fish_guru

Never been here.  

Yes, the channel is narrow. 

At dinner now.  The Captain had made his move and is currently pivoting the ship for an attempt. Very cool to watch while sipping wine and waiting for dessert. 

Life is good!

Overheard the YC concierge on my way to Top Sail mention that the Captain would be making another attempt to dock at 6pm.

🤞

Most ports have a ship pilot that is transported out to the ship. The pilot is an expert in navigation especially in his/her port. They have an intimate knowledge of the currents, obstacles, etc. and essentially take control of the vessel during arrival and departures.

Wondering if there is such a person for Ocean Cay or if this is all MSC personnel?

Yes, approach on hold. Captain said he would try "later". Did not give a time. 

My guess is he's waiting for more favorable current and wind conditions. 

That channel does not look like it has much wiggle room for a ship this size. 

Seafood extravaganza...⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5 stars.  Best thing I've eaten on the ship all week. The wife had the wine and garlic sauce. I had the peri peri sauce (like a spicy marinara). Both were excellent. Seafood was cooked perfectly. 

The second Cabaret Rouge show was canceled last night as they had some type of technical malfunction at the end of the first show. At least that's the explanation the CD gave us. 

We were disappointed but hey, ship happens. Certainly was not going to spoil the rest of our night. 

The issue we had getting food out in a reasonable time in the dining room seemed to be a 'one off' because the service has been impeccable except that one time. 

One thing we noticed from our previous YC experience that they're not doing is they used to come around with that cheese trolley right after you sat down. We are now requesting a selection of the cheeses be brought out to the table to enjoy with the bread and the waiter has been very good about doing so.

A relaxing sea day is in the agenda for today. 

Also wanted to mention that although there are many families with kids in YC this week, most the kids have been very well behaved with a few minor exceptions. 

I haven't really seen any free range children running wild. 

My complements to the parents. 

ABBA tribute show last night was excellent.  

One of the guests seemed to get a little frisky one the dance floor with another YC guest we met the other night. They did not know each other. 

Looked like he was escorted out afterwards by the men in black. 

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Something may be amiss with the entertainment in the Cabaret Rouge; or just that there are changes being made to the venue last night and tonight. The band was moved from their up stairs stage to the performers stage last night and had nothing to do with Picasso (the title of the show). Saw only one of the dancers mingling with guests and no dancing at the 7:45 show. Tonight one show for 45 minutes ABBA, by Los Blondies, tribute in Cabaret Rouge. Must be a performers nights off.

We noticed that too regarding the Cabaret Rouge. Also thought it was odd there was no traditional show tonight.

My 12 y/o daughter is very much into dance (ballet, tap, jazz, etc) and was thrilled to have one of the dancers stop by and speak to us last night. 

Every cruise can't be perfect. A few criticisms.

I've been somewhat underwhelmed by the drink service in the YC so far. I think I've identified the bottleneck. There are plenty of servers but everytime I've been sitting there long enough to wonder where the hell is that drink, there is only one bar tender...working his arse off. It has been that way in Top Sail and on the pool deck. Think two bar tenders during peak times would help.

Had a vexing experience yesterday as I attempted to order a room service pizza late afternoon to hold us over until dinner.  It was about 4pm. Picked up the phone and pressed the room service button. It rang about 20 times and nothing. Thought I must have done something wrong. Tried again, same result. Getting a little peeved at this point I decided to call the YC front desk and realized the phone was dialing the same extension. Again, ringing with no answer. Is there really nobody at the front desk? I get dressed and walk down there to find a woman behind the desk assisting a guest. When she finished with the guest I said I had tried several times to place a room service order but nobody answered the phone. She said she was very busy and sometimes doesn't hear the phone. Huh? Made no sense to me given that I had tried 3 times letting the phone ring at least a dozen times on each attempt.  A simple, 'hello, can you please hold and I'll be right with you' and I'm good, no problem. Anyway, I placed my order, in person, and went back to my room. This was about 4:20 at this point.  Was supposed to meet another group in Top Sail for pre-dinner drinks at 5:30. 5:30 comes, no pizza.  The rest of my group wasn't ready yet so I went to the Top Sail. The pizza finally arrived at 5:45. Almost an hour and a half seemed excessive for pizza delivery.

Also last night at the dining room it seemed like the food was taking forever to come out.  The previous night we completed dinner with dessert and had plenty of time to get to Cabaret Rouge for the show. Last night we arrived at the same time and rushed out before getting to dessert to make our preferred show time. Seemingly took forever for the entrees to come.  I didn't really care for the entree I ordered so I grabbed the now room temperature pizza back at the cabin and went to the Cabaret.

