Just Off Armonia - Ask Away!

[the mistral wind]

Thinking about booking this ship. this will be a extra get away for us. I see a drink package included if i book a upgraded cabin. is it worth it for 100. more? I learned it only includes 6.00 drinks. Are their house wines 6.00 or under and are there shots of liquor or gin and tonic house brands under 6.00. I am trying to see if this is a good deal for me. Also are their speciality coffees under 6. I know i can add monies to it but i want the free deal. That's how i understand a drink package. I usually book Royal and am always happy with them. I am also diamond with Royal. But i wanted to check this ship out the price is right for an extra vacation. I am going on the Allure in oct. which we are both excited about. So if someone has a menu of drinks on the Armonia for 2019 updated i would greatly appreciate it so i can do the math. thank you

[Beamafar]

The included 'Easy' package is $35 pppd (plus 15% service charge if purchased onboard) so, for $100 pp more on the fare, that's a good deal.

 

I posted the current bar menu from Armonia on the following thread (from post #35):

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2641156-msc-yacht-club-feb-16-23-2019-compare-to-ncl-haven/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-56957236

 

[SailBreakaway]

What can you share about the ship itself? We enjoy smaller ships and have sailed the Sun and Gem on NCL as well as Enchantment with Royal, enjoying all three alot. Armonia seems very basic, old in decor and interior design, and without much beauty, from the few videos and pictures we’ve seen. It seems without any modernization or features? Could be my perception, so love to hear about your opinion of the above? Thanks for being so generous in your info share!!

[travelwide]

Question for Beamafar......

 

I looked at your posting of the drink menu and most of the drinks were $7.00. My understanding with the All In package it is any drink $6.00 or under. What has been your experience with this issue?

[Beamafar]

On 7/9/2019 at 6:09 PM, travelwide said:

Question for Beamafar......

 

I looked at your posting of the drink menu and most of the drinks were $7.00. My understanding with the All In package it is any drink $6.00 or under. What has been your experience with this issue?

 

I've no experience of the new drinks packages;  we had the Deluxe package grandfathered in for our Armonia cruise (which had a couple more inclusions than the new 'Premium' package).

 

You're correct - drinks $6 and under are included in the 'Easy' package (it's a very limited selection!)  There are a couple of threads on the subject with pics of what's included on a Med cruise.  I believe that it's very similar to what's being offered on a Caribbean cruise.  Apparently you can order a shot of the liquor that's included to add to a non-alcoholic included cocktail if you wish to get around the fact that a lot of cocktails containing alcohol are not included in the package.  The 2 wines listed at the top are sparkling wines with the 'Dolce' being the sweet one.  The following 2 are the whites on offer, while the last 2 are the reds.  I only drank the Grillo in the whites and I found the CS 'Saint Louis' to be undrinkable (for me, anyway) so stuck to the Merlot (this was when I had the basic drinks package in the Med on one particular cruise.  The wine choices may be a little different on a Caribbean cruise):

 

Edited July 12, 2019 by Beamafar

[jamon]

Is there a time limit as to how long in between drinks you have to wait to get the next one on the easy drink package or any other drink package? thanks

[rwdtgb]

4 hours ago, jamon said:

Is there a time limit as to how long in between drinks you have to wait to get the next one on the easy drink package or any other drink package? thanks

No we did not experience having to wait the 5 minutes Carnival makes you wait. Plus they were very good about letting us order doubles at any time.

[OceansOfTravels]

On 7/8/2019 at 5:23 PM, SailBreakaway said:

What can you share about the ship itself? We enjoy smaller ships and have sailed the Sun and Gem on NCL as well as Enchantment with Royal, enjoying all three alot. Armonia seems very basic, old in decor and interior design, and without much beauty, from the few videos and pictures we’ve seen. It seems without any modernization or features? Could be my perception, so love to hear about your opinion of the above? Thanks for being so generous in your info share!!

 

Funny you ask this, because right before the Armonia, I was on the MSC Seaview. So I know all about modern ships with all the bells and whistles. However, I still enjoyed the Armonia. Sure, she's not fitted with the newest of appliances or the most modern decor, but the decor the ship does have matches its overall style and I was pleasantly surprised to be enjoying an older ship a much as I did. I really enjoyed the Armonia for its size, as we seemed to never wait long for an elevator or for food, and I already knew my way around the whole ship by the second morning. I definitely would give it a chance, it may surprise you! Especially if you're cruising for a nice, relaxing beach vacation, this ship will be perfect for that. 

