IntrepidFromDC

I think it was date-stamped 2022

Tom, he starts off with a shaky hand, but this casino walk-through is the best I've seen, he shows the tables close up and pauses so you can see the limits and betting rules at each table...

Tom, when is your first MSC cruise again? Mine is first week of April, a three-day to Ocean Cay that was $225 and includes the "plus" drink package, internet and $25obc. I'm doing a S2S with a Carnival four-day cruise. I'm glad to have been reading so many threads about recent MSC cruisers being disappointed, especially with the Divina which I'll be sailing on - so I know to temper my expectations. I just hope the Italian food is better than Carnival. Lots of people saying it's not a "fun" experience, no comedy shows, Italian style service, etc. Even after reading all the negative trip reports (or possibly because I'm mentally preparing for my cruise) I have a feeling I'll enjoy MSC as a "budget" line like I enjoy Carnival. Hope you do too! I watched a youtube video walk-through of the Divina casino and was relieved to see they have Head-Up Hold'em.

😲 You missed Topher in his glory days!?!? btw, Topher is pronounced "tuffer" with a short "u" sound. He's named after Jack's daughter's ex-bf Christopher who turned out to be a dog of a man.

This will be my first ever B2B cruise, and I'm hoping to get some lesser known tips from experienced B2B cruisers. I already have the cruises "linked" at Carnival and was told by the rep that because I did so I won't have to get off the ship. I've also heard between sailings, while everyone else is disembarking, is a good time to use the hot tub. Any other tips? TIA.

"Watching the land melt away"... waaay better description!

In Mahogany Bay the free beach is pretty nice but small area for good swimming. In Belize we did cave-tubing and it was a lot of fun! You can also hire a private, local guide in Roatan who will take you to the entire island, including the small tourist town on the western shore (good place for lunch). The local guides speak English, are very polite and downright cheap for five hours in their air-conditioned vehicles. Can't remember the guy who we hired but he donated a lot of money to build the island's single well-manicured soccer fields with lights, and he let us tour his home and sample his wife's homemade rum punch.

Sailaway out of NOLA is one of the best, it starts as you leave New Orleans and watch the land and people around you become more rural until there's just hours of winding down the Mississippi River to the delta. It's kind of a "witchy" feeling you get an hour out and it just gets more and more calm, yet spooky. Then look at the delta on a map and trace how you went around all the bends and turns. Really a unique experience and one I am looking forward to doing again.

Can we bring our own water/wine/other on MSC cruises? TIA

My eyes bugged out like volkswagen headlights when I read that! What's bad about the casino??

asalligo, thanks a lot for this, it really helps as I prepare for my first MSC in April after my 25th (1st B2B! :-) Carnival in February. I found everything you wrote really helpful in that it painted a good picture of what to expect. Since in Italy a little late is the same as on time, the delay compared to Carnival's on-time experience (for the most part) makes sense, but it really helps to hear about it ahead of time so my expectations are "Italian on-time".

This is gonna be a great appetizer to help me deal with anticipation of my first ever B2B, February 4. Thanks Jamman! BTW my name is Jeff too.

As others have said, the daily activities are FUN. And with you going on Celebration, you get MUCH BETTER free food than on the pre-Mardi-Gras ships. Make sure to select anytime dining so you can eat in Chibang instead of MDR once or twice. There are other upgraded free food places like Shaq's (lunch food is better than breakfast biscuit bricks) and Shawarma (yumm!) and really great pay-for restaurants. Lots of great entertainment and the casino (most of it) is non-smoking. At Blue Iguana, try the chicken tacos and over at the fixins' bar put a little of the orange habanero sauce on it as well as the fresh cilantro right next to it. I don't recommend the fish tacos, it's all breading - worse than fish filet at McYuck's. In line with Carnival's "fun" spirit, you can get true "foodie food", gourmet at Rudi's that will leave you saying OMG! without having to dress fancy. Have FUN, so much to do on the Mardi Gras and Celebration!!!

Thanks for this and the recent solo review, both were informative, fun and funny! Hope your ankle doesn't swell up driving home, two or three advil always works wonders for me with a moderate-severe ankle sprain. Curious, is it shades of yellow, orange and purple now? Just trying to compare it to some of my bad ones.

How's the ankle feeling with the extra alcohol today? Remember, that's what got you in this in the first place. Hope you're feeling better!

He sees you all excited and you tell him you're from the Lone Star State and he thinks to himself "oh great, he's here to take more land"...

No beads for the first two, but I'll toss some to Curvy.

Maybe WE can't but you will be soon enough! 😁 🏴‍☠️

Looks like the shots are getting bigger. If the trend continues, you might have to be giving B. a piggy-back ride back to the cabin on that tree-trunk ankle!

I LOVE that orange habanero sauce next to the fresh cilantro on the fixins' bar. And everything at blue iguana... except the lousy watery guac, when they even have it.

She got the refund without you having to show off your shiny colorful ankle? I thought you would want to show it off in hopes it preyed on some lesser-known policy or their mercy. Since they gave you a refund on a non-refundable excursion, I'll remove my "boo Carnival" from earlier.

AWESOME! I have the new photoshop with unredact technology and the code worked great! Thanks Texas Buddy! 😁 🏴‍☠️ (on a serious note, really sorry to see your ankle swollen up like that - been there and that kind of severity lasts a while)

That's a lot of extra walking at the time you really need it least. Boo Carnival.

Don't forget the shrunken easy-tear laundry bags and btw, our cruise was so understaffed they had the hired entertainment (contractor comedians) helping steer the ship!