Ah now I see!  Your other posts says you paid $215 to upgrade - that's the cost for BOTH of you.  And THAT'S why your package was accepted in the specialities.

(I'm not picking on you.  I just want to make sure others understand that the Easy Package is definitely NOT accepted in Speciality restaurants.  Want a glass of wine?  Get up from the table, walk to the nearest bar, queue up and walk back to your table.)

We were on the same cruise.  Its interesting how different our experiences were.  Ill be adding my review within a few days.

Too bad you missed the shows.  In our opinions, it was the BEST thing of the cruise.  In fact, probably the best showroom entertainment we've seen in 25+ cruises!

(For future readers:  we made reservations each night for the 7pm show.  After the first night, they didn't even check.  Sometimes a bit of a hassle to find seats, but just don't be overly picky.)

21 minutes ago, ebonybee said:

How did Jamaica find out there was one sick crew person onboard?

Explained here

https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/jamaica-cruise-ship-with-patient-in-isolation-denied-docking-at-ocho-rios/amp/

59 minutes ago, DaisyGirl55 said:

 

 

We were able to use our Drink Packages, both Easy and Premium in all three restaurants.  The only exception was dinner in the Cirque show.  

Something doesn't make sense here.  Assuming you and your partner were in the same cabin, you both were required to have the SAME package.  And the Easy Package is specifically excluded from speciality restaurants

All-Inclusive Drinks Packages

DRINK PACKAGES

Quench Your Thirst With Great Savings

Enjoy one of our drink packages during your cruise. Choose from our Easy, Premium or Premium Plus package and sip' back and relax. 
View our drink package comparison guide, here.

 

Book Now to Save 15% vs. onboard prices.

DRINK PACKAGES

Easy Package

Selected Drinks up to $6!

$35 per person / per day*

*The package must be purchased by all guests occupying the same stateroom or traveling together, including minors who must purchase a non-alcoholic beverage package. Purchase of a beverage package is not required for children under the age of 3. 

 

Consumption of selected drinks priced up to $6!
Savor the freedom to satisfy your thirst at any moment with a dedicated selection of house wines by the glass, one brand of draft beer (Heineken*) and/or Miller Lite bottled beer (for Caribbean itineraries only), selected spirits and cocktails, non-alcoholic cocktails, soft drinks and fruit juices by the glass, bottled mineral water, classic hot drink (espresso, cappuccino, cafe latte, hot tea) and coffee and hot chocolate drinks. You can take advantage of this offer in all onboard bars, as well as the self-service buffet and restaurants, excluding specialty restaurants

(Forgive me if this has been discussed before.  I don't get over to this board too often.)

White Rabbit (aka Go Ask Alice) is well known as being strongly related to taking drugs.  Read the lyrics.  In fact, Grace Slick admits she wrote it during or right after an LSD trip.

I'm guessing that this brilliant bit of marketing was  thought up by some 23 year old advertising agency executive.   

He didn't share what his personal needs were.  And I have no way of confirming that he's truthful.  Given his actions, I wouldn't have believed him anyway. 

I read all the posts in this thread.  My DH and I discussed it.  We NEVER discussed or considered removing the DSC.  The cash we were going to leave the cabin attendant was redistributed to our MDR dinner waiter and the wine guy who were GREAT.

Neither of us wanted to report him.  I wanted to leave a brief note to the attendant explaining why he wasn't getting a cash gratuity.  DH didn't agree, so I let it be.  After all, eventually somebody will report him which will put a stop to it (and likely his job).

And we feel comfortable with those decisions.

Thx everyone for your input.

5 minutes ago, Muushka said:

Is it TMC (the movie channel) or TCM (Turner Classic Movies)?

 

Boy you're not kidding.  That lineup (other than the ? movie channel) is pretty dismal.

Sorry - typo.  It's Turner Classic Movies.  

(TMC is a pay to watch channel.  MSC ain't gonna do that.)

10 hours ago, Reds4life said:

They had Boomerang for kids last summer. Any kids channels currently?

Actually I think there was.  I left it off my list because it was n/a

1 hour ago, April42749 said:

No....I don't think it's right that he asked and I wouldn't like to be asked.  But, the fact that he asked means that he's willing to risk his job for a few dollars.  I certainly wouldn't want to get him in trouble.  If he put me in that position I had give him something and tell him not to ask other passengers.

And, we are assuming it's just this one guy who asked....not the entire crew.  If more than one person asked I'd get annoyed and not bother.

I'm betting that he's already arranged that it's his last contract with MSC.

Dont you think that if many crew members were doing this, there would be multiple  (many?) reports here?

