GoldenZoo

For anyone who has already sailed ICON, I am wondering if when you board you can go directly to your cabin, get your keycard, and drop your carry ons in the cabin and then leave until the cabins are all ready. This was the procedure on our previous cruises with Celebrity and MSC, and I am hoping it is the new procedure across the industry. And for those who have already done a B2B, what is the procedure for those starting week 2: do they move you as a group off and then back on, or do you even have to exit the ship at all? Thanks in advance.

Some nights are themed Caribbean, or 80’s, or White Party….I have even had a western night on past cruises. It’s just an opportunity to switch up what you wear and coordinate the music for an activity.

We will be doing this itinerary in March. What theme nights did they have? And was it only 2 nights for Evening Chic?

Thank you! And I did see the other thread with the pictures. The matching outfits looked really nice.

Hope you can post the pics of you and your husband in your matching outfits. Can you advise where you got them? We sail Equinox in March and am planning on finding matching outfits.

A few months ago we sailed Beyond and discovered that they had done away with the set dining time we had chosen at the time of booking. We just booked Equinox for March of next year and have chosen late dining. Should I be prepared to have the set dining time pulled again, or is it only on the Edge class ships that it has been done away with?

We will be on Equinox in March for a 10 night southern Caribbean itinerary. For anyone who has done this itinerary, how many Chic nights are there? And are there theme nights….White Party, Tropical? One of our ports of call is Martinique….again on a Sunday, when many places are closed. On our first cruise visit to Martinique we did a tour that included a rum distillery. Although the tour was self conducted because it was Sunday, the shop was open. We purchased three different bottles of pre mixed rum cocktails with a brand name of Dormoy. I am trying to find out which distillery offers this. I found out that the supermarket near the port carries it…but on Sunday they are closed. None of the distillery websites have been helpful. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I believe I remember seeing Days Inn on the other side of the Ale House….the address is definitely close to that of Best Western. The location is great. We are not big soda drinkers but my husband occasionally got a can of Coke. Other than that I can’t speak to what other soda options there were.

The FunPass cost $80.00 if purchased before boarding. I thought it was a cost per person to be able to do all the activities. Actually, each activity is a cost for the group…be it one person or 4. The cost of bowling was $50.00 for the hour and all 4 of us played but the cost would have been the same if only 2 of us played. Billiards was $10.00 for the hour, not $10.00 per person. Purchasing the FunPass ahead of time for $80.00 gives you actual value of $140.00, and each activity you do is charged against that value. We could have done everything we did with only 2 FunPass accounts. Live and learn!

We did find the soft serve on deck 16 on the last sea day with lunch. We enjoyed the gelato most afternoons at the chocolate bar…..which no longer has the chocolate waterfall. It was stopped when returning to sailing after Covid according to a crew member. We did a status match right after booking. One of the perks was a free photo…but we found out the photo is one of their choice, not yours. So we paid for the photos we wanted. The screens in the atrium offered some stunning backgrounds.

Sorry - third seating was 9:45.

