I even notified MSC about this discrepancy when I booked but never heard back.

However, once onboard I'm going to try to parlay this "useless" perk into another specialty dining night for us each week. ;p

~Brian

Check this out: Ship vs pier in Roatan

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us

~Brian

It depends on how intense he tries to get things that really aren't included! If he is to rude to staff when they say no he might get kicked off.

Please ignore MB. He is a troll and likes to see how people react to his stupid comments.

~Brian

Nice, succinct report. Thanks for writing it!

~Brian

Thanks for the review. I got a good laugh out of your "self-inflicted water boarding sessions" remark

~Brian

Brian, did you book directly through MSC or a TA??

~Brian

Wow! $800 is a lot of OBC!

Also 10% fare discount for Voyager Club and Military discounts plus about 10% more off thanks to TA!

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