Armonia 5-13-19 sailing to Havana

[EngIceDave]

No cooking or mixology when I went in March

 

Ship tour was like day 4, and was $65 if I remember right, they called it "Backstage Tour" or something like that

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

1 minute ago, EngIceDave said:

No cooking or mixology when I went in March

 

Ship tour was like day 4, and was $65 if I remember right, they called it "Backstage Tour" or something like that

Not looking for back stage areas. All cruises I've been on, day 1 has the crew meeting passengers in a lounge and they take them on a brief tour of the ship, outlining all the different areas, including spa... and usually give some good tips on short cuts or if you get lost how to get un lost. Something, I always do and recommend to anyone on boarding day to more easily learn your way around. Did easy to miss on the activities paper if you don't know to look.

Edited June 9, 2019 by AerynSun_JohnCrighton
Autocorrect strikes again

[EngIceDave]

I never saw that.

Not saying doesn't happen, just don't remember seeing it, I'd have gone had I seen it.

 

It's a small ship, really only 4 decks for general public use, rest of ship is cabin

 

 

[NCTribeFan]

Sorry.   I didn't visit the board this weekend (when I had a long, 4-day weekend!).  I'll try to remember to have a look at them tonight but I also don't remember seeing either.

 

We didn't have the daily sheet in the cabin when we first had access after boarding, and when I tried to find one in the public areas, I couldn't find one in English!  I know our cabin steward brought one later, but by then, it was pretty late during the day.

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

6 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

Sorry.   I didn't visit the board this weekend (when I had a long, 4-day weekend!).  I'll try to remember to have a look at them tonight but I also don't remember seeing either.

 

We didn't have the daily sheet in the cabin when we first had access after boarding, and when I tried to find one in the public areas, I couldn't find one in English!  I know our cabin steward brought one later, but by then, it was pretty late during the day.

That's fine. I saw some and didn't see it on there. Disappointed, as that's my #1 thing to do once I board. Makes the rest of the week easier... I hope MSC will add that in the future.

[NCTribeFan]

I did just have a look and there's no "welcome" tour.  I could've used one.  I'm still rather dismayed that I stayed so turned around the entire week!  She's not a huge ship!  I think part of it was that I'm used to ships with only three sets of elevators and it seems she has at least 4 plus the one between the bar and pool area that goes to some of the floors.  At least I think so.  So I'd think I was at the midship stairwell and I'd end up not where I was expecting.  I guess I was at the "other" midship stairwell! 😕

 

I just realized that there wasn't bingo going on pretty much nonstop, either!  Still plenty of shopping "sales" and drawings.  Lots of Latin dance classes that, sadly, I did not participate in.  I do love Latin music!

 

Can't believe it's been 4 weeks already.

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

22 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

I did just have a look and there's no "welcome" tour.  I could've used one.  I'm still rather dismayed that I stayed so turned around the entire week!  She's not a huge ship!  I think part of it was that I'm used to ships with only three sets of elevators and it seems she has at least 4 plus the one between the bar and pool area that goes to some of the floors.  At least I think so.  So I'd think I was at the midship stairwell and I'd end up not where I was expecting.  I guess I was at the "other" midship stairwell! 😕

 

I just realized that there wasn't bingo going on pretty much nonstop, either!  Still plenty of shopping "sales" and drawings.  Lots of Latin dance classes that, sadly, I did not participate in.  I do love Latin music!

 

Can't believe it's been 4 weeks already.

Any tips on how to not get lost? 😂😂😂 Also, dad was asking about any type of bridge viewing area on ship?? Did you take the spa tour? I noticed it says spa tour and massage taster... just curious as to if it's similar to other lines spa tour or what... 

[EngIceDave]

Honestly, it's a small ship

It's doesn't really feel small due to design, but you basically have 4 decks to peruse

 

Totally from memory....

 

Casino and bars are on 6, incl the coffee bar

Deck 5 is more bars and interior public spaces

 

11 is food and pools

12 is pool upper (overlooking pool) and kids clubs/sports

 

That's it

[docboy]

37 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

Honestly, it's a small ship

It's doesn't really feel small due to design, but you basically have 4 decks to peruse

 

Totally from memory....

 

Casino and bars are on 6, incl the coffee bar

Deck 5 is more bars and interior public spaces

 

11 is food and pools

12 is pool upper (overlooking pool) and kids clubs/sports

 

That's it

 

Any areas for shopping?