   My family (husband and adult son and daughter) and I sailed MSC Seaside May 14-21. It was our first cruise with MSC but about our 20th cruise. We did the Fantastica level and had connecting balconies on deck 9. My review may be helpful to future cruisers on this ship. This was our first departure from Port Canaveral. We always arrive the day before departure even though we live in Florida and drive. On the 13th 3 of us drove from Tampa to the Orlando airport to pick up the 4th family member and then went onto Cocoa Beach to overnight. We stayed at Best Western on the beach, and there was an Ale House next door - which gives a discount to Best Western guests - and a mini golf course a few minutes away. There was a Publix a minute away with additional restaurants in that mini mall. We thought the location was great, and the drive there and then to the port was easy. For some reason my son and daughter had an 11 AM arrival and my husband and I had 12 Noon, but that did not seem to matter when arriving. It might have had a role in the boarding group number your cabin gets when you check in, but our agent told us to just board with our son and daughter. We were Group 9. We were on board around noon. An issue: the announcements were not sufficiently loud enough to be heard. With so many people talking you couldn’t hear what the announcer was saying. One of the staff finally walked around shouting out the group number being called. And they did strictly enforce boarding by group number. The ship is beautiful! Our cabins were nice with adequate storage space, but there was space that was not utilized for storage that some Royal Caribbean ships did provide. Halfway through the week they did open the space between our balconies…I don’t know if they would have done so earlier if we had asked. You do need your actual cruise card to keep the electricity on, and they do have a lighted system for Do Not Disturb and Make Up Room. The shower had shampoo and body wash in dispensers. Our cabin steward was amazing. The smart elevators worked well. They were not smart enough to know the car was full and to bypass the stop but that didn’t happen too often. On day 1 the Biscayne Buffet was not open, just the Marketplace. But on day 2 we went there for breakfast and liked it better so that was our place for breakfast every morning. Biscayne closes at noon and reopens for lunch at 12:30 but only on sea days. When we were in port lunch was only in Marketplace. MSC IT department lived up to its negative reputation. We prepaid our gratuities but were charged for them on day 1. Guest Services did resolve the issue but I feel it should never have been an issue. Guest Services had long lines the first day or two so I am confident it was a wide spread problem. And speaking of Guest Services, whoever thought it would be a good idea to position Guest Services in the Atrium with a bar and music never had to visit Guest Services. The noise level made it hard to hear and guests trying to resolve an issue were only aggravated further. I felt bad for the staff there as it was not their fault. Bar service could definitely be improved. Even with no crowds the service could be slow. The best service was at the Wine Bar on deck 16. The entertainment in the theatre was good but not varied - the variety needs to be improved. And the theatre does not allow drinks…no bar service and therefore nowhere to place a drink. And no hand rails either; for some this is not an issue but we older folks like a bit of security when going up and down steps. Drinks are not allowed poolside. If you try to sit on the side with your feet in the water and a drink in your hand, the lifeguards are quick to blow their whistle and tell you No. Of the 3 pools, we liked Jungle Pool and South Beach Pool better than the Miami Pool because there was absolutely no shade at Miami. We enjoy the sun but need to get out of it from time to time. And the only towel service is at the Miami pool. Apparently they want you to have your stateroom attendant give you pool towels and only use the towel service to exchange wet for dry. None of the pools are meant for 5 foot 5 inch non-swimmers like me. Their depth is 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet, depending on the pool. So the only way for me to enjoy the pool was to climb down the ladder and swing to the side to hang on. Deck games and trivia games were standard and offered frequently. Our family did the ropes course and used the water slides. We also did bowling, the Formula Racer, billiards, and the virtual reality. MSC made out with me on the FunPass as I pre-purchased more than I really needed because I did not fully understand how it worked. We had a set dining time in Seashore Restaurant which was the second seating at 7:30. The first seating was 5:15 and the third was at 9:15. Our waiter, Ace, was terrific, but it seemed the staff were really hustling. We had no complaints with the food. The ship had designated smoking areas, but they really were not separated. I do not smoke and am not really bothered by it, but if you are bothered by it you need to move to the farthest point in that area. The casino had no place to simply sit. If you weren’t at the bar or the tables and slots you were standing. It was nice on other ships to have a lounge area in the casino. The 2 days at Ocean Cay was great! The night show on the lighthouse is pretty and ran twice - 9pm and 11pm. For all the cruise lines with their own private island, I put MSC at the top because of the overnight stay. We stayed at Lighthouse Bay both days but did take a walk around. Deck 16 gives you a great view of how the island is laid out. It appears that tipping, other than the gratuities charged by the ship, is not expected. We always tip our room steward and waiter a little extra - we have always had great service - but they seemed surprised. The ship also does not provide envelopes for this. I have heard tipping is not big in Europe so it seems reasonable as MSC is a European company. Other than Ocean Cay we did not get off the ship at Cozumel or Costa Maya. MSC provided disembarkation luggage tags and information after 2 pm on Saturday…later than I am used to receiving them. The tags also include an additional sticker with your group number to be put on the back of your cruise card and another sticker to be put on your clothes. I assume it is their way of strictly controlling who is leaving. Overall we had a great cruise. None of the little things were ever at the level of a problem. Although I would cruise MSC again, they would not be the first cruise line I look at when planning a cruise. We are Diamond level on Royal Caribbean with reciprocal status on Celebrity so they are my go-to. I would add MSC to NCL and Princess as cruise lines I would cruise again if they had a perfect itinerary and a great price.

Looking forward to our first MSC cruise on SEASIDE. Can anyone tell me if the White Party and Snow Party are one and the same? It’s nice to know what theme nights a cruise offers when you are packing😊.

We have our first MSC cruise coming up in May out of Port Canaveral on Seaside. It has been 30 years since we cruised out of Port Canaveral. We find Fort Lauderdale cruise terminal easy to drop off and park…how does Port Canaveral compare? Seaside will overnight at Ocean Cay on the second night, which is usually a sailing’s first formal night. Does anybody know what the dress code is for that night? Does Seaside have the system of keeping your card in the slot to keep the lights on in your cabin? We purchased the Fun Pass. Is there any activity it does not include? And do you need to make reservations for any activities? Although shows are free some cruise lines require you to make reservations…does MSC? And are any shows not free? We are not yet at 60 days prior to sailing and the app is not really that informative…hoping that changes at 60 days. Regarding MSC customer service, I have experienced those agents who seem to know nothing as well as those agents who are both knowledgeable and helpful. So I concur with others who say it is hit-or-miss. Our kids decided to surprise us by paying the balance on our cruise. The first agent said it was impossible - the second agent got it done without any issue. Thank you in advance for any information you provide.

We will be sailing Beyond on Dec. 11. The Celebrity app indicates that once we board we should go directly to our cabin to get our SeaPass cards, located outside our cabin, even though the cabins are not due to be ready until 1pm. This way we have our account ready to visit any of the bars or purchase excursions as soon as we board. Is this correct? Procedures are constantly changing and I just want to be up-to-date. Thanks in advance.