JamieLogical's Live from the MSC Meraviglia 4/9 (semi-B2B)

[JamieLogical]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by JamieLogical

[Woody14]

16 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Many of us hope that MSC will never become more Americanized.

I took my first cruise with MSC on the Divina in 2012 and between that experience and what people are getting now it is already way more Americanized.     My hope is the add back in more of the European flavours it had back then

[shipgeeks]

3 minutes ago, Woody14 said:

I took my first cruise with MSC on the Divina in 2012 and between that experience and what people are getting now it is already way more Americanized.     My hope is the add back in more of the European flavours it had back then

Our first MSC cruise from US was in 2002.  I agree, it has become much more Americanized.

[AtSeaWithChris]

2 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Our first MSC cruise from US was in 2002.  I agree, it has become much more Americanized.

They pretty much have to if they want to grow their market. They have made a lot of progress with the biggest complaints over the years. It’s a fine line of bringing a new product and meeting the market wants. 

[shipgeeks]

1 hour ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

They pretty much have to if they want to grow their market. They have made a lot of progress with the biggest complaints over the years. It’s a fine line of bringing a new product and meeting the market wants. 

But if they become a clone of the other lines, they lose people like us who value their unique product. 

[AtSeaWithChris]

1 minute ago, shipgeeks said:

But if they become a clone of the other lines, they lose people like us who value their unique product. 

That’s the rub. I think there’s a place for them though. Look at Carnival bringing over 2 Costa ships with Fun Italian style. Hopefully they see the need for a different experience. As long as that experience hits the mark.

[CruizinSusan70]

3 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

But if they become a clone of the other lines, they lose people like us who value their unique product. 

Lose a few to gain thousands.....you could still pay to cross the pond to get the product you love.

[JGmf]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

he found us a really nice 11 night itinerary on the Divina out of Miami in February. We decided to go ahead and book it because deposits are refundable and, if we booked onboard, we go 10% off the cruise fare and $200 of OBC. The price was right for the itinerary. I think it worked out to about $1700 per person with drinks and wifi in a Fantastica balcony. We got the last available angled balcony on the ship. Not sure we will ultimately keep this booking, but if we do, I think it will be a good one.

 

That says a lot Jamie.  I guess MSC is a the go-to cruise line for you and your husband (for now?).

 

[CruizinSusan70]

1 minute ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

That’s the rub. I think there’s a place for them though. Look at Carnival bringing over 2 Costa ships with Fun Italian style. Hopefully they see the need for a different experience. As long as that experience hits the mark.

But there will be a major difference between the Venezia and the Firenze from Carnival with what MSC offers.  The two new Costa imported ships will be your typical Carnival ship, just with an Italian flair.  Announcements will be in English only, there will be comedy shows aplenty, there will not be any opera shows on board, there will be a piano bar and the menu will not be seafood forward.

It's a smart marketing move by Carnival.  It gets your typical Carnival cruiser on the east and west coast to try something different, yet is still part of the Carnival experience.  When it comes time to cross the pond and take a cruise, instead of narrowing in on the one or possibly two ships that Carnival has, that cruiser may choose a Costa ship or even a P&O ship like the Iona or Arvia that are similar in size to the Excel Class ships on Carnival (Mardi Gras, Celebration & Jubilee).

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, JGmf said:

 

That says a lot Jamie.  I guess MSC is a the go-to cruise line for you and your husband (for now?).

 

 

Until they give us a reason to look elsewhere. Right now, I don't see how you can beat the value for the price if the quality of the cruise remains like what we have experienced on this sailing. I know there are good deals to be found on every line and I am not saying I won't be keeping an eye out for those. But, the price point for the quality on MSC is too good to overlook.

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

That muffaletta sandwich is an insult to New Orleans. It's supposed to be an olive tapenade, not 3 black olives. 

[ESCARGO]

Jamie, have you tried the French Onion Soup yet? If you have, please let me know how it was.