As my friend likes to say, we have good problems.

Hit Venchi later in the evening for dessert.  If you like dark chocolate like I do, man they have a chocolate Gelato that is fantastic.

Despite a hiccup here or there still having a great time.  Paris show in the main theater last night was excellent.  My daughter and I had a blast on the water sides yesterday as well. Usually the lines for water slides on a sea day are horrendous,  especially on a spring break cruise, but it was pretty tame compared to previous cruises.

Walked through the buffet yesterday morning. Looked like smooth sailing. Plenty of seating. No lines.

We had no trouble boarding yesterday except for the fact that i left my phone in the car and had to walk back to garage G (doh, sorry family). The terminal was crowded but there was almost no line for YC once you got upstairs. 

Walked through the buffet at one point just to check it out. It was busy but didn't really notice any lines. They definitely had more than a 1/4 of it open.  This was probably about 2pm. The real test will be a sea day like today (Sunday).

The Cabaret Route is a phenomenal venue and is already our favorite part of the ship outside of YC. Live music and singing. Depending on where you sit you can literally be a few feet from the performers/dancers.  We arrived about 10 minutes before the early show (Women in Art) worried about getting decent seats but the lounge was almost empty. We saw the early show then promptly hauled booty back to the main theater (same deck thankfully) and caught the other show (Gravity). The main theater show was good but our family was in agreement, the Cabaret show was better, at least for us.

So if you notice on the deck plans there are approximately 6 (I think 2 per floor) regular balcony yacht club rooms that look extra wide...I booked one of those because of that reason. It did not disappoint. It's huge. Biggest room I've ever had on a ship. And of course the balcony is extra wide as well. It does lack the walk in closet that the other grand deluxe rooms supposedly have but what it lacks in additional storage it makes up for in roominess.

Ship is rocking a little bit this morning. I'm guessing the wind is cranking.  Doesn't bother me in the slightest but I grew up boating in South Florida. I'm sure some people don't care for it. 

Well the gym is about to open. My family is still asleep. I'm going to grab a workout and burn off today's calories...yeah, I'm that guy, the one that works out on vacation.

Miami Dade has several testing sites available.  The rapid test took about an hour to get results. 

If you're leaving from Miami and in a bind, that's an option for you. 

You can find info on www.miamidade.gov

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Been reading so many doom and gloom postings from the decks of the MSC ships plying from the ports of South Florida. Our interest is still with the Seashore, but interested in comparing details from one ship to the other. Passed two important hurdles to board, paying the balance off and passing the 48 hr test. Hopefully reports of no testing at the port hold true for Saturday March 19,2022, for fully vaxxed passengers. Booked our cabin on January 28, 2021 more than a year ago. Not had any problem with cabin or pricing. TA had problems getting bookings turned over to her, took months (about one year). She was quite upset dealing with MSC and tried to dissuade us from sailing with them. We told her that MSC has a very, very good product in their Yacht Club, that really isn't matched for the price that other lines are offering. In January 2022 we called her up to book MSC's new Explora Journey's on the soon to be built Explora 1 for December 2023. She was 'blown away' by how responsive MSC's new Explora Journey's was to her on the phone compared to what she is used to experience. Obviously, MSC is putting their best and brightest in Yacht Club type venues. So our observations will be mainly focused on the Yacht Club. We will venture out of the YC to corroborate recent postings.

We passed the 48 hour test as well. See you on board sir. 

Actually got a text from MSC last night informing me that my boarding time was moved up to 10:30 from noon. Not that it mattered as we're in YC. Never received a text from them before. 

3 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Are masks still officially required?  They are not on some other lines sailing from the US.

Per MSC website...

Until April 22, 2022, for ships departing from U.S. ports, fully vaccinated guests are not required to wear masks or maintain social distancing at venues designated for vaccinated guests only, such as select bars, lounges, restaurants, shows, spa thermal area, the casino, or during events and activities that are geared towards fully vaccinated guests only. Guests who are not fully vaccinated (over 2 and under 12 years old) are required to wear masks and maintain social distancing on board in indoor public areas. Masks are required for all guests in the terminal at embarkation and disembarkation.

1 hour ago, JT1962 said:

From reviews / comments I have read, other cruise lines are struggling with staffing issues currently as well, with the Spring Break crowds. I am guessing it takes several weeks to get staff from their home countries to the ships. By the time sales / marketing let them know the passenger counts would be up, it was probably too late to get additional staff ready. If they have the issues with hiring that most US hospitality companies are having, they may not be able to fill all the positions.

