noshoobie

Just getting caught up on your review. Your pictures are amazing!!

So that's where they hide the Pinot!!

DH and I just got back from a 6 day Meraviglia cruise from Brooklyn to Bermuda. We were on the Mera last May (different itinerary) and loved it. This was our 3rd time cruising to Bermuda. Arrival and embarkation - we took the train from NJ to Penn Station and Uber to Brooklyn. The parking at the pier is $45 a day so this saves us money and the aggravation of driving. We arrived at the pier at 1:30pm and had no wait at security. You heard me right - NO WAIT! We talked to a few people on the cruise who arrived between 9:30 and 10:30am. They said the line to get in the building was at the end of the street. Once we passed through security we waited about 15 minutes to check in. Dining room and buffet - We were assigned at L'Olivo d'Oro at 8pm. I thought that was a little too late and tried to get it changed to 7:30 like we had last time but there was no availability so we just kept the 8pm. In retrospect, it worked out fine. Luckily, we were seated next to a very nice couple. Every meal that we had was very good. Neither us or the couple next had a complaint about the food. The buffet food was good also. I did miss the freshly made mozzarella that they had on board last year, but the salad bar did not disappoint. It is loaded with so many options and the lettuce was always crisp and fresh. We never had dinner at the buffet but enjoyed the pizza on late nights. Wow, is it good. The only specialty dining we did was Hola's. I highly recommend as it is reasonably priced and delicious!! Try the Lavender Margarita - so good! The ship - We really love this ship. It is easy to navigate and it is super clean. The Horizon Pool is my happy place. The seating is tiered and you get a beautiful view of the ocean. We had an inside cabin on deck 9. The cabin (9074) was in a "secret" hallway and there were only a total of 6 cabins there so it was very quiet. I highly recommend this cabin if you are booking inside. If not at the pool we spent our time at the Sky Lounge or in the casino. Pino Grigio lovers beware - they did not have it onboard. They had either Savignon Blanc or Chardonnay. Shows - We saw two shows which were good. The entertainers on the ship are very talented. The comedian, George Casey, was very funny. He did a regular show and then a late night show. We went to both and they were both hilarious. We also went to the Love and Marriage Game show which is always funny. Casino - We did good the first day and then put it all back. You know how that goes! Fortunately, I won an $803 major jackpot on the last day so I was one happy camper. This is the first time I did better on a cruise casino then my DH. They also put slot machines where half of the Champagne Bar was. Don't worry @JamieLogical half of the Champagne bar is still there in case you didn't already know. Bermuda - Beautiful!! We were so lucky that we had great weather. It was hot but not uncomfortable hot. We experienced beautiful beach weather. We took the ferry to St Georges and walked around a bit. We then walked to Tobacco Bay and stayed for a while. The water was a little cool but was refreshing from the sun. I forgot how expensive Bermuda was. It was $60 for two beach loungers and an umbrella. At Tobacco Bay we got mozzarella sticks and fries for $19. The 10 ounce can of beers were $9. We decided to take a cab back to the main part of town instead of walking. We were going to go to the Whitehorse Tavern but the cabbie suggested Wahoo's so we went there for a late lunch. It was a few doors down from Whitehorse. The food was very good but, again, it was expensive. We tried the Bone Fish Bar & Grill at the dockyard also and it was good. When in St Georges try to take the ferry back. We decided to take the bus back since we wanted to stay later then the last ferry and what a nightmare. We had to take the bus from St Georges to Hamilton. When we got to Hamilton there was a bunch of people waiting for the bus to St Georges. It was 5:30 and the ferry from Hamilton to the dockyard was not until 7:30. A bus never came so we ended up taking a mini van for $10pp. I never realized how far St G was to the dockyard. Anyway, we all had a good time in the mini van. Disembarkation - Walked out of our room at 7:45 and took an Uber to Penn Station. Were on the train by 8:50am. Overall we had a great, relaxing time. Feel free to ask any questions.

Can you explain to me how Royal bribes guests? (Humorous question. Not a sarcastic question). We sailed on Royal over a year ago and paid for our balcony cabin. We dropped $$ in the casino and the only offer we get is a comp inside cabin for one and discounted casino cruise fare for the second passenger. The sail date options are also very minimal. Now on Carnival we sailed with a free casino cruise offer last year and dropped the same $$. We get offers from Carnival for free casino cruises with drinks in the casino included on a weekly basis. The cruise options are great including 3-14 days cruises. We just booked an 8 day mexican riviera for 2025. We wish Royal would bribe us with the same offers as we have always loved Royal. Since they don't we will continue to sail Carnival and MSC.

Loving your review! Can't wait for more! We will be sailing the same itinerary in February 2025.

We find this very frustrating also! MSC and RC have bars in their casinos. Makes getting a drink so much easier. Carnival casinos also tend to be very smoky.

I make the sign of the cross with my thumb before I board every flight!

Thank you for taking the time to post your review! In February we went to Sky Reef in Cozumel based on your review and it did not disappoint. We are doing this same cruise in February 2025 so I am excited to read your entire review and the things you experienced. Now I'm a little worried about the weather though. You travelled in April and we are going in February. We hoped we would be able to experience some warm California sun but not so sure now!

You got that right!! We had a lot of fun in the Venezia casino but had to buy a $12 bottle of Visine in the gift shop because the smoke was so bad.

This was our experience on the Venezia in September 2023. We sailed on a casino comp inside cabin with free drinks in the casino. Brought $1200 with us to gamble and came home with $200 and don't remember how many points we accumulated. About a month after sailing we started getting offers for the same offer (inside cabin with drinks in the casino) for selected cruises. I still get weekly emails for offers. We recently booked a Mexican Riviera for 2025 and hope to do a Southern Carribbean this fall. Enjoy your cruise! We really liked the Venezia.

Thank you so much! On our Meraviglia cruise last May we had a heck of a time getting an Uber pick up. Just when we thought one was coming they would cancel. This happened several times. We ended up waiting about 30-35 minutes. We are leaving this Sunday for Bermuda. Although we usually Uber to and from the port from Penn Station I think we will definitely consider taking the ferry on debarkation day.

Just to confirm - this does not run on weekends, correct?

I get my casino offers via email. We sailed on Carnival in September 2023 and a few weeks later started getting the Play 'N" Chill Offers. Both my husband and I still get them weekly. If you just got off the cruise on April 5th give it another few weeks.

I really think it's just "the luck of the draw". We have sailed twice. Both times booked a bella gty oceanview and were upgraded to a balcony. We are sailing again in a few weeks. Booked a bella inside gty and that is exactly what we got.

Agreed! We sailed in an interior cabin on the Venezia last September on a status match offer. The cabin was one of the quietest we have ever been in. The darkness of the cabin at night was also a plus.