10 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

My position on ratings is that if I had planned to give a 10 and someone begs for a 10, they automatically get a 9.  I get that ratings are important to the crew.  So earn them.

After going thru this experience,  i'm not sure that he even deserves the 9.

3 hours ago, KennyFla said:

Your cabin steward must read these boards, he knows this is a hot topic 🙂

I'm sorry - but are you serious????  The guy is working HOW many hours a day SEVEN days a week.  He's not going to be reading this forum.   Heck, I'd bet the guy doesn't read much English.  

15 hours ago, Até said:

If you signed up for the Meet and Mingle with this username  MSC already knows who you are and thus who your cabin steward was.

Shoot.  I never thought of that.  

But I still doubt that MSC is going to go thru all of that for  one ANONYMOUS  report about one cabin attendant among thousands of cabin attendants. 

It only speeds up checkin by about 90 seconds.  It's not a big deal.

1 hour ago, Markanddonna said:

were very limited on  the Seaside. CNN and a French news station with all English speakers. A few others like Discovery but not a wide selection. Only old movies, nothing current.

Actually, I enjoyed the old movies from TMC.  🙂

1 hour ago, HeavySeaman said:

 

Do they still have on the ESPN with cricket and soccer? They used to have TBS and TNT with reruns of old shows too. The Mentalist was on 24/7

Not that we saw on the mera YESTERDAY.  

49 minutes ago, Nashna said:

If MSC really wanted to know they could message the OP.  I would expect that the Hotel Director will be addressing this issue with the staff.   

Except private messaging is disabled on cruise critic.

Frankly, I very much doubt anybody from MSC is going to address the entire housekeeping staff because of one anonymous report.

If you have the Easy Package, it's not useable in the specialty restaurants.

If the divina is the same choices as the mera is (Carribean), this is what they had this morning in English.

* CNN And BBC.

* TMC 

* FoodTV, HGTV - Both curated to show only certain programs.  Commercial free.

* Two other channels (forget the names) that were curated that only showed stories of paranormal experiences and ' Naked and Alive.'  Commercial free.

* Except for CNN and TMC, everything was infomercials during the night.

Pretty dismal.

On 2/16/2020 at 11:02 PM, TheSoccerCoach said:

How anyone can claim they are a loyal cruiser to a line and then not cruise with them yearly, or more, is beyond my comprehension! It is so silly.

Seriously???  News flash:  most Americans only get 2 weeks of vacation.  To call them "silly" for not selecting to cruise "yearly, if not more" is nonsense.  

(I'm NOT defending or complaining about MSC's expiration program.  Your comments and assumptions are what ticked me off a bit.)

3 hours ago, agnesd said:

Please let us know how you handled this. And what ship is this?

I think my earlier posts explained how and why we handled it.

The Mera Feb 16 departure.

9 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Sounds about right :). We have to remember the value received for the dollar. That is where MSc shines for me.

Actually, if one is sailing in 'the cheap seats' of a basic inside or OV cabin, the cost isn't THAT much less than other mass market choices.

2 hours ago, elbodans said:

 

Wait--what? A day and a half without hot water? That's not ok by any means. 

Yep - 1.5 days.  We looked at that as An unexpected mechanical breakdown.  Stuff happens.

The rescheduling of the Cirque show at the same time as the other show was much more annoying.  A human decision that was stupid and entirely avoidable.

11 hours ago, Atogh said:

Thank you. Did you try any of the specialty resturants? 

No - because our easy package isn't accepted there.

That said, we walked by them SEVERAL times.  Not more or less dressy than anywhere else.  Note that some tables are outside of the restaurants on the balcony of the promenade.

1.5 days of no hot water for the entire ship.  $50 compensation.

We wondered about the kitchen.  Are they able to wash the dishes, etc in hot water????  We've no idea.  We decided not to ask; either the response woukd be upsetting, or it Might be a lie.  Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.  

19 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Bummer about ocean cay, i was rooting for you this morning  :(. 
 

Interested in your opinion On the service and Food quality? That’s where I’ve found msc to be “lacking” (for lack of a better word). 
 

Also- how did you get along with the easy package?

I'll be doing a full review in about a week, when my level of frustration is back to a reasonable level.  I DO believe in fairness.

But, briefly, the food  in the MDR at dinner and lunch was good to very good.  The service at dinner was outstanding, but flat-out lousy at lunch.  The food at the buffet was at best uninspired and boring, at worst awful.  

The Easy package is functional, but really annoyingly stupid. 

Entertainment in the showroom - best we've seen in 25+ cruises.

A VERY mixed bag!