Who is booked for MSC Caribbean November/December 2020 Cruises?

[mamaneedsavacay]

I've spied on the roll call threads a little and haven't seen many who are fully booked for 2020 out of Florida. Now that we are less than 90 days out, is there anyone out there who is willing to let us follow along on what you are hearing about your upcoming Seaside/Meraviglia cruises from MSC or your TA's? I'd love to countdown with you and cheer for you!

 

We are nearing our final payment date for this New Years and still trying to get our FCC applied. If it all works out, I'll be happy to post dailies, and any info I get before then (web check-in notes, etc.) 

 

My big questions would be whether excursions are MSC-only, whether they are advertising theme nights, and any other advance instructions about boarding requirements/other restrictions.

 

(I'm fully aware that there are many people who don't think cruising will resume here in 2020 and/or would choose not to cruise in 2020 or under current conditions. Peace and respect to you, but I'm choosing to be hopeful for now.)

[rnjoel]

I'm booked and paid in full for Meraviglia on Thanksgiving, November 21-28. And I'm also a TA, a very hopeful one! If the ship sails we will be on it!

 

Haven't heard a single word or update about the sailing. However all of a sudden this week the November Meraviglia sailings are no longer offered on their website (except for November 7). Not sure what to make of that...maybe they are adjusting the itineraries to remove Grand Cayman? Maybe they've reached maximum, albeit reduced, capacity?

 

I'll be happy to update whenever I hear anything!

 

Happy Sailings!

 

Joel

[shipgeeks]

We are hopeful for sailing Seaside or Armonia as early in 2021 as we can.  But we're holding off on making a booking until we have some assurance that it will happen.  My job ended with the lockdown, so we are open to any dates we can get.

For us, itinerary and restrictions won't make any difference.  We just want to be on an MSC ship.

I would imagine White Night will remain a tradition.  We didn't find any of the other "themes" to be significant, at least from what we saw last January.

[lgdesign]

1 hour ago, rnjoel said:

I'm booked and paid in full for Meraviglia on Thanksgiving, November 21-28. And I'm also a TA, a very hopeful one! If the ship sails we will be on it!

 

Haven't heard a single word or update about the sailing. However all of a sudden this week the November Meraviglia sailings are no longer offered on their website (except for November 7). Not sure what to make of that...maybe they are adjusting the itineraries to remove Grand Cayman? Maybe they've reached maximum, albeit reduced, capacity?

 

I'll be happy to update whenever I hear anything!

 

Happy Sailings!

 

Joel

 

My husband and I are booked and paid-in-full for the same cruise and are waiting, watching and wondering what will happen as the silence (aside from lots of unsubstantiated opinions) has been deafening.  Looking forward to getting reliable info. 

 

We also have friends booked on an early Nov. Panama Canal cruise on NCL who are waiting and stressing about what's going to happen to their cruise.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2020 by lgdesign

[quattrohead]

I cancelled my booking on Seaside because they could not get it right and I gave up/lost trust in them.

Very sad but I want what I paid for.

[Toofarfromthesea]

4 hours ago, rnjoel said:

I'm booked and paid in full for Meraviglia on Thanksgiving, November 21-28. And I'm also a TA, a very hopeful one! If the ship sails we will be on it!

 

Haven't heard a single word or update about the sailing. However all of a sudden this week the November Meraviglia sailings are no longer offered on their website (except for November 7). Not sure what to make of that...maybe they are adjusting the itineraries to remove Grand Cayman? Maybe they've reached maximum, albeit reduced, capacity?

 

I'll be happy to update whenever I hear anything!

 

Happy Sailings!

 

Joel

 

I'm booked into the Meraviglia Yacht Club on the 11/7/20 departure out of Miami.  I'm just sitting with my fingers crossed, hoping.  I just booked my flights, since everyone seems to now offer no fee changes.  And I still have my refundable hotel room for 2 nights pre-cruise that I booked way back before all this.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I'm booked and fully paid for the November 14 sailing on the Meraviglia in Yacht Club that was originally to have been on the Seaside.  Deafening silence from both the TA and MSC.

[Fla Mike]

We are on the Nov 8th sailing, ( and paid in full) of the Seaside from Port Canaveral.

it is not showing on the MSC website any longer, but I have not gotten a cancellation as of yet.

[slei15]

We are on the Nov 22-29 Seaside (originally booked as a 4 night). Also a TA. Have been working with a resolutions supervisor there on a few issues, and feedback from her is that they feel they are in the best position of any to restart 11/1. They have protocols that are already working, access to the tests needed, and just need government approval. They are spending a lot of money to get going with people feeling comfortable, forsaking a return to profit in the short term to be able to get back there quicker in the long term. As a private company without shareholders to answer to, they feel they have more flexibility to do what should/needs to be done. That being said, I have no faith in our government to actually allow this to happen on 11/1 and have a backup plan booked on land as well for thanksgiving. Club Med Sandpiper Bay is allowing cancellation 15 days out right now, so I am holding onto that in case. 

