Andy1850

22 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Never sailed the Mera in any cabin. Maybe Andy can help as he has. I like the $3000 less part, and that alone would push me over the edge.

The Duplex suites on the Mera are much larger and are superior to the RS….but they are not located inside the YC area.  Originally they were not even part of YC, after much complaining they added them.  If you do not mind being outside of the YC compound and you need the space, go with the Duplex. We prefer to be in the YC area.

15 hours ago, GenerationX said:

 

Hola from hot, sunny Puerto Plata!

 

We got back from our excursion a couple of hours ago (report to come) and had a late lunch at the one pool (the carved to order leg of lamb is excellent BTW) and then cooled off sitting sipping an aperol spritz and watching Gen Z play in the pool with one of her new buddies.

 

When we came back onboard, we went by the room to freshen up and put on swimsuits and as soon as we came out, Charles popped out of the crew passage to greet us and ask how our excursion was. He escorted us up to the pool and and got us our first round of drinks while we made our plates from the buffet.  He also talked to one of the pool attendants and came back and let us know that there’d be a couple vacating a cabana shortly and he’d made arrangements for the pool attendant to set it up for us once it was free.  Not a bad welcome back!

 

Before I share about our day in the DR, a back in time report on our evening after dinner last night.

 

It turned out to be one of those “best made plans of mice and moms” kind of nights.

 

The original plan was for Gen Z to go to kids club for an hour and then we were going to go to the late show together.  However when I went to pick her up, I discovered I had been trumped by a super hero party and she asked me to just pick her up when the club closed at 11pm instead.

 

With 2 hours to myself to kill I decided to go check out more of the ship.  Much of what I saw kind of reinforced for me that sailing MSC not in yacht club, especially on these big ships, may not be a fit for me as a smaller, laid back cruise ship person.  There were sooo many people and kids everywhere and elevators took a long time. As in even with my YC VIP override, it would take 5-6 minutes for an elevator to come (which was still a vast improvement over the 10-15 minute waits for non-priority).  I nearly slipped and fell a couple of times where people had spilled drinks on the marble floors.

 

I passed one of the main dining rooms where I briefly glanced diners clapping in unison and waving their napkins while the waiters were singing and doing some kind of dance.  Nothing wrong with that if folks enjoy it, but just not my personal cruising forte.

 

Just when I was about to evacuate back to the peace of the Top Sail, I stumbled upon something I’d forgotten was a thing on MSC: the champagne bar. Those who know me already know where this story is headed…

 

When I sat down I intended to order something nice just by the glass. But then the sommelier Dennis told me that with YC he could give me 20% off a bottle purchase and that they could pressure seal and cold store the bottle for me to finish the next night.  Sold.

 

I ended up having 2 glasses of my Moet rose and then the bartender, Angela, asked me if I’d like to try a champagne cocktail recipe she’s been working on, included in the YC drink package. Those who know me also know what my answer to that question was. It was loud from the band so tough to hear exactly what she said was in it but I think she said champagne, St. Germaine, and a little passion fruit and lemon juice.

 

Angela just started her contract, so if you’re sailing Seascape in the next 9 months and you like a nice refreshing bubbly cocktail, go see her! 

 

I ended up spending my remaining free time until kids club pick up at said champagne bar with Dennis and Angela (aka my new best friends).

 

On our walk back to our room for bed, Charles met us in the hallway and apologized for how late our room cleaning had been. He explained that he has a new assistant who just started his contact when we boarded on Sunday and is still getting up to speed. Perfectly understandable. I know zero people who are experts at their job in the first 48 hours.  

 

We’re currently sitting in the Top Sail while I enjoy tea service and Mini Me has a Lego play date with her royal suite friend.

 

Shortly we’ll go get ready for dinner in the YC restaurant. Tonight’s show is a comedian and Gen Z has little interest, so she’ll probably go to kids club with her new friends and I’ll probably hit the champagne bar to see mine.  

 

More to come later tonight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gen X….i am really enjoying your review….we will be on the Seascape next week…Can you possible do me a favor…can you ask your butler (Charles) if it is possible to get a Trundell or Rollaway bed in the rooms.  We are staying in one of the Grand Deluxe Suites on 16 that is really wide and have 2 6ft tall teenagers.  Was hoping they could bring in a bed.  No Pullman in this room.   THANK YOU!!