🍲🧅🍲

Ted

[CruizinSusan70]

4 hours ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

That muffaletta sandwich is an insult to New Orleans. It's supposed to be an olive tapenade, not 3 black olives. 

It's MSC... that's their "European spin" on a US product.

[JamieLogical]

4 hours ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

That muffaletta sandwich is an insult to New Orleans. It's supposed to be an olive tapenade, not 3 black olives. 

 

I was honestly happy because I hate olives and those were easy to pick off!

[KKB]

Enjoying your report @JamieLogical! Love your photos from formal night.

Glad to hear your MSC cruise is looking to shape up better than mine. 

Don't get me wrong--there were things I really liked, but some "off" things to be sure.

(that whole things not being stocked..."tomorrow" seems to be a theme...)

Giving them another chance next month in Europe so we shall see.

Maybe you will give Princess another try sometime--it did seem things were NOT what we have experienced on our 10 Princess cruises (albeit never on Emerald).

Just got back from a week on the Beyond in the Retreat & it was GREAT.

Your room looks FABULOUS. 

[hiccups]

Enjoying your review after reading them on the X and NCL boards!  We had our first MSC experience in January (YC on a Divina three-nighter), but the time we spent outside YC did not seem nearly as nice as yours.  My husband said he would cruise MSC again but only in YC.  I think because it was a weekend cruise, we may have had a different clientele—it was packed with kids, taking over the pools and the hot tubs.  My husband went to the buffet at 2 PM to get some pizza and couldn’t believe the lines.

 

The picture of your muffaletta sandwich made me chuckle—it was like a face looking at me.

 

As for your pedicure, you should try Color Street nail polish strips—no drying time!

[Joiseymom]

On 4/10/2023 at 9:59 PM, cruzlover said:

Thanks so much for your Live Report. We’ll be boarding Apr 29 from Brooklyn. Thanks as well for the bar list. I read the following and it sounds like you can get a drink and just pay the difference, meaning you can get a $16 drink for $6 if you have the Easy Plus Package. This is not what I understood to be the case. Wondering if you could get confirmation on this. 

 

“Upgrade Your Drink Choice
If you’re thirsting for a cocktail, favorite spirit or special glass of wine that’s not included in your purchased beverage package discounts are available to ensure you quench your thirst.
Easy Package holders
save $ 8 on all beverages $ 8 or more.
Easy Plus Package holders
save $ 10 on all beverages of $ 10 or more.
Premium Extra Package holders
save $ 16 on all beverages of $ 16 or more.
Enjoy your beverage package responsibly and treat yourself to a discounted upgrade.”

No, they do not allow this. If you buy a drink not in your package, you are paying the full price of the drink.

[AtSeaWithChris]

30 minutes ago, Joiseymom said:

No, they do not allow this. If you buy a drink not in your package, you are paying the full price of the drink.

Actually they are doing this now. @JamieLogical confirmed that in this review. 

[JamieLogical]

7 hours ago, Joiseymom said:

No, they do not allow this. If you buy a drink not in your package, you are paying the full price of the drink.

 

That is no longer true. As of a couple of weeks ago, you now only pay the difference. The caveat being that if you bought the Easy Plus package back when it covered $9 drinks, you only get a $9 "discount" on drinks over $10. Even though any drink $10 and under is now covered.

 

 

[Joiseymom]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

That is no longer true. As of a couple of weeks ago, you now only pay the difference. The caveat being that if you bought the Easy Plus package back when it covered $9 drinks, you only get a $9 "discount" on drinks over $10. Even though any drink $10 and under is now covered.

 

 

Our MSC DBM had training in my office a few weeks ago. I specifically asked this question, and was told nope. LOL.  This company changes their mind like a "filli in the blank".  SMH

[JAGR]

40 minutes ago, Joiseymom said:

Our MSC DBM had training in my office a few weeks ago. I specifically asked this question, and was told nope. LOL.  This company changes their mind like a "filli in the blank".  SMH

You are not seriously listening to and believing what a land-based MSC adviser is telling you, are you??!!