[Geobugs]

Father and Son on the December 12, 2020 sailing of the Meraviglia.  We are paid in full.  We used Chase airline miles to book.  Our last cruise was the March 7-14, 2020 on the Sky Princess.  Cruising stopped when we disembarked.  We are looking forward to cruising again, this is our tenth cruise.

Edited September 19, 2020 by Geobugs

[mamaneedsavacay]

9 hours ago, rnjoel said:

I'm booked and paid in full for Meraviglia on Thanksgiving, November 21-28. And I'm also a TA, a very hopeful one! If the ship sails we will be on it!

 

Joel

 

Thank you, Joel! I hope that you get to sail and thank you for being willing to share info!

 

8 hours ago, lgdesign said:

 

My husband and I are booked and paid-in-full for the same cruise and are waiting, watching and wondering what will happen as the silence (aside from lots of unsubstantiated opinions) has been deafening.  Looking forward to getting reliable info. 

 

 

Thank you, lgdesign! I hope that you get to sail and that you all get more info soon!

 

5 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

I'm booked into the Meraviglia Yacht Club on the 11/7/20 departure out of Miami.  I'm just sitting with my fingers crossed, hoping.  I just booked my flights, since everyone seems to now offer no fee changes.  And I still have my refundable hotel room for 2 nights pre-cruise that I booked way back before all this.

 

Thank you, Toofarfromthesea! You will be one of the first ones! Fingers crossed for you. I have a refundable pre-cruise hotel room, haven't bought plane tickets yet, as prices still seem higher than they should. 

 

4 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I'm booked and fully paid for the November 14 sailing on the Meraviglia in Yacht Club that was originally to have been on the Seaside.  Deafening silence from both the TA and MSC.

 

Thanks, Happy Cruiser! I really hope you get to go. Please keep us posted!

 

3 hours ago, Fla Mike said:

We are on the Nov 8th sailing, ( and paid in full) of the Seaside from Port Canaveral.

it is not showing on the MSC website any longer, but I have not gotten a cancellation as of yet.

 

Thanks Fla Mike! I hope that your cruise is just "sold out" at it's lower capacity. I noticed a few other cruises that don't show online any longer, for further out, but I think they are just full because they are popular weeks (school breaks.)

 

2 hours ago, slei15 said:

We are on the Nov 22-29 Seaside (originally booked as a 4 night). Also a TA. Have been working with a resolutions supervisor there on a few issues, and feedback from her is that they feel they are in the best position of any to restart 11/1. They have protocols that are already working, access to the tests needed, and just need government approval. They are spending a lot of money to get going with people feeling comfortable, forsaking a return to profit in the short term to be able to get back there quicker in the long term. As a private company without shareholders to answer to, they feel they have more flexibility to do what should/needs to be done. That being said, I have no faith in our government to actually allow this to happen on 11/1 and have a backup plan booked on land as well for thanksgiving. Club Med Sandpiper Bay is allowing cancellation 15 days out right now, so I am holding onto that in case. 

 

Thanks, slei, that's great info!

Have you been to that Club Med? My TA didn't recommend it, just because she said that it wouldn't be our type of beach. But there are not a lot of US all-inclusives to choose from, and I'm still curious about it. My back-up plan is Orlando theme parks as of right now.

 

51 minutes ago, Geobugs said:

Father and Son on the December 12, 2020 sailing of the Meraviglia.  We are paid in full.  We used Chase airline miles to book.  Our last cruise was the March 7-14, 2020 on the Sky Princess.  Cruising stopped when we disembarked.  We are looking forward to cruising again, this is our tenth cruise.

 

Thanks, Geobugs! I hope you get to go!

[slei15]

We were at club med for a few days in July. It wasn’t bad, wasn’t great. Food was passable with a good variety. Drinks were ok...great for free but all bottom shelf stuff unless you pay by the drink. There was a lack of entertainment options due to Covid precautions. Pools are beautiful and the non-motorized water sports were fun. Kids loved the kids club when they went. Hours were tricky for kids club. There is no real beach at the resort. It’s on the bay, but you have to drive to the ocean. We had a good time and it was very relaxing, but it definitely wasn’t the cruise type of experience. 

[crobinv]

We are booked on the 11/08/20 out of Canaveral for a party of 8. Paid in full back in August. Our fingers are crossed that we set sail. We are a group of 3 moms, 3 teens, and 2 little girls. Our backup plan is to rebook for February. 

 

I am also booked January 17th for a 4 night trip with 2 other couples. 

[cvg42]

Booked with FCC: Meraviglia Aurea Balcony cabin 12/26 - 01/02 cruise.

Fingers crossed. It will be more than a year without cruise...It is about time to cruise again, even with the new rules.

[Toofarfromthesea]

13 hours ago, mamaneedsavacay said:

Thank you, Toofarfromthesea! You will be one of the first ones! Fingers crossed for you. I have a refundable pre-cruise hotel room, haven't bought plane tickets yet, as prices still seem higher than they should. 