14 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

From what we have experienced on MSC outside the Yacht Club, you will be 'jumping out of the fry pan into the fire', by leaving Carnival.

I agree with this statement, we split time between Carnival and MSC…we only have sailed Yacht Club on MSC….we just got off of a Carnival ship 2 weeks ago and I can tell you things are changing.  They have really cracked down on bad behavior.  Security was very visible, no more Bluetooth speakers, people were very well behaved.  They have also increased their prices significantly.  I will find out next week if they have all moved to MSC.  

Morpheus- we are going to be on the Seascape with you in a few weeks….I fully expect you to take charge and keep the interlopers out! 😁

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I searched and could not find an answer.

One of the Perks of being in an Excel Suite is Free Room Service.  I have seen a Room Service Menu for the Mardi Gras and it has a FREE SIDE and a Fee Side. I also see that their is a Fee for The Late Night Menu.  Do the Excel Suites get everything on the menu for FREE or is their a special menu for the Excel Suites?

I appreciate anyone that has sailed in one of these Suites clearing this up!

Where you able to pick your cabana? If so, when?

Does anyone know what the current “perks” are when you book a Suite?  I know you get priority boarding and priority restaurant reservations.  I seem to remember getting a bag of laundry for free but can’t find that anywhere written.  Thanks for the info!

I went to go check on my booking for Jun 20th this afternoon and noticed that bookings are not available for June.  I went to the Travel Advisory and it was posted that cruises were cancelled thru July 10th.  I went back later and the posting has been changed back to May 29th.  Bookings are still not available in June.  I guess the announcement will come later this week.  UGH

I was not surprised at all that OC is not opening for our Thanksgiving Cruise.  When we booked while on the Seaside in June the lady told us that even though it says OC, it will be Nassau.  She said it very confidently.  Now I know that she did not know anything then, but it made it less of a surprise.  

Right now the assumption is that we will be getting the same compensation, I hope that is the case.  With MSC, you never know!  I agree with one of the above posters that the quicker they can get the new itinerary out the better.  I might have to rearrange some of my private excursions.

4 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

Thank you for your kind comments.

 

You're correct on the 2 restaurants.  Unfortunately (for you, anyway) the 3rd is the Asian fusion one, Kaito.

 

We enjoyed BC the other night and will probably go at least once more.  We will also be going to the 2 others at some stage as we have the tryptic dining package, so I will report on our experiences afterwards.

Thank you!  My wife does not like Steak and we went to the Asian Fusion place because Ocean Cay took the Crab sampler off the available menu...boo!

  I am really excited about this cruise, we are bringing our two kids (11,13).  We had to book two cabins because the Meraviglia does not have many cabins that sleep 4 in YC.  I am not expecting their to be many other kids because of that.  

I look forward to reading the rest of your review!

Bea,

I have really enjoyed all of your posts over the years.  We have been on the Seaside in YC twice previously and booked again in June.   We are going on the Meraviglia in November.

Question: What restaurants are included in the Black/Diamond dinner on the Meraviglia? I assume Butchers Cut and Ocean Cay....what else?  We did the Asian fusion place on Seaside and did not enjoy it.

Thanks for your posts!

Thanks!

I will be on the MSC Seaside in a few weeks and purchased the Standard Internet package.  It says you can connect up to 2 devices, is this at the same time and how hard is it to connect/navigate.

Thanks for the feedback.

We just got off the Elation....no Olympics. I do not go on cruises to watch TV but I like to watch sports at the bar and watch a movie before bed. The channels they had were very poor picture quality. Not a total deal breaker but what was the point of putting the nice new large TVs in the rooms when the quality of the programming and sound made it unbearable to watch.

My family went on the Magic this past July and the Elation this past November. We preferred the Elation.....by far. We have sailed on all different sized ships (Sunshine, Valor, Fantasy) and thought the Magic was nice but WAY over crowded. You had to wait for everything on the Lido Deck. We like the Ocean Plaza on the Magic and the Red Frog/Alchemy bars. We never waited for anything on the Elation more than a few minutes. You could walk right in to shows, the dry dock upgrades were awesome. The kids liked the Camp on both. The Magic has one extra slide, but they always had to wait in line.

