Cruzinforpeace***

On 6/6/2024 at 7:07 PM, BirdTravels said:

And remember that the entertainment staff have more space than a lot of other crew members who may be 4 and 6 to a room. 

I had plenty of room for trinkets in my cabin but I was an entertainer. I did live in the crew area, inside solo cabin below the water line but it was plenty big enough for me and some knick knacks.  I actually cherished some of the items I acquired on my contracts.  A fellow cast member crocheted me a bookmark that I still have to this day.  The most impactful gifts I received from passengers were good comments or personal notes. This was also very important for my job as well.  Good comments are a big thing you can gift any crew member in addition to cash (non entertainment staff).

We loved our Aurea experience on the Meraviglia in February and have booked the same exact cabin and experience for July.  Loved the spa; we went every day, the anytime dining and the quiet cabin location.  For us it was totally worth it.  We are still enjoying the complimentary diffuser as well.  It smells so yummy.

7 minutes ago, Notch8 said:

I didn’t see anything about a passenger talent show.  There is a “Crew Staff Variety Show” tomorrow (Saturday).

Yes we had that too.  I think the passenger talent show was on our last sea day or next to last day.  It was during the afternoon.

Could you please tell me if they have a passenger talent show on your sailing? We did in February but I was too exhausted and lazy to sing.  Thinking I might dust off some of my old show-tunes for our July cruise.  If not, I’ll hit the Karaoke.

17 hours ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

It's not what the cruise line accepts for departure, it's what U.S. Immigration accepts upon arrival.

They have facial recognition at many U.S. entry points now.  In Brooklyn we never had to show an ID.  They scanned us and we were done.  Of course if they stop you you will have to show your documents.

16 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

New to MSC.

 

1. Has anyone had any issue carrying on a heating pad with auto shutoff these days? I’ve read mixed reports, I’m thinking This is probably a YMMV issue.  
 

2. Do they have boarding day carry on bag check?

3. going on the theme of the first two Q’s, I get a Bad back and joints. Hence the bag check and heating pad. Has anyone had any luck getting an egg crate/foam topper mattress pad for their bed on MSC? The beds are usually too hard for me plus only half useable because of the crack down the middle. 

Heating pads (even with auto shut off) are not allowed on MSC.  I went through the special needs department and offered to get a doctor’s note and it was still a big NO.

They thoroughly check your carry on luggage at boarding as well.

I brought a hot water bottle which is allowed.  We cruised this past February on the Meraviglia.

Found it on an old post.  The list is very detailed except of course the soft drinks. I guess I’ll have to hear from recent cruiser to know if the Limonata San Pellegrino is served on board (the Meraviglia specifically).

FYI:

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/on-board/dining-drinks/drink-comparison-chart

29 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Unless the menu is every bar is the same, that would be hard to do.  EM

Celebrity gives a pretty thorough list on their website of offered beverages in each level package.  I was wondering if MSC had a similar listing somewhere that I’m not seeing .

important Cruising Tip:

Make sure if you’re using the ship internet plan to put your phone in airplane mode and cellular data off.  If you forget you may have to pay thousands of dollars in roaming fees.

Can anyone please provide the menu or link for the Easy Plus Beverage Package (if it exists in such a format)?  I only see a very general description on the website. Specifically interested in the soft drink choices like if they have San Pellegrino Limonata or something similar like an Italian lemonade. Thanks!

On 5/10/2024 at 8:46 AM, luv2cruzuk said:

 

 

Just had to share the incredible journey I had aboard the MSC Euribia. I snagged a balcony cabin for just £99 GBP ( for the three days and two nights! That’s around $124 or €115!

 

And let me tell you, it was worth every penny.

 

Embarking from Southampton was a breeze, and stepping onto the Euribia was amazing. The main was stunning.

 

While my cabin location wasn't ideal, and it was filthy! The ship itself was stunning, boasting amenities for all ages. I loved it he Eurovision-style shows and impressive big band performances, entertainment onboard was top-notch. I feel I got my moneys worth. 

 

Although the main dining room fell short, specialty restaurants like Hola! Taco's and Le Grille exceeded expectations.

 

I paid extra to add the premium drinks package – a must-have for worry-free indulgence and sampling new beverages. Which I did. 

 

I even tried my luck at the casino and walked away with a modest win! See the video to see how much! I did like all the onboard bars which provided unique atmospheres, perfect for people-watching and enjoying sea views.

 

Would I sail on the MSC Euribia again? Absolutely. In fact, I booked my next MSC cruise while onboard, looking forward to a luxurious experience aboard the MSC Meraviglia. I like that booking onboard comes with additional onboard credit and a reduced deposit. 

 

I’ve put together the above video which summarises my cruise. 

Great video.  I liked how you got “right to the point”.