 

Things have changed quickly. I was on Meraviglia Jan 23-30, and we had less than 600 passengers and about 1,500 crew. 

I get what you're saying but I have to imagine they know well in advance what their passenger count will be or, at the very least, a very good estimate.  After all, they decide how many cabins to make available for booking. 

I would also guess that MSC is more inclined to increase passenger counts because of the financial flogging that they've endured as a result of the pandemic. That said, they're really shooting themselves in the foot in the name of short term financial gain. 

All these people on this cruise, especially first time MSC customers are leaving with a horrible impression. They're not likely to ever sail with MSC again. In addition, they're going to go home and lambaste MSC to anyone and everyone who will listen. 

I think several of them were posted in this thread...

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2830872-cruise-critic-heading-out-on-seashore-on-219-what-do-you-want-to-know/

51 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

It just dawned on me. I think I have an answer to the elevators. This is only a guess??? While on the Seaside Yacht Club guests were privileged to use their key cards to over-ride the bank of elevators in the YC end of the ship and would wipe out and make their elevator express with all other passengers getting upset. Now these new elevators in the forward section of the Seashore are the same, without needing a key card. Just press a YC deck and 'voila' your express YC elevator.

P.S. If so, isn't YC just the best?

I remember the YC elevators on Seaside as well. I tried it once just to see if it really worked. Never did it again... just didn't feel right screwing everybody already on the elevator. 

Will be in Seashore YC for the 3/19 sailing as well. 

Wear what you're comfortable with. The fact that you're even asking the question tells me you won't be underdressed.

Like above poster stated, I don't wear jacket and ties even on formal nights. Formal for me are slacks and long sleeve button down. That's as good as you're getting out of me on vacation and if it's not good enough, that's your problem.🤪

Have a good cruise.

Never cared for Epic. The ship itself was nice enough. However, the layout just seemed to bottleneck and congregate people. Always felt crowded.

Then again, it was a spring break cruise which I'm sure didn't help.

On Seaside a few years back we had Irwin. He was awesome. 

On a few occasions we'd order something and he would give you a look and shake his head. In other words, don't order that. He would always make sure you were taken care of. Any special request was done without hesitation.

I've sailed with MSC several times and have never had a problem changing rooms when I've called. In fact I did for my cruise coming up on March 19th. 

I found the same room available on a more desirable deck, called them and they made the switch. 

Of course, MSC is known for their consistent inconsistency so if you call and get an answer you don't like, call back and speak to someone else.

I have never booked with a travel agent though.

Also, my parents were booked in a room designed for passengers with disabilities one time (they are not disabled). Though the room was larger, as it was designed for wheelchair access, the shower was essentially open (no doors) and water went everywhere. They ended up rolling up towels to dam the area around the shower...hated it.

I was wondering if anyone has used Global Entry upon return to the Port of Miami?

I did a search but most of the results were at least 2 years old. At that time the general consensus was that there was Global Entry line signage in the terminal but the lane was almost never open.

My family recently applied for and received Global Entry for a European trip this summer and the customs agent I met with said it could be used at the port however I would have to present the actual card. Anyone out there have any recent info? Will be on Seashore March 19th.

18 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Was on for Feb 12, 2022 sailing. Masking was not enforced in theatre. Nor was social distancing. Passengers sat in seats labeled "X" DO NOT SIT. Cabaret was vaccinated only venue, children running around not vaxxed in Cabaret, dancing with the performers. One older masked couple in theatre walked out when group sat directly behind them in "X" and did not stop talking during performance. She 'Shhhussed' them to no avail.

LOL! Had to laugh when I read this. 

A few years ago on the Divina I was in a situation in the theatre where two ladies in front of me were essentially having a conversation during the performance. Neither were watching the show. I finally reached my limit and very politely leaned forward and asked them to please refrain from talking during the show. I got a dirty look but for the most part they stopped. 

After the show however, I was confronted by one of their husbands who accused me of yelling at his wife and putting my hands on her. Thankfully, as I've aged the hot head temper of my youth has given way to a much more thoughtful state of mind. Not to mention I work in high stress situations so I'm somewhat used to maintaining control in stressful situations. I kept my cool, laughed at him and walked away. I'm not fighting on vacation.

On Seashore March 19th.

So I'm assuming there will be easy way to determine which venues are designated for vaxxed guests only?

Seems like it will cause confusion...Butcher's Cut, mask on...now Cabaret, mask off.

Should be interesting.

Happened to see this today...

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/24/lifestyle/ive-been-waiting-my-msc-cruises-credit-17-months/