 

[JamieLogical]

Yesterday was our last port stop: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. I had already been there last March, but my husband had never been, so I was looking forward to showing him around.

 

We had decided to do breakfast in Waves the previous night and scheduled our room service breakfast accordingly. Unfortunately, I slept in and was a bit rushed when I finally woke up at 7:24, because Waves is only open until 9:00. I quickly took my shower and my husband took his. I decided I would finish my blog post after breakfast, since I didn't have time to do so beforehand.

 

At breakfast we were about to be seated next to a couple at the two-tops that are all close together. They said they were waiting on someone, so we were seated the next table down. The people they were allegedly waiting for never showed. So if you want a little space between you and your fellow guests, just lie and say that you are waiting for someone I guess?

 

On the other side of us was a solo gentlemen who had no qualms about sitting next to us and we chatted quite a bit. He apparently got a really good deal on this cruise as a solo in an interior. He said the travel logistics of getting to/from the ship cost more than the cruise itself!

 

There was a woman sailing solo at the table beyond him and we ended up talking to her some as well. She was the first person I have talked to on this cruise who said it was her first MSC cruise and she won't be sailing them again. I was really surprised, because I have talked to TONS of people who have said this is their first MSC sailing and it's been great.

 

She had one really valid complaint from what I gathered. She had mobility issues and walks with a cane. At embarkation, she was required to go up a flight of stairs and walk the full length of the terminal to the handicap seating area even though she had asked for assistance. For one of her shore excursions, she was supposed to meet up in the theater and was misdirected and had to go up and down stairs several times to get to where she actually needed to be. In the theatre itself, there are no hand rails for the stairs. The gangways when getting on and off the ship in port are very steep.

 

I had noticed some of those things already, but I can definitely see how this ship/line are not as friendly and accommodating to people with mobility challenges.

 

Her other complaints were not significant enough to deter me. Apparently she had no washcloths in he stateroom and had to ask for them? We have had washcloths in our room every day. Also, she wanted to have laundry done onboard but didn't have a laundry bag and slip in her room. She asked her room steward for one and he didn't bring it that day nor the next, so she found him in the hall and demanded he bring it right away. Then when she finally did get it and put her laundry in by 9:00am, which is the deadline for getting you laundry back the same day, she did not get her laundry back the same day. All of these issues sounded to me like issues with her specific room steward, which I wouldn't hold against the entire cruise line based on a single experience.

 

Finally, her last major complaint was that there is no piano bar onboard.

 

I got the impression this person had been on a lot of cruises, so I was surprised such minor complaints (besides the accessibility issues) would deter her from ever sailing a cruise line again. I think back to my Princess sailing and the multitude of issues that led me to the conclusion I won't likely sail Princess again and the issues were so much worse than some missing washcloths and slow laundry service!

 

For breakfast, my husband deliberately ordered scrambled eggs and an English muffin this time and asked for butter. I ordered and omelette with white toast, butter, and jam. We got our butter right away, but I had to wait a little for my jam. I did ultimately end up with white toast with butter and my husband ended up with a toasted English muffin with butter, so it was a major win. That may have been the pinnacle of the cruise for us. 😋

 

After breakfast, we came back to the room and I finished typing up my blog and we got ready to go onshore.

 

Our initial plan was to get a taxi or Uber up to the the National Park. That proved to be much more challenging than we anticipated. First, the port area has an enclosed tourist zone that includes shops and restaurants and attractions like a pool and lazy river. The last time I was here, I had a shore excursion, so I got to escape out to the bus parking lot through a gate right near the ship. This time, we found our that, if you don't have an excursion, you have to walk the full length of the area to the taxi zone. This is a good ¼ to ½ mile walk, I would guess. Not a trivial distance for sure.

 

We finally made it to the exit where we were accosted by a bunch of taxi drivers. It was worse than anywhere I have ever been. I thought St. Lucia had been the worst. So, our hope of taking an Uber was dashed when there turned out to be no Uber coverage in that area. They somehow block it right there where the taxis are. We made the mistake of asking one of the taxi drivers about how much it would cost to drive us up to the park. He first said $60, then $70, then $70 each way. It was absurd.  The cable car, which we were trying to avoid taking due to my husband's terror of heights, only costs $10 round trip.

