HipHipOnAShip

No one is clutching their pearls. I might say that the fact that you posed the question meant that you had doubt in your mind. The thought of stretching the courtesy of one cabin priority boarding to ALL cabins having priority boarding is, well, a bit entitled, is it not? By asking someone at the port (who is NOT an MSC employee) to honor the request you are putting them in an awkward situation because they don't know if you are going to snap on them and start getting all "well, I'm Diamond" ... No one is sniffing at Bella category; it's a fabulous option. However, with categories of service on MSC as well as levels of status there comes different services. So if you are in Fantastica does that mean the other cabins you are traveling with can get room service breakfast without charge? If you are all linked for dinner take that as a win. As Far as boarding, for the extra 10 minutes it might take you might to stick with your kids vs putting everyone in an odd situation to start out the cruise.

So looking forward to being on the Mera in a few weeks. I'm even more excited to note that the specialty dining restaurants were open for LUNCH when you were in Nassau. That's a huge plus since I don't bother getting off in Nassau anymore! Wahoo!!!

I have done this as I don't like desserts, but it has been anything from a "no problem" to a "pulling teeth from the maitre d'" to get it (after approval from the specialty dining manager.... Oh, the DRAMA!)

They are two "twins" (that are slightly narrower than a twin) pushed together. The size is halfway between Queen and King 🙂

Yes, it should be there the first day

There was a note on the book of faces this morning saying that MSC has updated the crew masking policy and that is was now optional. Cannot confirm, but just wanted to say that I saw it.

Yes, there are fixed seatings and you will be assigned to one (Unless you are in Yacht Club or Aurea class). You would need to "link" reservations with your fellow travelers to have you at the same table. Yes, you need to arrange upfront.

Yes, you must be there 10 minutes before. It is a "live" show, up close & personal, and they want to make sure everyone is seated and settled in.

Well that's an issue... it should be/used to be $15 USD/ $13E

Nope

You are not missing out on anything if your husband has status. If there is a party, you go as his guest. Otherwise there's nothing to be had 😉

Have to agree on this statement - the luncheon salads are wee tiny things, even the cobb salad leaves something to be desired. They do not offer the US equivalent of an entree sized salad. You can cobble one together in the buffet but it's not a common offering.

Really depends on ship and sailing and passenger count.

The two ships are VERY Different. Worth researching to see if you have a preference.

I've heard that it must be done in 7 days... I've also heard that MSC makes a big deal about releasing the bookings to TA's.

I don't see anything for sailings from Europe, however even on the guidelines for the US I have always been leery given the "full or prorated" refund... without more info. I can easily see MSC saying "yes, you get a prorated refund of 10% of your fare" or something silly. There are no clear guidelines.... U.S. Residents Sailing From U.S. Ports: If you test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days prior to or during your cruise, you and your traveling party will receive a full or prorated refund and assistance if required, with onboard medical care and land-based quarantine.

You don't indicate which level of experience you have booked - Bella/Fantastica/Aurea or Yacht Club. That will determine which room service menu you get and what (if any) charges are associated with it. Aurea, for example, has a much broader menu than the Yacht Club. In our experience the room service on MSC is very poor compared to other US based cruise lines. My guess is that it's just not a "European"/Italian thing but since we prefer to take our meals in a dining room it's not a big deal for us.

You should get all of them but will have very limited time to use them! 🙂

This is 100% correct. The outside company is data mining to see how much guests are willing to pay regardless of whether there are cabins available.

You will also want to "link" your reservations so that you are seating together at dinner

We were on the cruise with them. It was the Divina so there are no cushions on the loungers in the YC. The YC was at 1/2 capacity (or less) and they were most likely upgraded precisely because they are you tubers.

Easiest solution is to take a "blank" gift card with you and use it the slot. Alternately, as @Georgia_Peaches said, just switch the cards 🙂

You just show up to the theater. Each guest (or couple) is given a paper to record answers to 10 or 15 (depends on the host) culinary questions. These are then scored. Top respondents get to play. In the case of a tie they will randomly pick. You go up on stage, sign a waiver, don a chef hat and apron and play 🙂 Great fun.

The issue with doing this is that the default country of origin is the host country. For example given the exchange rate and promos it is much cheaper to book on the Italian website but I cannot change the country and I fear that the booking would be compromised.

Yes, this is fine.