25 minutes ago, Fissues said:

https://t.co/9r7BpldOw7

So sad

So sad.  Just read on Fox the following: 

“A spokesperson for MSC Cruises said the whale was on the MSC Meraviglia, which docked at the Port of Brooklyn before sailing to its next destination. 

"We can confirm with deep regret that on Saturday a whale was discovered on the bow of our ship as the vessel approached the port of New York, Sidney Sterling, director of media relations for MSC Cruises told Fox News Digital. "We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale."

The whale, identified as an endangered sei whale, was caught on the ship's bow when it arrived in Brooklyn on Saturday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries spokesperson Andrea Gomez said.”

I hate these types of stories.  I’m hoping the whale was already deceased when they hit it.  
 

Was anyone from CC on this sailing? Did they feel the ship hit it? When I worked on a much smaller ship back in the 90’s we felt a whale strike.  It was awful; we knew exactly what it was when it happened 🥲

13 minutes ago, Tierun said:

Celebrity still does twice daily service. With their go green program you can reduce the service to one full cabin service and the second is just a refresh of a turndown, trash collection, and bath towels replacement. 

Our cabin was not cleaned very good on our last Celebrity cruise so maybe in my mind I thought it was only once a day (lol).

12 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

 

Does Celebrity not do twice daily cabin service anymore?!?!

You’re right. I think they did as of last summer. Maybe I heard they stopped?  I know most of the other cruise lines have stopped.

We were long time Celebrity cruisers; balcony and suite class.  We recently sailed MSC in February and loved it.  Overall we felt the value was much better on MSC.  We sailed Aurea level and it was better than Celebrity in many ways (entertainment, food, service twice daily cabin service, anytime dining and spa access for Aurea level).  We’re cruising the same ship (Meraviglia) and itinerary in July we loved it so much. My husband refuses to go on another cruise line since our February cruise.

8 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Was on Seashore from 4/14 to 4/28. Had the lobster tail and filet both weeks. Wasn’t charged extra.

We were on a February Cruise on Meraviglia and were charged for the extra entree on lobster night.

Just now, morpheusofthesea said:

A friend that played piano on board told us to always count the steps to the nearest escape stairway in the event of no lights in an emergency.

That is excellent advice.  I’m going to remember that for our next cruise.

Always take the muster drill seriously.  Your life could depend on it!

9 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

So,So. true.

Costa Concordia the crew were assigned to life rafts, only 2 life rafts were launched, so the crew took the passengers places on the life boats and 1000 passengers were left on the ship.

  Captain Michael Llyod  https://www.tiktok.com/@cruiseshipbook/video/7216419541537099014

 

Yes that was such a terrible event.  The captain on the Concordia was my Safety Officer when I worked on the Costa Atlantica in 2002.  I remember him being somewhat lackadaisical about safety procedures back then.  You really need to pay attention to where ALL the lifeboats/liferafts  are located because in an emergency it’s most likely an “every man/woman/child for themselves scenario”.

As much as the new way seems much easier, the old way is more realistic in an emergency.  Everyone will be going all at once if there truly was an emergency.  Hopefully it never happens🙏.  All these ships nowadays are so huge I’m sure it would be absolute pandemonium if there was an actual emergency, “abandon ship”.

51 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Having sailed on a couple of MSC Yacht Club cruises, we have found that many of our past favorite staff are gone or rotated to other MSC vessels. BUT NEVER FEAR ! It only means ones sphere of favorites is about to expand. Bring a note book. Have discovered that even the waiters with black ties are just as good as those with the coveted gold ties. Here is another random comparison of staff and crew that just came to my mind which we just experienced while on board Regent Seven Seas Grandeur. A lady waiting with us to exit the Grandeur ask a passing staff member what was the hold up getting off to catch a flight. His answer "It's not my department" and continued on his way. On MSC I stopped and asked a crew member painting the railings in overhauls where was something, he stopped, put down his paint brush and escorted me all the way to where I wanted to be.

We also experienced very helpful crew from many different levels.  I’ve never seen so many smiling cleaning staff on a ship before.  They seemed genuinely happy to be there.

On 4/11/2024 at 4:57 PM, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

This post will stir up trouble, but I am curious about what people think.

 

My partner and I will take our first MSC cruise in about a month.  We've sailed other lines, but not MSC.  I want to keep an open mind and remember that being unhappy on a cruise should be tough.

 

I understand that MSC is cheap and that one should keep their expectations realistic, given the low-cost fare.  Rarely can one enjoy Kobe beef at a cheeseburger price.  However, it occurs to me that there should be some minimum standard that guests can expect.  Otherwise, it seems like gaslighting guests and justifying poor food and service.  