 

We decided to go to Plan B and walk into town. But some other taxi drivers had overheard us talking to the first one. They heard us say the words "cable car" when we were explaining to the first guy that we didn't want to take the cable car. We wanted to drive up the mountain. So then all of them were offering to take us to the cable car and we kept saying, no we don't want to go to the cable car and then others heard "cable car" and then offered to take us to the cable car. It is as a whole ordeal. We tried to just start walking towards town and then we had taxi drivers literally just following us down the street offering us rides into town and tours. At one point one even told us that we weren't allowed to walk down the sidewalk.

 

The worst though was the one that literally walked with us all the way into town (it's only about a three minute walk) and then started just being our tour guide against our will. He started pointing out things and telling us which way to go. We went into a shop and he literally waited outside for us. It was insane. Eventually, my husband just gave him $10 to go away.

 

Finally free of all the taxi drivers, we just plopped at a table outside a restaurant and ordered a couple of drinks to get our composure and bearings. We were right at the entrance to Umbrella Street, so we got to do some good people watching, drink a couple refreshing drinks, cool down, and decompress. The woman who ran the little restaurant was not pushy AT ALL, which was a relief. We decided to stay for some lunch, because the prices looked reasonable. We both ordered empanadas, which were HUGE and delicious. My husband also got the rice and beans and I got some "potato chips", which turned out to be crinkle cut fries.

 

Once we were recovered, we decided again to try to get an Uber to the top of the mountain. Uber was working here. The first ride I got, the driver messaged asking if we were paying cash or card. Weird question for Uber. Then he asked where we were going and when I told him, he promptly dropped the ride.

 

The second driver didn't message at all and did pick us up, but he just took us to the cable car place, not up the mountain. At this point, we gave up and my husband decided to suck it up and try to take the cable car. I was very worried about this plan, because I know how terrified he is and I had been on the this cable car before and knew how high it was.

 

We had to wait a bit for the next available car. There were three young crew members from the ship there. They were very giddy and excited about being here for the first time and taking the cable car. I think seeing how happy they were helped my husband a little bit.

 

We made it up the mountain. My husband survived, but it was clearly really really hard for him and I was dreading getting him back on there to go back down.

 

Once up the mountain, we got the pay off for my husband's hardship. There are amazing views from up there, though we were inside a cloud at first. We hiked all around the botanical gardens that are up there. I took about 100 pictures of flowers. I got to go into the cave I had missed out on my first time up there. We also went to the "lagoon," which I hadn't seen my first time there. The lagoon was a man-made pond with a ton of koi in it and turtles. There were lots of small lizards running all around the area as well.

 

After climbing a billion stairs, we decided to make our way back to the cable car to go back down the mountain. We looked to see if there were any taxis around. Uber said that the nearest driver was 16 minutes away and I was sure if we ordered the Uber, the driver would drop the ride as soon as they saw that.

 

So the cable car it is was! My poor husband. I really thought he might divorce me as soon as we reached the bottom. But we did reach the bottom and he survived. There were literally Ubers just waiting right there in the parking lot, so we were able to quickly get one to take us back to the cruise terminal.

 

We had to walk all back through the tourist area. I think a LOT of people from the ship just stayed in that area all day. One of the taxi drivers from earlier recognized us and saw our wrist bands from the cable car and gave us a hard time about "lying" to him.

 

We did eventually make it back on the ship, hot and exhausted. We stopped by Edge to get some iced coffee, so we wouldn't have to leave our room again for our afternoon caffeine fix.