Everybody has their preferences. We liked the Elation so much that we are booked on it again in s few weeks.

on John Healds FACEBOOK PAGE, he mentioned that digital photos are now available on a few ships. One of which is the Elation. I will be on the Elation next week. Has anyone purchased digital photos on the ships that offer it? How much did it cost? Are their packages or is it per photo?

Thanks for the info,

Andy

Not sure if anyone knows the answer to this or not....I have a year to think about it.

Do you need to book seats in advance for the shows in the Theatre? I know the Seaside will have the MSC for Me app. I am guessing it will be the same as the Meraviglia, what do they do?

Another question while I am at it....will the rooms open with the Wrist Band they give you? Kinda like Disney.

I know a lot has not been announced yet....any help or guesses appreciated.

The golf cart rental in Grand Turk....:mad:

We did that last year:

1. We paid a deposit before cruising. Paid the balance when we arrived - didn't have exact change but the lady said she would have our change when we returned. When we did return, she said it was a gas charge and refused to give it back to us! Lied and cheated in one fell swoop.

2. The golf cart moves about 15 MPH even with the pedal to the floor. There is no power or speed.

3. If it rains, which it did for us the entire day, it is completely miserable. Though we went from one place to the next to find shelter and see a bit of the island, it was not a pleasant experience.

4. At the lighthouse, we met some cruisers who had rented a small car at the port. The car was CHEAPER than the golf cart...and they stayed dry and cool with the A/C.

 

Never again, that's all I can say!

I know exactly what lady you are referring to. She was not a plesant person.

Curious, when you dropped off your luggage with the porters, did you tip them? if so how much? Last time I did FTTF i only tipped them 5 dollars for my one bag and he kept his hand out and i walked away. We had to complain to guest services for not getting out luggage. When we finally got it, they had wrapped the FTTF tap under the handle of the suitcase, it was enough to say it was on the bag, but you really couldnt see it

I tipped the porter $5 a bag. There was a problem with luggage overall on this cruise. Part of it was the weather. I heard a lot of people talking about luggage issues on the elevator.

Andy, a very balanced review. Thank you for taking the time to do one.

 

We have been to Nassau many times but was not aware there was a chocolate factory. Does it have a tour or more like a store with lots of varieties. Could you give me an idea where it is?

Yes their is a chocolate factory tour....we have never done it. Look up Graycliff and chocolate factory. Their may be one through carnival.

Do you have the links you used for the Grand Turk map and the Nassau walking tour? We are renting a golf cart in October while in Grand Turk and we wanted to do a walking tour in Nassau! Thanks for the review![emoji2]

 

 

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Here is the review from Mitsugirly from her trip to Grand Turk on the Breeze that we used for our tour.....it gave us ideas as to where to go. If in doubt about the golf cart getting stuck....park it and walk. The grand Turk part starts on page 21.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2340689&referrerid=927180

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I will see if I can find the walking tour. I modified my version years ago and took out the pictures. It might not make sense to anyone else.

Day 6- SEA DAY

Its sad that the trip we had planned for so many months was coming to an end.

Once again, My son and I got up early and went to Lido to get some food and enjoy the peace and quiet of the early day. We grabbed some chairs on Deck 11 about 730, we wanted to be out of the sun and these chairs are really comfy. We got some on the end so we could put them in the sun if we wanted. Warning on Deck 11, one half is smoking....its not very obvious. I sat down on the wrong side to begin with.

My son and I enjoyed a nice breakfast without lines and were soon joined by my daughter. We went down and got in the pool, which only had a few others. When the Water slides opened, we went up there. I went down both waterslides one more time (still painful) and then met up with my wife who had gotten breakfast.

We hung out on 11 for most of the day....the did the Groove for St Jude. The kids went to Camp Ocean for the first time. They spent about 3 hours there and had a good time. Today was the day to relax. My sister in law waited 40 min for the Mongolian Wok....pretty normal. It was good...I am not patient enough to wait that long. I had another Guys Burger...maybe 5 in line. Before we knew it...it was time for Dinner and it was Wonderful and Sad at the same time. My Son gave Aila a big hug and we said our goodbyes. I wish we could have this group on every trip.

A few notes that I realized I have left out: DR E.....he is a great Cruise Director....I really liked Jaime Lee in the past....he is right there with her....if not better. If he is hosting a name that tune or artist contest in the lobby....GO. Get there early....it is a lot of fun. He hosted a salute to the Military, which was very well done and he took that time to shake every Veterans hand and talk to them.