[CTurtlelvr]

Oh good, someone to ask questions, I didn't see this before posting my latest thread.

1. Is there a texting app to stay in touch with other family members on the ship without the data plan?

 

2. Did your tickets state that you received the 'All in' drink package? We were told when we booked that we would receive it, but it doesn't state it anywhere on our tickets or invoice and I cannot get my TA to answer the question. We have 2-oceanviews Fantastica. 

 

TIA!!

[DeckLDO]

Can you tell me about the dress code?  Are they strict about it?   I am booked on the Armonia on 05 Aug and want to know what to pack.  I normally Cruise Holland America and am comfortable with their dress code.  

I also read that shorts are not allowed in public areas at night, is this correct?

 

Thanks
Paul

 

[Stevanb]

On 7/2/2019 at 9:18 AM, Essiesmom said:

This is my second attempt at this question...

We like a nightlight in the bathroom.  On our previous MSC cruises (Divina & Seaside) the outlet in the bathroom was not 'live' unless the lights were turned on. (This is true of Carnival ships also).  Is this also true for Armonia?  We are booked for August 26.   EM

We have a light that is usb rechargable with remote works perfect for bathroom. has low and high setting  works perfect even thru the walls

[Touringmom]

How many formal nights? How dressy do people get? 

[kidless]

I’m looking at cruise on this ship end of September. Never sailed MSC. 

 

How many smoking areas and how smokie do areas get especially casino. I know that can vary by how many smokers are on board. 

 

Is there a dress code for dinner? 

 

 

 

[OceansOfTravels]

On 7/22/2019 at 3:46 PM, CTurtlelvr said:

Oh good, someone to ask questions, I didn't see this before posting my latest thread.

1. Is there a texting app to stay in touch with other family members on the ship without the data plan?

 

2. Did your tickets state that you received the 'All in' drink package? We were told when we booked that we would receive it, but it doesn't state it anywhere on our tickets or invoice and I cannot get my TA to answer the question. We have 2-oceanviews Fantastica. 

 

TIA!!

 

Can't answer either of these with full confidence - sorry! I did not use any sort of texting app, and I don't remember seeing one advertised. Maybe someone else will chime in. Also, I had a basic Bella interior, so no drink packages for me! Sorry I could not be of much help, and like I said, maybe someone else will chime in.

[OceansOfTravels]

On 7/2/2019 at 9:18 AM, Essiesmom said:

This is my second attempt at this question...

We like a nightlight in the bathroom.  On our previous MSC cruises (Divina & Seaside) the outlet in the bathroom was not 'live' unless the lights were turned on. (This is true of Carnival ships also).  Is this also true for Armonia?  We are booked for August 26.   EM

 

Sorry I am just now getting around to answering your question! The Armonia is not like other ships where you need to have the room key in the slot with the lights on in order to get things to light up or charge. It's an older ship so I'm sure if you plug in your nightlight in the bathroom, it will stay on all night. My cell phone and portable charger always charged through the night even with the lights off, so I doubt they would bug the bathroom and not the entire room. Hope that helped!

[OceansOfTravels]

10 hours ago, DeckLDO said:

Can you tell me about the dress code?  Are they strict about it?   I am booked on the Armonia on 05 Aug and want to know what to pack.  I normally Cruise Holland America and am comfortable with their dress code.  

I also read that shorts are not allowed in public areas at night, is this correct?

 

Thanks
Paul

 

 

Hello Paul,

 

I hate to be the bearer of this news, but in my opinion, MSC has one of the most lenient of dress codes of the three lines I've sailed. With that being said, it also has the highest level of diversity. I have seen people show up to formal night in full tuxedos and gowns, with their complete antithesis at the table next to them, in cargo shorts and maybe a polo. The best suggestion I could give regarding dress on MSC is to just wear whatever you would want to wear for your own photos or taste, and just try to align it with whatever the theme is that night. Therefore, if you want to get formal photos done, or you want a night where you wear shirts, ties and dresses, choose the assigned formal night as your family's night to do that. That is my best suggestion, because I promise you, you may end up being shocked at what you find some people classifying as formal. 

 

Also not sure where you read that shorts weren't allowed in public areas, because if that was an area, I broke it many times on three different MSC ships. You should be okay in that regard. Maybe try to avoid shorts on formal night because you may get some angry glares from formally-dressed French or British people, but other than that, you should be good. 