 

My plan was to cool down, shower, then get in the hot tub through sailaway. I managed to cool down and take a shower, but when I went to get into the hot tub, I discovered it was only 28 degrees Celsius! Not sure what happened. Initially, I thought maybe our room steward had drained it and refilled it, so it needed to heat back up. But it was clear the heater just wasn't working. We futzed with it for a bit and it first showed a sensor balance error. Futzed with it a bit more and it said heater may be dry? Futzed with it some more and it seemed to start working again. The "heat" light came on, there was no error, and it did slowly start heating up. I had decided to soak my sore, tired feet in the cold water at least and sat on the edge of the tub. Eventually, the water got up to a whopping 30 degrees and I decided to brave it. I live in Rochester, NY where, unless a pool is heated, it's never getting much warmer than that.

 

It was definitely harsh immediately after I took the plunge, but I acclimated pretty well. I definitely wished the water was a few degrees warmer at least, but the experience of sailaway from the tub was worth it. It was a definitely a gorgeous sailaway and as we turned, the sun was directed on the hot tub, which helped it heat up a little quicker. It was up to 32 by the time I finally got out because I desperately needed to pee.

 

We slowly got dressed and ready for dinner. We had called down and made 6:30 reservations at Hola! again.  It was white night and I had no idea the percentage of people who would dress accordingly, but we stuck out like sore thumbs in our non-white outfits. I would say close to 80% were wearing white. Going to have to scrounge together an outfit for white night on next week's sailing, if they have one. My advice is to come prepared!

 

We tried to cut back on how much we ordered at Hola!, but still managed to way overeat. I learned that the bean & cheese dip is better than the queso fundito. I also learned that on my sailing next week, I am just going to eat at Hola! every day, order the cheese & bean dip and the chipotle carnitas taco, and that's it.

 

We sat next to the same guy we had sat next to the last time we were at Hola! and this time we chatted with him a bit. He had been on the Meraviglia many times before, apparently. We told him we have Ocean Cay booked for our last specialty dining and he told us he had been unimpressed. I have pretty low expectations, since I know we are limited to the tasting menu. I think there is little chance I will starve at least.

 

After dinner, we sat at the Meraviglia Lounge, hoping to catch Ocean Five who had been playing while we were in dinner. Unfortunately, due to the white night activities scheduled in the Galleria, they did not come back for a long time. No worries, though. We were sitting next to a couple who turned out to be French Canadian and overheard us talking about taking a trip to Montreal. They actually currently live in Montreal, so we had a really nice chat with them until they had to leave for their late dinner seating.

 

By that point, the white night activities were starting. The cruise director staff did a silly dance in their sequined white outfits. Then Ocean Five came back shortly after that. Our friend, Mike, from lunch at Waves and our deep, philosophical conversation at the Meraviglia Lounge, took the table vacated by the French Canadian couple and we chatted with him between songs about our day on the Dominican Republic. He apparently took a tour of the town and the fort and had a really good time.

 

We had decided we wanted to see the Comedian in the theatre at 9:30. So around 9:10, we headed in and got seats. I still find it super weird that you aren't allowed any drinks in the theatre. I remember that he first time I went on a ship that didn't have a bar in the theatre (the NCL Bliss) and how disappointed I was by that, but you were at least allowed to bring your drinks in with you!

 

It's definitely a major deterrent for me to see shows in there. I somehow managed to survive the 45 minutes without a drink. I had sucked down a mojito right beforehand at least. The comedian was pretty funny. He told some great jokes about old people in Florida that probably half the passengers on the ship would have been offended by, but I found funny!

 

My husband ducked out a bit early so he could stand in the cookie line at the buffet. Must have paid off, because when I got back to the room, there was a plate with a half-eaten white chocolate macadamia nut on it.

 

I went up for my own late night snack as soon as the show was wrapping up and got a slice of pizza and some french fries.

 

I then headed down to the casino where I lost a lot of money to the Sun God. Then it was off to bed.

 

Day's Drinks: Rum & 7up X2, Americano w/ Bailey's, Margarita, Sea Breeze Mojito x2

[JamieLogical]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by JamieLogical

[PTC DAWG]

Mimosa blossom, how is that made? 

[JamieLogical]

22 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Mimosa blossom, how is that made? 

 

Mango vodka, galliano, prosecco, and orange juice.