MustSailNOW

We sailed on Divina last year. We are also a family of 5. We booked directly with the cruise line and were told we could fill out a form for a crib for our youngest (3 at the time). The agent told us that if we are approved, we could use the crib or request for it to be removed. I was doubtful that we would be approved, but we were!

With your youngest only being 1, I think you shouldn't have a problem. If you book directly with the line, ask if there is a form that can be filled out. We weren't aware of it when we called, the agent suggested it. Saved us a lot of money since we didn't have to book 2 rooms.

Agreed with MiamiChillin. We did this on the 6/10 sailing. We had 2 Fantastica cabins, 1 Aurea, and 1 Yacht Club. We just had to link our reservations together and had 2 tables reserved for our group the entire week. If everyone didn't show up, no big deal. The tables were still reserved for us throughout the week.

I was on the 6/10 sailing. We picked ours up at the casino, along with the extra voucher booklet we purchased.

We were on the June 10th sailing. My original plan was to purchase the 100 photo package for $98, but never got around to it. When I finally did, it was up to $149 so I passed. I purchased the $59 package instead (10 photos with CD). This actually worked out better for us. There are a ton of opportunities to take pictures, but we found that the poses were very similar, no matter the photographer. So, you kind of end up with the same picture, just different clothes.

The package that we purchased only included pictures with the MSC logo at the bottom (8x10), but we had plenty to choose from. The pictures turned out awesome as well. One thing to note is the 100 photo package includes very large prints (not sure of the exact size, but much larger than 8x10). I overheard one woman asking if they had a bag or something to put the photos in and was told they did not. Not sure how you would transport them if you are flying into port.

As far as cost on the ship, the 8x10 pictures were $23 each, so we got a great deal at 10 for $59. We also received 2 free pictures from the Meet & Mingle as well as a photo from the MDR (we booked Fantastica which includes a free photo from the MDR on Italian night, but no one came to the table to take our picture. We were told that we could pick another MDR photo instead). I personally don't know what I would do with 100 pictures, so this package worked out well for us (2 adults, 3 kids). We were also given the opportunity to upgrade to the 100 photo package with CD for an extra $149. So, that may be an option if you decide later that you want more than 10.

I can't believe the price jumped up to $199 already!

Great review! Thanks for all of the information and pictures!

With the black card they sent 2 bottles of champagne to the room and every /reception/welcome back/meet the captain/look at the ocean party they had also had free champagne, so not sure about using vouchers for that.

Lol

I have yet to cruise MSC and my youngest is now 3, but when we sailed with babies, it was always so much easier for us to use the carrier, especially in port. It does get hot with the carrier, so if your baby overheats easily, take that into consideration.

As far as the pack n play, you should be able to call MSC to request a crib. In fact, we were able to fill out a form to request the 5 of us (myself, husband, and 3 little kids) to be in one room. The form was basically a request for a crib in the room for my youngest. The MSC rep that we booked with suggested that we go that route before booking 2 rooms since our kids are still very young (oldest is 6). My daughter no longer sleeps in a crib, so we will ask them to remove it when we board.

All of the cruise lines that we have sailed provided high chairs in all venues. I imagine that MSC is the same.

Thank you so much for this review! We leave next month and I've been keeping a little notebook with tips because I know that I will forget at least half when I board the ship. So much helpful information!

Great review so far! Thank you!

Great thread! Thank you for the report!

Thanks for the review! I'm happy to hear about the gym as well! I go 5 days a week and hope to go while on vacation. Happy to hear that there is a dumbbell section. That is my preference over machines.

Very helpful tips. Thank you for sharing!

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Great review! Thank you for sharing! Also traveling with kids, so great info on the kids club. We plan to go to Junkanoo in Nassau. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it so much.

Hmmm didn't try anything like that, I can understand why MSC wouldn't want that to happen though

True. I can understand as well. It was mentioned on the boards before that this is an option with that package if you don't want to use all 100 photos. That is, until the review that I just mentioned.

Thanks for the info!

One of the recent reviewers said she was told that she could not have pictures of others staying in a different cabin. We have 4 cabins booked for our upcoming cruise. We're all family so would like to have pictures of different groups (i.e. grandparents with grands, cousins, adult siblings, etc). Anyone have any issues doing something similar?

don't forget daily service charge is counted as on board spend.

 

Pete

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info!

Great review! I'll be sailing with 3 kids in June, so looking forward to your experience with your daughter (and I agree, she is adorable!).

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Wow! I didn't initially look at this thread because I thought it would be a bunch of pictures of the decor (statues, light fixtures, etc). So glad that I took a peak! Very informative thread. Thanks for all of the pictures and information!

Another vote for SAS. We have used them twice so far and have them booked for our cruise in June. We have 5 in our group (2 adults and 3 kids). On the site, the price is $13 per person for 5 or more. We chose this over an Uber because we want to make sure our luggage would fit without a problem.

They only pick up from certain hotels in Fort Lauderdale, so be sure to check the list on the site. Other than that, they were great the last couple times we used them. Very prompt reply through email, on time for pick-up and friendly drivers.

Great info! Thanks for the pictures!

I have been thinking about the same thing! We are sailing in June with our family (16 of us). My husband and I booked Fantastica and have early dining since we have 3 young children. We have never sailed away in the evening and would love to see it (sunset, city lights, etc). Since we would technically be in dinner during this time, I figured we'd miss the first night and have dinner in another venue. We have a balcony booked, so it will be nice to have a view of everything from our room with our kids. We typically go to the the lido deck because we like to mingle, but we'll see what we feel up to this year.

Thanks for asking about this! Nice to hear what others have done.

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought of using the kids' vouchers and purchasing their drinks. I thought they were labeled for kids. My plan was to buy additional vouchers, but I guess it would be cheaper to buy their drinks instead. Going to have to consider this. Thanks for sharing!

We have already linked our bookings together. We were told that we just have to request a table for everyone to eat together. Not that big of a hassle. I was just concerned about YC being able to enter the dining room because of the comments that I read on here that they are not allowed in the dining room. We have spoken with MSC directly and were told we could eat together, but I wanted to confirm with those who have actually sailed with them that this is the case (this is our first time with MSC). If push comes to shove, we'll just meet in another venue. We just want to have a meal together since we're flying in from different states for a family cruise.

Thanks again for all of your help!

Thanks Capricruiser! I'll pass the info along.

Cam, we would like to eat together as a group just 1 or 2 nights.

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Thanks to all of you for responding! One of the people staying in YC called MSC and was told they could eat in the dining room whenever they wanted. I told her that I keep reading that the Miami office gives inaccurate information. So, I didn't want to automatically assume they could join us.

Has anyone actually been turned away?

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