 

I'd been monitoring airfares for quite a while and they have been pretty stable.  Normally a slowdown in flying would spark a price drop but I suspect this is different, because if people are afraid to fly, lowering the price won't have any effect.  And the airlines can't afford to further reduce their revenue by lowering prices unless that actually sparks demand.  We'll see.  Plus I bought my flights with Chase points, so it's not like it is real money.  😁

[holmes96]

Hi, my sister and I are booked on the 11/28 Meraviglia sailing out of Miami, in the YC, and we are keeping our fingers crossed.  If sailings begin, we are getting on that ship.  :)  I just noticed today that excursions are now available.  Exactly 4 in each port...perhaps these are the limited excursion bubbles MSC is creating?!?  It gives me hope.

[Toofarfromthesea]

4 hours ago, slei15 said:

We were at club med for a few days in July. It wasn’t bad, wasn’t great. Food was passable with a good variety. Drinks were ok...great for free but all bottom shelf stuff unless you pay by the drink. There was a lack of entertainment options due to Covid precautions. Pools are beautiful and the non-motorized water sports were fun. Kids loved the kids club when they went. Hours were tricky for kids club. There is no real beach at the resort. It’s on the bay, but you have to drive to the ocean. We had a good time and it was very relaxing, but it definitely wasn’t the cruise type of experience. 

 

We have a week booked in January at the Finest Playa Mujeres all-inclusive in Cancun.  We've done that before, so I will be very interested in how things are different this time around, assuming we can actually go.  

[matondo]

We are paid in full for the November 1, 2020 MSC Seaside out of Port Canaveral. For the past month when I have logged into the MSC website I get this pop up  "Plan my Cruise and Cruise Details sections are not available for now. You can still access your account settings and MSC Voyagers Club. Thank you!". We are 42 days out, when do we get to start planning our cruise if it really is going to happen? Sigh

[BermudaBound2014]

The CDC no sail order expires on September 30th. There are rumors they will officially announce an extension by next Wednesday. Rumor aside, I suspect that the CDC will announce  either way sometime next week so your waiting is almost over.

Edited September 19, 2020 by BermudaBound2014

[Hlitner]

We had been booked on the Meraviglia (14 days) in December.  But a few weeks ago we decided to change that reservation to a similar itinerary in Oct 2021.   Our best judgement was that the Dec 2020 cruise would likely be cancelled or have so many onboard restrictions as to detract from the cruise.  Since we had booked the Yacht Club and wanted to stay in that category we thought it made sense to move now rather then wait for more cancellations.   The YC has been booking well and those who wait will unlikely not be able to get any reservations in the YC.  Another issue with Nov-Dec cruises is that it is unlikely that many ports will reopen to cruise ships this year.

 

Hank

[IsanTom]

I am booked for 11/1/20 MSC Seaside on a B2B, so still planning on sailing. Also we are booked on a B2B on Seaside in December. I'm just ready to sail anywhere. How about you?

[Fla Mike]

16 hours ago, matondo said:

We are paid in full for the November 1, 2020 MSC Seaside out of Port Canaveral. For the past month when I have logged into the MSC website I get this pop up  "Plan my Cruise and Cruise Details sections are not available for now.

 

We are on the November 8, 2020 sailing.

I checked my booking this morning and I am able to book the ONE excursion, (Ocean Cay Snorkeling) and purchase web, drink, and dining packages.

 

Still, none of the November sailings out of Port Canaveral are showing, only Miami sailings.

Carnival and RCL, still show from PC.

[matondo]

1 hour ago, IsanTom said:

I am booked for 11/1/20 MSC Seaside on a B2B, so still planning on sailing. Also we are booked on a B2B on Seaside in December. I'm just ready to sail anywhere. How about you?

I totally agree. When they changed the ports, I really did not care because I was needing my cruise fix. Not sure how we are going to celebrate our 40th anniversary which was 2 months ago. This was our third cruise we had booked for this. I asked DH what he thought about an all-inclusive and he said would rather cruise so we might just wait until 2021 and see if we can do something then. I keep reminding myself....first world problem.

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

We are booked on 11/7 Meraviglia (MSC changed us from the Seaside) in the Yacht Club.  Hubby is still very hesitant to go, even if the cruises are on.  Worries about the crowds at the airport and upon check-in.  I am SO ready to set sail!  Hubby couldn't afford to be stuck for an additional 14 days because of his work.  I'm thinking I could take my work laptop and if I get stuck, could telework (assuming I'm not sick!).  Maybe I'll take my son with me if DH decides he can't take the chance.

I don't typically post during my cruise, though.  I pretty much power off all my electronics.  I may have to make an exception this time!

[40yearcruiser]

Mama... we are also on the Seaside New Years cruise, 5 of us in 2 cabins. Final payment coming up soon so we've been discussing what to do. Think we'll pay it and hope we will be able to cruise this year. We're ready to go even with the restrictions. Anyone hear what the precautions will be for Ocean Cay? We're scheduled to be there 2 days now since Grand Cayman was dropped. Worst case scenario--the cruise is cancelled and we get a refund or FCC and rebook for next year! (surely this "plague" can't last forever).