Mera - no Ocean Cay today. And other glitches.

[jkgourmet]

Not able to dock.  😞

 

You've already read of our unpleasant experience with the cabin attendant.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2736217-what-our-cabin-attendant-did-and-its-not-good/

 

 

The ship also had 1.5 days without hot water ($50 OBC).

 

There was a cancellation of the Cirque show scheduled one night for "technical difficulties.  It was rescheduled for our sea day at 3pm - exactly the same time as the cruise director (Gene) show, forcing us to make an unhappy choice.

 

At Costa Maya, Guest relations told us there were no shuttles from the ship to the port.  The long walk was too much so we remained on board (and enjoyed the quiet ship and FINALLY getting a chaise lounge).  We learned later that there were shuttles.

 

Our luggage remained undelivered until 6:30pm.

 

/end of rant.

 

  

Edited February 22, 2020 by jkgourmet

[cruisingnewtoit]

1 hour ago, jkgourmet said:

Not able to dock.  😞

 

You've already read of our unpleasant experience with the cabin attendant.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2736217-what-our-cabin-attendant-did-and-its-not-good/

 

 

The ship also had 1.5 days without hot water ($50 OBC).

 

There was a cancellation of the Cirque show scheduled one night for "technical difficulties.  It was rescheduled for our sea day at 3pm - exactly the same time as the cruise director (Gene) show, forcing us to make an unhappy choice.

 

At Costa Maya, Guest relations told us there were no shuttles from the ship to the port.  The long walk was too much so we remained on board (and enjoyed the quiet ship and FINALLY getting a chaise lounge).  We learned later that there were shuttles.

 

Our luggage remained undelivered until 6:30pm.

 

/end of rant.

 

  

It is definitely a long walk, we walked it but my husband I don't have any mobility issues. When we were out at 8: 30 am there was a tram taking people to the port. Understandable that this was frustrating for you.

[Nashna]

That is a long walk.  They need more than one tram.  It was totally filled in both directions so we walked.  Costa Maya is such a frustrating port, they make it almost impossible to find the exit.  We felt like hostages and vowed not to spend any money in the shops.  We did tip well after watching the bird show.  If you have an opportunity to watch those amazing men do so.

[BermudaBound2014]

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?

[jkgourmet]

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!

[rkacruiser]

14 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

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

 

I agree.  Music in the Lounges was also quite enjoyable, I thought.

 

6 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

Our luggage remained undelivered until 6:30pm.

 

Even as a Yacht Club guest, my luggage was not delivered until late ( I arrived around 12:45 P. M.).  Even then, my Butler had to go to Deck 4 (where the luggage must arrive on the ship) to get my luggage.  My opinion:  this is not the ship's fault.  It's the fault of the Port of Miami.  Miami is simply too large and congested to efficiently handle the number of guests getting on these large ships.

 

6 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

At Costa Maya, The long walk was too much so we remained on board

 

As did I.  At so many ports, in order to accommodate the larger ships, the docks are having to be placed so far away from shore that long walks from ship to shore and return are now required.  Port Authorities in ALL of such ports need to get "smart" and increase shuttles/trams, whatever, to get guests ashore if they want those guests to spend $$$.

 

I am sorry that you were not able to visit Ocean Cay.  It's certainly a "work in progress", but I really enjoyed it even in its current state.  The nighttime Sound and Light Show at the Lighthouse was memorable!  

[BermudaBound2014]

32 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

A VERY mixed bag!

Sounds about right :). We have to remember the value received for the dollar. That is where MSc shines for me. Happy to hear you had great mdr service in the evening- that is an improvement over my experiences.

 

I also very much liked the entertainment and thought it compares well to regular size cruises, but thought it was lacking when compared to the big girls of ncl and rcl. The fact that it’s canned music was an issue for me but that’s because I come from a lineage of musicians, probably won’t even be noticed by most.

 

ps- 1.5 days without hot water ship wide or in your cabin? Ship wide I would think that starts to become a health issue. And I really dislike cold showers 

 

safe travels! 

Edited February 22, 2020 by BermudaBound2014

[cruisingnewtoit]

Hubs & I always ate our meals in YC. We decided to eat at the buffet today to check it out. 

 

My selections were cold and one was ice cold in the middle. The slices of celery in the curry IMO was off. The bread was ok. The lentil stew did not taste good.

 

My hubs thought the food was ok. The Mac & cheese was elevated boxed kind. The roast beef was dry. The ham salad was good. The couscous was overcooked. He liked the cheesy rigatoni.

 

[jkgourmet]

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.  

[elbodans]

1 hour ago, jkgourmet said:

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.  

 

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

[jkgourmet]

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.

[jkgourmet]

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.

[BermudaBound2014]

7 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

 

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.

Agreed. However, if the price is relatively close (within 25-30%), I am willing to pay more for, what I consider to be, a better product and will choose the main stream each and every time. This year, our April girls trip was 65% less than the mainstream so we are sailing MSc again (with adjusted expectations). For me, the appeal of MSc is value. If the savings isn’t there- neither am I. 

Edited February 23, 2020 by BermudaBound2014

[sfaaa]

Being a burger, pizza and jello kind of guy, average to cafeteria quality food I can handle. No hot water for 1.5 day? That's not ok and down right nasty.

[richnorto]

Our upcoming Divina, booked as a Bella interior (and upgraded to Fantastica balcony - yea!) with internet, easy drinks upgraded to premium, OBC (most from TA) and the additional we need to pay for grats after using the OBC will be $3000 for 11 days for 2.  MSC is a good bargain.  This was a last minute " I've got to go somewhere" cruise.  We are super excited to try a new line, although I will miss having crew on board that I already know.  I will have to wait for the hugs and "we missed you" until another few cruises down the line if this works out well.  Here's to learning to love a new line and crew as well!

[rkacruiser]

28 minutes ago, richnorto said:

We are super excited to try a new line, although I will miss having crew on board that I already know.   Here's to learning to love a new line and crew as well!

 

I wish you a great experience.  Your new adventure was what I experienced on Meraviglia.  Choosing MSC was a good decision.  

[jeffmylene]

The hot water did return around dinner time on that first evening.  But unfortunately overnight, the hot water problem returned, which extended until the afternoon of the second day.  Thankfully, I was able to shower before dinner on both days. 😃