 

Let me know if you have any more questions or want any more verification!

 

 

[OceansOfTravels]

1 hour ago, kidless said:

I’m looking at cruise on this ship end of September. Never sailed MSC. 

 

How many smoking areas and how smokie do areas get especially casino. I know that can vary by how many smokers are on board. 

 

Is there a dress code for dinner? 

 

 

 

 

I only recall seeing maybe two or three smoking areas, and they were always small. They never seemed to be packed either, so maybe that's indicative of smokers choosing other lines with more lenient policies. I personally don't like smoke, and I really like how MSC doesn't allow smoking in their casinos. I enjoy that aspect of cruising with them. So if you're looking for a ship with little smokers, and those that do smoke being pretty well contained, this is a good option.

 

Two of the nights onboard a 7 night cruise will be formal nights. Those are the nights that you are suggested to dress up. There will also be a night where they host a "white party", where everyone wears white. On this night, you'll see many people wearing their white outfits to dinner to consolidate on outfits, so that may be another good idea. I can't think of any other clothes-related special nights!

[OceansOfTravels]

6 hours ago, Touringmom said:

How many formal nights? How dressy do people get? 

 

Sorry! I completely answered people who had a similar questions as you and didn't even see this question .... scroll up and read my response to DeckLDO and kidless, I should have answered your questions in there! 

[CTurtlelvr]

1 hour ago, OceansOfTravels said:

 

Can't answer either of these with full confidence - sorry! I did not use any sort of texting app, and I don't remember seeing one advertised. Maybe someone else will chime in. Also, I had a basic Bella interior, so no drink packages for me! Sorry I could not be of much help, and like I said, maybe someone else will chime in.

 

Great, thanks anyway your whole post has been very informative!

Edited July 24, 2019 by CTurtlelvr

[kidless]

11 hours ago, OceansOfTravels said:

 

I only recall seeing maybe two or three smoking areas, and they were always small. They never seemed to be packed either, so maybe that's indicative of smokers choosing other lines with more lenient policies. I personally don't like smoke, and I really like how MSC doesn't allow smoking in their casinos. I enjoy that aspect of cruising with them. So if you're looking for a ship with little smokers, and those that do smoke being pretty well contained, this is a good option.

Casino is non-smoking? I thought I read on line it was smoking. 

 

Thanks for for your reply. We are Nervous about trying MSC there are a lot of bad reviews on cruise critic about this ship. 

[Beamafar]

There was a smoking area in the casino when we were on Armonia in January.

[OceansOfTravels]

34 minutes ago, kidless said:

Casino is non-smoking? I thought I read on line it was smoking. 

 

Thanks for for your reply. We are Nervous about trying MSC there are a lot of bad reviews on cruise critic about this ship. 

 

I worded that wrong, I'm sorry. One of the small smoking areas is inside the casino, but the entire casino is non-smoking if that makes sense. It's not like the Carnival ships, for example, where walking past the casino is a massive whiff of tobacco you have to just learn to deal with. While there is smoking in the casino on the Armonia, it is nowhere near as prominent or heavy.

 

As for the ship, yes it is smaller and older, but it is a very great option if you're looking for a more low-key, relaxing and personalized vacation. If you're looking for a ship with tons of things to do, and a vacation where everything is sort of planned out for you, you may dislike the Armonia. Given its small size and low passenger count, you kind of have to take the reins and do whatever you like to amuse yourself. Some people, like myself, enjoy vacations like this, thus I ended up having a really good time on the Armonia. It was the relaxing week I needed. I think you may end up enjoying it a lot as well.

[kidless]

“.....Given its small size and low passenger count, you kind of have to take the reins anddo whatever you like to amuse yourself. Some people, like myself, enjoy vacations like this, thus I ended up having a really good time on the Armonia. It was the relaxing week I needed. I think you may end up enjoying it a lot as well.”

 

Absolutely how we like it! Thanks so much for the input! 

[Essiesmom]

I am on Armonia Aug. 26.  I was browsing the website and noticed that they said you had to reserve shows in the theater (but not on other ships) using the touch screens around the ship.  Well, we had to do this on Seaside, which was okay.  But I assumed Armonia didn't have this technology onboard yet.  Can you clarify?  EM

[Beamafar]

Lirica-class ships have had this system for booking shows since the 'Renaissance' project.   They stretched the ships, which meant that the theatre could no longer accommodate the extra number of passengers as the venue couldn't be extended, hence the need for booking seats.