Our room Steward was Dennis....he was great as well. Anytime you have no complaints about your room at all...that means he is doing a great job. He was always friendly and very attentive. We left a note that the remote was not working....it was fixed by the time we got back. I chose Both on the Service card....I always will. Everybody has their opinion but we typically leave the room really clean, so all he has to do is replace the towels and make the beds, not asking a lot for twice a day.

Cleanliness- Never seen so many people cleaning all the time....this was the cleanest ship I have ever been on.

DEBARKATION-

Since we had FTTF we had to be in the Main Theatre at 6:30. There were already a lot of people in there when we got there. You put your luggage in line down the aisle, not easy to roll luggage past others....maybe a better system could be done....not a big deal. We were off the boat and on the road by 730. Customs was a breeze, they don't have forms anymore and the agents don't even stand in the booths. Took 2 min.

All and All we had a lot of Fun....the first two days could have been better...but that's why I buy the CHEERS package. I would sail the Magic again for the right itinerary. WE are in the process of booking a cruise for next year....probably going to be the Sunshine but the Magic is in the mix. (we are also looking at the Caribbean Princess...would love to have opinions on Princess)

If you are booked on the MAGIC....I hope this helps you go in with your eyes open....Then you will have no surprises and everything will be perfect. You will ultimately love the ship.

I hope you were not too bored with my review....please let me know if you have any questions...

Piano bar players name started with an "M". Marius, Marcus or something like that. I had read bad reviews on him and thought nothing of it....they were spot on! Emma June and Son of a gun made up for it. There was also a Electronic String group that was unbelievable....even if you don't like classical music...don't miss them.

Did you ever have an opportunity to see if there was a long line at Tandoor?

 

I originally thought that FTTF included a promise about getting our luggage early, but regardless I've been corrected about that: They promise to provide FTTF luggage "priority", no expedited treatment. It's a subtle difference, and I definitely read into it what I was hoping to see when I first read it rather than understanding what it actually said. I still think it is worth it to us.

 

We were chatting in another thread this morning about the Carnival Great Vacation Guarantee. My feeling is that the guarantee asks us passengers to accept too much of a sacrifice for it to be a reasonable offer, but I am wondering if you knew about it, and if not, would you have taken Carnival up on the offer?

 

Glad to hear the Muster Drill is indoors. I did watch your cruise pull out of the port late. Glad to hear things get better.

 

 

Actually, that sounds very reasonable.

 

And it looks like what that crew members told you is borne out by your experience on Day 3.

 

Isn't that other poster Andy's spouse? I remember that review was about another Carnival cruise in the middle of summer with a big family group, rather than a couple or family of three or four.

I completely forgot about Tandoor...so did not see if the line was long there.....I was glad I remembered Pig & Anchor, very little line there.

As far as FTTF it does say "Expedited Luggage" and Carnival Agrees....I was notified today that they are refunding my 69.95 fee for FTTF...:)

As far as the other review....its not MY wife....kinda sounds like her....we only had 7 in our group. I did not know about the Guarantee....it would have devastated my 9yr old daughter to pull her away from her cousin, they are thick as thieves and only see each other a few times a year. I was not happy about the lines....but there was no line for Alcohol, that would have been the breaking point....HA!

Day 4- Amber Cove

We had an Excursion today so we had to be in the Northern Lights Dinning room by 8am.

Got up around 630, went to the Ocean Plaza to get some food. Schedule said that it opened at 7am with a Continental Breakfast. They were setting up when we arrived at 705. I asked the guy that was setting up and was told 730. I showed him the schedule and he got really snippy with me. I thought maybe he would say...OK and we could start getting what was put out...but NO....he said it would not open until 730. We left and went up to LIDO...it was really busy. Everyone was trying to grab a quick bite before their excursions. We were able to grab continental breakfast stuff and Grits. That is all we needed anyways and were on our way.

The Excursion process was really smooth....they called your excursion, you lined up to exit the ship and met the guy with the sign outside.

We did the Deluxe Snorkel Catamaran with lunch and drinks....I am not going to do a full review of this, but I will say we really enjoyed it. I have been on many excursions like this and for beginners....this was really fun. It was a little to structured for me, but my family really liked it and the crew was great.

We were back in Amber Cove around 2pm....did a little shopping....this is a Carnival built port...not a lot of diversity, looks just like all of the others. Back on the ship by 3pm.

