Sakura Tomoe

Thank you for this review. It was really helpful to see some options of what I can expect onboard, and kind of how it stacks up to my NCL experiences. Now I can start looking forward to my February cruise on the Meraviglia!

Oooo, the draft list doesn't really do anything for me, but I do enjoy Asahi, so when my stomach is inevitably upset with too many days of liquor, that'll be a nice change of pace for me.

I don't know about MSC as I've yet to sail with them, but on other cruise lines the bartenders have changed the channel to whichever game people wanted when they were asked. As long as there's not people who really care which game is on, I don't see it being an issue. I guess, just doesn't hurt to ask.

Just out of curiosity, was that candy bar called a Palomine? I recall that being pretty popular when I cruised to Canada last year.

I'm assuming that the food offerings at the Brass Anchor are not complementary, since I see prices. Is that correct?

That is the only cruise terminal in Boston that they could use. As far as exploring, based on where the terminal is (middle of nowhere) you'll either want to familiarize yourself with the public transit system (the T) or get an Uber, since it would take a good deal of walking just to get to places that are interesting. The T can get you all around Boston for cheap. I'm somewhat local, so I'm very familiar with the T and can get to anywhere I want pretty easy, but if you don't know the lines and where they stop, it could be tough.

Yes, you now currently have 3200 points, and points from the upcoming cruise will be added to that afterwards. As for the VC, I guess just give it a few days. I can't recall if I had to wait to log in, and if so how long. I've never sailed with them before either, but I do have a February one booked, and thanks to status match I'm at Diamond, so I'm maxed out on points, which is nice.

I hadn't even thought about straws ever since NCL switched to the not plastic plastic straws. Please tell me MSC doesn't use those garbage paper straws anymore. For a spell there I had to bring my own straws, and while I'd only use one per day, when people found out I had them I was swamped with requests! Thinking back, I should have sold em for a dollar apiece.

I'll be interested to see what you think of the Meraviglia. I'm doing my first MSC cruise on her in February. I have a YC Inside room, and I couldn't believe how inexpensive it was, especially since I'll be cruising solo. NCL is my usual cruiseline of choice, but I could never sail in the Haven since it's prohibitively expensive for a solo cruiser. I've done a CA/NE cruise on the NCL Joy last September around this time and I think it was actually a bit early since the leaves hadn't really started changing yet. Hopefully you have better luck!

Do you have an account set up on the MSC site? If so, then log in to your account and click on the MSC Voyager's Club tab. That will show you your status and the expiration date.

So am I understanding correctly that if you cruise with MSC at least once every 3 years, you'll maintain your status? Even if you lose the matching status level in the program you used to get the MSC status? I was able to get MSC Diamond by matching my Hilton Diamond status, but the likelihood of me keeping the Hilton Diamond status is almost non-existent since I only got it through a special promotion at the time. The likelihood of me cruising with MSC every year or two is much higher (depending on how much I enjoy my first cruise with them in February) so if I can keep status just by cruising with them yearly, that would be great.

I've sailed on many cruises, although my upcoming one in February will be my first MSC cruise, and it'll be the first time I've sailed in this class of stateroom. What's a fair gratuity to leave my butler at the end of the cruise? Usually I leave my room stewards $100 on a 7 day cruise, but I'm imagining butler service will be more personalized and I've no issues with rewarding hard work. I'm just not sure what is kind of considered the norm in the Yacht Club, so any advice on that would be appreciated.

Not related to what I'm quoting, but just trying to get your attention. Just wondering if you happened to notice if the daily menus at the main dining room changed each night, or if they were the same each time. I know NCL is looking to make it so their menus are the same every night of a cruise, and they've started doing that on several ships, just not sure if it's happened on the Bliss yet or not.