JT1962

Parking at the port is the best option. No waiting for shuttles to offsite locations. Only $ 17 per day, including first / last day. Pay for 8 days on a 7 day cruise.

Thanks!

What is the tendering process in Grand Cayman - Specifically do you need to pick up tickets to the tenders ahead of time? If so, where & when? Do Voyagers Club Diamond Members get priority after ship excursions / Yacht Club? How soon were you able to get ashore?

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/01/msc-goal-to-become-largest/

Not sure if it is still open / offered, but Starfish Island may be an option. It is usually only offered through ship excursions. You ruled out most of the options in Belize - Mayan Ruins, Caye Caulker, Snorkeling with sharks / stingrays, Cave Tubing, Zip Lines, etc. There aren’t a lot of resorts / beach clubs with day passes near Belize City like there are in Cozumel, Costa Maya, etc.

I’m confused as to why you didn’t take the excursion. It sounds like you made it to their office in time for the new time of 10:00 AM. They provide the equipment, so you didn’t need to go back to get your own.

Several on my Jan 20th cruise reported similar issues. They called Customer Service and they emailed the documents to them.

Check the daily planner and check again what is posted when leaving the ship. On my October cruise on the Divina, they changed the all aboard time to 1 hour prior to sailing at several of the ports, even though 30 minutes was originally in the planner.

I have 5 bookings in the next 15 months and all show the dining preference has not been set, even tho it the confirmation information shows Early Dining requested. I suspect it is another “glitch” on the MSC website, but it could also be that they wait to assign the times in the system until they know how many passengers will actually be on the ship. When the passenger counts are high, they will sometimes have 3 seatings per night instead of 2.

On most, but not all, at least for me. When I change the number of passengers from 2 to 1 on my email offers, it doesn’t double on the first few sometimes. I got one yesterday for a 4 day from Jacksonville that was $ 119 pp for 2 or $ 128 for 1. I went on the Ecstasy for 5 nights in June for $ 70 solo and the price for 2 was $ 60 pp.

I did 2 solo cruises on Carnival in May & June of 2022 with very low or no solo up charge rates, but the I have only gotten a few good solo offers since then. Most of the solo rates now require you to pay the price for two people. If you travel solo often, MSC has some great solo rates currently, with most only having a 30% or less surcharge for solo guests.

Glad you enjoyed most of it. I had a great experience on the Divina in October for 19 days and I’m boarding again next week.

The cruise travel agency I have used for years refuses to book anything with MSC, so I just book directly when I cruise with them.

The the website and customer service are horrible and the worst I have experienced in 30+ years of cruising. The onboard experience and value for a solo cruiser are great. If you are the type to book what you want, have few questions or reasons to contact guest services, then I would keep the booking. If you tend to contact guest services more than a couple of times, either prior to or once on board a cruise, you probably will be disappointed and should consider another cruise line..

I got two bottles on my back to back in October, but they may have removed it. I don’t drink alcohol so I gave it to my tablemates.

I don’t drink alcohol, and just assumed it was champagne. It all tastes like cough syrup to me.

MSC does not allow any beverages to be brought aboard, at least in the US. If you are a Diamond Voyagers Club member (match from other lines / hotels available), there should be a bottle on ice in your room when you arrive.

MSC canceled one of my excursions on the Divina in October and refunded it as OBC. It was less than the gratuities charge, but I assume any amount not used would have been refunded to my registered credit card. As an FYI, I normally prefer independent excursions as well, but I booked several excursions through MSC on my 19 day Divina cruise and enjoyed them. They were not overcrowded as I had experienced with other cruise lines and were priced at or below independent excursions, when booked in advance with the pre-booking discount. The one excursion that was canceled was in Port Canaveral for back-to-back cruisers only, so I wasn’t shocked the minimum number of 25 passengers did not sign up.

Kinky Boots ending on Encore. It appears more cutbacks will be coming fleet wide. https://crew-center.com/ncl-lays-staff-members-entertainment-department-will-be-reduced-across-fleet

I was on in October and they said 2,200 were onboard and it seemed packed. I can’t imagine 3,000 - 4,000.

MSC is posting maximum capacity with all berths filled (sofa beds, pullmans, etc). The other sites are posting double occupancy. There are often times more than two people in many of the cabins, especially when they are offering kids sail free.

From the MSC website:

You will need to get off the ship, with others that are back to back, briefly to go through customs, then will be let back on the ship. You are usually taken to a separate room away from those disembarking the ship. if you booked the same cabin number for both cruises, you will not need to pack. If you have different cabin numbers for each cruise, you will need to pack, but your luggage should be moved to your new cabin for you.

Here are the menus from Butcher’s Cut on Divina in October. The 3 Course Tasting Menu was $ 59 and included an appetizer or soup or salad, an entree and a dessert. The other items were a la carte.

On my January 2022 cruise on Meraviglia , they never looked at boarding times, but there were less than 600 passengers onboard. On Divina in October, they were only letting people in at or after their boarding time. You can show up early and see what happens, just be prepared to possibly wait.