[EngIceDave]

Buy stuff?

Yes....booze, MSC stuff, some limited clothes, the usual watches and jewelry....but not like it's a mall as on some bigger ships and you can spend a day "shopping"

[travelingtink]

Shopping is deck 5, an Effy jewelry store, watches, fashion jewelry, cologne, booze, branded MSC trinkets and an accessories (purses, bags, etc) store. They are somewhat spread out between forward and aft areas. 

 

Theater is deck 5 and 6 forward, dining room is 5 mid/aft with specialty dining (Aurea guests and the upcharge Surf and Turf) are deck 6 after. 

 

The spa ladies have a table set up on deck 6 when you embark. No real tour like other ships, they will just answer your questions. There was a spa raffle listed but I didn't attend, so I'm not sure if there were tours at that time. 

I never saw any listings for mixology, alcohol tastings or cooking demos. These are the activities I enjoy but couldn't find any listed. There were a few 'free tastings' in the shops the first night, but those were so overcrowded and had long lines for a half a shot of some unknown liquor. 

 

My favorite bar was the Bicardi Rum Bar on deck 6. They specialize in mojitos and have several flavor options. You can order a flight with your choice of 4 to help pick a favorite. Or do what I do and just let the bartenders create something. These are not covered in the Easy drink package though. 

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Just now, travelingtink said:

Shopping is deck 5, an Effy jewelry store, watches, fashion jewelry, cologne, booze, branded MSC trinkets and an accessories (purses, bags, etc) store. They are somewhat spread out between forward and aft areas. 

 

Theater is deck 5 and 6 forward, dining room is 5 mid/aft with specialty dining (Aurea guests and the upcharge Surf and Turf) are deck 6 after. 

 

The spa ladies have a table set up on deck 6 when you embark. No real tour like other ships, they will just answer your questions. There was a spa raffle listed but I didn't attend, so I'm not sure if there were tours at that time. 

I never saw any listings for mixology, alcohol tastings or cooking demos. These are the activities I enjoy but couldn't find any listed. There were a few 'free tastings' in the shops the first night, but those were so overcrowded and had long lines for a half a shot of some unknown liquor. 

 

My favorite bar was the Bicardi Rum Bar on deck 6. They specialize in mojitos and have several flavor options. You can order a flight with your choice of 4 to help pick a favorite. Or do what I do and just let the bartenders create something. These are not covered in the Easy drink package though. 

That's disappointing but I do like the flight idea... I don't have a drink package as I don't drink enough to spend that kind of money... none of us... mom likes coffee and espresso... probably don't have a package that gets you a limited number of coffee drinks do they? 

[NCTribeFan]

Since we didn't have a drink package, I drank way more beer than I usually do when sailing.  I'm most a beer & wine gal, and try to avoid a lot of beer when I'm cruising simply because I'm eating so much more!  But I discovered on Divina that I quite liked the Heineken draft.  Not a fan of the bottled beer but the draft was quite refreshing.

 

DD probably didn't even have a drink a day but did try a few of the frozen drinks.  IMO, they're "too" tasty and go down way too easily.  I stay away from them (except for the occasional blue margarita).

 

We did spend some time in the Pub.  Had a couple Dark-and-Stormies there and a Cuba Libra now and then.

 

There was a Master Chef thing.  Unfortunately, that was on our only sea day when we were totally out-of-whack because of the time change.  If the CD announced during the first day that we had to change our clocks that night, I missed it and missed the little notice on the daily sheet, so we were off by an hour until late afternoon.

 

I rarely even stroll through the shops on ships.  About every 3 years, I buy a watch.  I used to lust after the yellow diamonds and finally just stopped looking at them because I was never going to spend the funds so why tempt myself!

 

More than once, we found ourselves not where we were expecting to be (like I said - the two mid-ship stairwells threw us off) and had to walk through the dining room a couple of times to get where we wanted to go.  And I kept mixing up which venues were on 5 and which were on 6.  I recommend making good use of the maps that are located by each stairwell/elevator!

[docboy]

2 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

Since we didn't have a drink package, I drank way more beer than I usually do when sailing.  I'm most a beer & wine gal, and try to avoid a lot of beer when I'm cruising simply because I'm eating so much more!  But I discovered on Divina that I quite liked the Heineken draft.  Not a fan of the bottled beer but the draft was quite refreshing.

