neptuno

1 hour ago, Até said:

Pretty sure that's not true.  They do say you can only status match once, but even if you sailed in the past and had points in whichever system you could do the match that one time and get the higher status from the match. 

 

cntrtdncr1's original membership should have expired since they never sailed since 2012.  They should have been able to do the status match, if it was their first time, in 2019. 

Well, I would have to agree with Sidari, the current three year rule is less irksome than when MSC disolved our black card status without notice.  We were not notified in advance of any pending change and suddenly the rules changed, and all of the original loyal followers were thrown under the bus.  While we are still fans of MSC for their value product, it is nothing in comparison with the original product they introduced to the North American market a decade ago.  

Seaside was designed for warm weather cruising, so there are more outdoor spaces to sit in than on other ships.  This is wonderful in the Caribbean.  When we sailed (twice) the music and dancing was great!  The food in the MDR had been cut back, no longer can you see a seven course menu, but got for it, order three appetizers. The "Easy Package" works OK, but if you are on a freebee account, go for the upgrade.  We were happy with the "Easy", and loved to dance late to latin ritmo.

When using the two upper bunks it helps to split the lower double into two beds, split and therefor accessible from the middle aisle.

I did not see any wine packages aboard.  You may buy a bottle of wine for dinner and have it corked, or take it with you.

Finally, to MSC's credit, customer service corporate has corrected our bill.  After three calls and nearly and hour of hold times, they finally go it right.

Please do not book any MSC caribbean cruise for Ocean Cay, as it is still under construction and will be nice some day, but the coral will take years to recover.

Sorry, but we did not see any discounted wines on board.  Perhaps as heatherb states, you can always ask the maitre'd.  We usually just get the Easy package:  offers good coffees  and san pelegrino besides fruit juices, and a few palatable wines by the glass, together with an after dinner drink while dancing it somehow ends up paying for itself (barely).

Would have to agree regarding Meraviglia.  "MERAVIGLIA not so meraviglia.  Great galeria, not so crowded, but lacking variety of good dance venues for such a large ship.  btw, no breakfast at the buffet after 10am...*****?

Once on board, we were told the "Easy package" would not be offered after the second day at sea.  But it may vary by ship.

MSC once had the best wine packages of all the cruise lines.  Alas, we have not seen them available for the last few years.  Perhaps someone from MSC will monitor this board and return the packages.  So now, if you do not drink at least five drinks a day the Easy package is not worth it.  At this time your only option is a la carte.

The pier at Ocean Cay is very exposed to the seas.  There is no breakwater.  We have missed the various private islands about five times;  don't take is personally, it is quite common.

Yes, one outlet at the desk, no outlet in the bathroom.  Bring a power strip if you have more than three  phones.  There is one 5v USB charging outlet as well.

WIFI calling worked well for me with ship WIFI that was part of our All-In package.  If the OP has an internet plan wifi calling should work if the phone is set up for wifi calling.  Be careful, use wifi calling ONLY, as regular calls from the ship are $5.99 per minute.

Thanks for the advice.  Too late, left the ship;  lines were so long at customer service, I just could not take it any more.

Not very often, briefly in the Meraviglia Lounge at 7:45 on certain days.  We asked customer service why and she, having come on board from Seaside, told me she herself was disappointed.

Although we prepaid our Easy Packages, many included drinks were charged to our account.  After three trips to onboard customer service I finally gave up.  They confirmed there was a problem with their system not recognizing our prepaid packages.  However we will have to contact the corporate office to get credit.

I agree that the Sky Lounge is beautiful, but the Jazz Duo playing there is not the best for dancing.  Yes, sadly, Meraviglia is nothing like Seaside for dancing.  Even Divina has better dance music venues than Meraviglia.  If you like Holland America Line's music, you might be happy dancing on Meraviglia.

Ballroom dancing was happening every night @6:45 in the Meraviglia Lounge on deck six.

Dress code from Miami is non-existant lately.  Our first cruise on MSC Poesia almost ten years ago our of Lauderdale was very European, and dressy.  Lately, not so.

MSC  is cheap for a reason.  Poor website, poor customer service.  You pay for what you get.

Stuff happens, don't laugh, it might be us next time.

On 12/3/2019 at 9:28 PM, jajackson said:

First time on MSC cruise. We usually sail on Carnival. We sail out on the Armonia on 2/3. Any pointers.

MSC is our favorite out of Florida for the time being, but beware that Armonia is the oldest and cheapest cruise out of Florida.  Just don't set your expectations too high as you pay for what you get.  We have fun on every cruise; some are better than others.  Meraviglia offers some great pricing for a much newer ship.  Divina and Seaside as well, just depends on your budget.

It was probably close to average for an interior, except that the bathroom was awkward in that the sink was too close to the toilet so there was not enough knee room.  The worst was the  noise from the crew in the storeroom next door, loud in the early hours of  each morning.

We chose cabin 10208 because it looked larger on the deck plan similar to other converted handicap cabins, but alas, it was small and noisy from the workroom next door.  The deck plans still show large cabins on decks 13 and 14 which we have sailed in the past.  Not sure if they are still large.

Yes indeed, perhaps some of the best in all of the Caribbean fleets.  Cannot speak for Europe or elsewhere, but we have sailed Poesia, Divina and Seaside with no complaints about the dancing venues.