Instead of attempting the LIDO area, we got cleaned up and went down to Red Frog for some shuffleboard and a quick snack prior to dinner. We went to Dinner at 6pm....not much more I can say....Great Dinner Experience, we had table 231 (we asked) with Danny and Aila. Danny had started doing Magic tricks which the kids really enjoyed. Danny Made this trip great.

It was an early night, we were all tired and knew we had a big day in Grand Turk....we put my son to bed, went down to Ocean Plaza for Drinks and some music and then to bed by 10pm.

Day 5- Grand Turk-

Today we did not have a planned excursion. I had rented a Golf Cart for our own adventure.

Got up around 630 again...we knew that the Taste Bar did not open until 730 (even though the schedule said 7) went down there to get breakfast. Nice simple continental breakfast....Cereal, Muffins, coffee, fruit. That is all we needed. Grabbed a Power Aid from the Coffee Shop and on our way.

Once again, no wait getting off the ship. I had printed off a review I found from Grand Turk that hit all of the Island highlights and had a map. We prepaid for a 6-Seater Golf Cart from MaxKarts....I reserved this months in advance. IF YOU GET NOTHING ELSE FROM THIS REVIEW....DO NOT RENT FROM MAXKARTS!!!!!!. We walked to the exit of the cruise area where all of the GolfCarts and rentals were located. I told the people out by the carts that I was looking for MAXKARTS and that I had rented the 6-Seater. They all laughed and said....the 6-Seater is broke. Apparently, their was some inside joke about this golf cart that they were all enjoying. I am not sure whether this Cart actually exists. They told me that MAX would be along shortly....about 20 minutes later...Max shows up in a golf cart. He tells me that the 6-Seater is broke and that he would give me two four seaters for the same price.....We were not happy with this because we had to break up the family and my brother in law did not want to drive. After some back and forth, we finally relented and went with the two golf carts. I got in mine and the Gas Gauge said....EMPTY. I looked at him and he handed me $5 and said to get gas down the road.....WHAT!!!! Fine, I took the money and stopped to get gas for the Cart. I put a little extra in to make sure. About this time is when we found out that Golf Cart 2 was much slower than My Golf Cart. We made it work and set off touring the island. We went to the Lighthouse, Pillory Beach, Governors Beach, and made some random stops on the way. The beach at Pillory beach near Bohio was beautiful but their was TRASH everywhere just off the beach. It looked like people would picnic and then throw their trash on the ground.

Our final Stop was Governors Beach. This beach is really beautiful and their was maybe 2 other families on the whole beach. I highly recommend you go here if you can. I found Sand Dollars just off the beach and lots of little fish. Water was crystal Clear. There are abandoned bathrooms, still usable and a small faucet to wash off your feet. This was the highlight of GRAND TURK. As we were leaving I noticed that GOLF CART 2 was not behind me....I circled back and sure enough....their cart would not move. I piled everyone but my brother in law into my cart and headed back to the cruise port, it was less than a mile away. I looked for Max.....the lady making the inside jokes from the morning was the only one there. She said that she did not know where Max was. I told here that the other Golf Cart was broke....she told me to leave it where it is and Max would find it. I went back to my Brother in Law and picked him up.....we left the Golf Cart on the side of the road near Governors beach. Once again....IF YOU GET NOTHING ELSE FROM THIS REVIEW....DO NOT RENT FROM MAXKARTS!!!!! Actually, all of the Golf Cart rental people seemed really shady.

We went back to the Shopping area to meet up with everyone else....stopped by Margaitaville....lots of really drunk people having a lot of fun!!! We were back on the ship by 3pm.

We were starving since we never got any food in Grand Turk, went up to LIDO....Line for Guys was only about 5 deep, very little line at the Buffett. So we got some food and cooled off.

Went to Dinner at 6pm...Same Table....Danny and Aila were great! If you have them for your waitstaff...tell them PB&J Joshuas Dad says hello.....I bet they will remember!

After Dinner, we put my son to bed and then put the girls in the other room to watch a movie. We went down to Ocean Plaza, got some drinks and then had a little fun....maybe too much fun....in the Casino. I really like the Bubble Craps game. My wife and her sister played the game where you drop the quarters. They both won, hats and tshirts. We stayed up to midnight...Next Up....Final Day At Sea.