 

DD probably didn't even have a drink a day but did try a few of the frozen drinks.  IMO, they're "too" tasty and go down way too easily.  I stay away from them (except for the occasional blue margarita).

 

We did spend some time in the Pub.  Had a couple Dark-and-Stormies there and a Cuba Libra now and then.

 

There was a Master Chef thing.  Unfortunately, that was on our only sea day when we were totally out-of-whack because of the time change.  If the CD announced during the first day that we had to change our clocks that night, I missed it and missed the little notice on the daily sheet, so we were off by an hour until late afternoon.

 

I rarely even stroll through the shops on ships.  About every 3 years, I buy a watch.  I used to lust after the yellow diamonds and finally just stopped looking at them because I was never going to spend the funds so why tempt myself!

 

More than once, we found ourselves not where we were expecting to be (like I said - the two mid-ship stairwells threw us off) and had to walk through the dining room a couple of times to get where we wanted to go.  And I kept mixing up which venues were on 5 and which were on 6.  I recommend making good use of the maps that are located by each stairwell/elevator!

 

What is this Master Chef thing?  Is it a paid on board "excursion" activity where chefs teach how to cook?

 

On the Armonia, did you notice if there is a 24 hour self serve ice cream station, 24hr sandwich cafe, library, a bar to watch sports, and an atrium like setting where people drink and listen to live music?   I usually travel Carnival or RCCL (my first with MSC this Aug).  Though I never been on any of the gigantic ships, I guess I got spoiled to Carnival's amenities 🙂

[rwdtgb]

No 24 hour self serve ice cream, you can get Gelato by  the pool everyday and soft serve. I think they stop serving around 6pm I never looked for it after that. The White lion pub you can watch sports depending on the satellite. for music go to the Rum bar or Bar Duomo. I think the buffet is open like 19 hours a day but as far as sandwiches none are available like on Carnival(and carnival it is not available 24 hours). We really enjoyed the Armonia the service and the food. We had some of the best bar service on any cruise. The ship was beautiful and we are actually going back on her in October.

[docboy]

39 minutes ago, rwdtgb said:

No 24 hour self serve ice cream, you can get Gelato by  the pool everyday and soft serve. I think they stop serving around 6pm I never looked for it after that. The White lion pub you can watch sports depending on the satellite. for music go to the Rum bar or Bar Duomo. I think the buffet is open like 19 hours a day but as far as sandwiches none are available like on Carnival(and carnival it is not available 24 hours). We really enjoyed the Armonia the service and the food. We had some of the best bar service on any cruise. The ship was beautiful and we are actually going back on her in October.

 

Thanks for the info and good to hear you had a good time on the Armonia. Part of my nightly ritual on Carnival was to always get a hot pastrami on whole wheat after my evening I work out in the gym. Rack up the protein! I stand corrected on the sandwich bar, does it close around 11pm?

Edited June 13, 2019 by docboy

[travelingtink]

There are a few premade sandwiches on the late night buffet. You'll probably be better off making your own as there were always cold cuts out. Personally my late night was a carb load with pizza.

 

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

2 hours ago, docboy said:

 

What is this Master Chef thing?  Is it a paid on board "excursion" activity where chefs teach how to cook?

 

 

Exactly what I was wondering...

[docboy]

52 minutes ago, travelingtink said:

There are a few premade sandwiches on the late night buffet. You'll probably be better off making your own as there were always cold cuts out. Personally my late night was a carb load with pizza.

 

Carbs overload make for a good night's sleep!

[travelingtink]

 

Master Chef was a show in the main theater, there is no charge. They call 6 people on stage, 3 teams of 2, and they have to create a dish using the mystery ingredients. They are judged by 2 of the MSC chefs. I believe the winners get MSC swag if I recall correctly. No actual cooking involved, just cutting, prepping and presenting a dish. 

[docboy]

33 minutes ago, travelingtink said:

 

Master Chef was a show in the main theater, there is no charge. They call 6 people on stage, 3 teams of 2, and they have to create a dish using the mystery ingredients. They are judged by 2 of the MSC chefs. I believe the winners get MSC swag if I recall correctly. No actual cooking involved, just cutting, prepping and presenting a dish. 

 

This event sounds pretty fun. Thanks for sharing. I will look forward to this show!

[OceansOfTravels]

Can anyone recall whether or not they were televising the Women's World Cup games onboard the Armonia, either in the staterooms or in the Sports Bar? We go on Monday and we do not want to miss the USA-Sweden game!