 

I think it is important to have reasonable expectations for the price one pays, but when I read reviews that talk about inedible food and rude crew, that seems to go beyond the pale.  

 

If MSC sells cruises even with awful food and service, what motivates them to improve?  There is none, I guess.  It seems unfair that people should be able to get reasonable service at a fair price.  Like, even the cheeseburger should be edible. 

 

What if a family can't afford other lines?  Shouldn't they get a quality experience, too?  Or should they not cruise at all or put up with this standard of food and service?

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so please play nice.  I am interested in what others think.

We loved our recent MSC cruise and I think it’s an excellent value for the money.

Here’s my review from our February cruise:

On 4/12/2024 at 10:13 AM, sptrout said:

If you compare Celebrity's Retreat Class vs. MSC's Yacht Club (YC) then the differences are very minor. Some will say that the YC is as good or better than the Retreat. In most cruises the YC pricing is considerably less than a Retreat Cabin.

 

Outside the YC or Retreat, then there are considerable differences. Most will then compare MSC to Royal Caribbean, NCL, or Carnival.

 

Which class of cabins do you normally book on Celebrity? Your answer will drive comments from other people that respond.

I disagree.  We found our February MSC cruise (we were in Aurea level) to be superior to our Celebrity cruise in July.  We’ve also sailed suite class on Celebrity.  The food was much better on MSC.  Celebrity used to have good food.

19 minutes ago, NJsharon said:

 

 

Good to know about parking.  We're in Hunterdon county NJ, so not a super long drive. I may drive & park in the terminal or may get my husband to drop us off.  How was the parking cost at the terminal?

I am reading your review & making notes, it is great!
I am typing questions & notes as I am going through your review, so this is going to seem long!
Really appreciate the review though. Being first time with MSC, same itinerary, it helps a lot.  I will pay it forward & write a review when I return too!



So, I guess a silly question, but all the walls are metal then & the magnets stuck to them no problem?  Never thought about the magnetic hooks = genius!

Did your ship stop at Miami, and that is where you took the excursion?  Ours will stop at Port Canaveral, Nassau & private island.  Okay, nevermind, just read it was a substitute port... so once it was announced, you were able to book your excursion pretty easily?  Kind of hope we stop at Miami instead of Port Canaveral as there is more to do!

I have to laugh about the McDonalds.  I remember one year we went to Nassau & my daughter just wanted McDonalds.  lol  Kids.  lol  My daughter did do honors Spanish & is great, so kind of hope we stop there so she can test it out!

The loudness my 19yr old daughter (18yrs old now) will hate.  It is so funny but she loves fireworks, but won't watch them live as she hates the sound.  I guess ear plus for her! So really appreciate the heads up there!

The spa, is that only available with the package you chose or if we did the Bella could we pay to go in?

Main promenade light displays look beautiful!

So cool about the cell phone lights with the Virgin ship! lol  I really want to take a Virgin cruise one day, just expensive... one day!

The comment about the 17yr old son.  My daughter is 18yrs old & must be the age.  She tells me I am allowed 1 photo a day when we are going somewhere.  So nice of her to grace me with that.  Sheesh.  Shhhh sometimes I get away with saying the previous photo I took didn't take.  lol

Is there anything to stop other passengers from hanging in that lounge space on the Aurea deck?  Or just for passengers with that level.  I know my daughter likes to read, journal or sketch, so finding quiet places will be great.

I have never hid or found a cruising duck.  I know it was a thing a while ago when I was cruising.  Nice to know it is still going!  I may have to do that!  My daughter & I like to look for geocaches, that is fun too.  May try on land & see if that is overseas too.

 

Nassau, is it still crazy when you get off the ship with people bugging you for hair brading, taxi rides etc? I haven't been to the straw market for years & avoided it.  It was so crowded, did not like the people bugging you to buy at their stall, and worry about pickpockets.  Is it any better then?

Snow picture is funny.  We are in Flemington, so yep!

My daughters (have twin girls, but just taking one on the cruise, other one does not want to go!!!) have been going on cruises since they were tiny too! I am so happy they've had those experiences & at least Emily (who will come with me) knows how lucky she is to have experienced all that!  The sleeping photo is funny, I have a few of my girls like that.  It is kind of nice to see that & that they are just a kid.  lol

My daughter & I absolutely love arts & crafts. Sad to see the paper mosaic though, as that looks so very basic for us.  I do scrapbooking, cardmaking, diamond dots.  Daughter does painting, sketching, paper crafting. Did they have any other craft sessions you remember?

 

Their mascot is a little lame, I have to say.  lol
Hash browns is a huge favorite of my daughter (dunkin has browns are her favorite) so she will enjoy those.  lol
Did they have a crepe station by chance?
My daughter also loves watermelon, so she is going to be happy!

Did they have bingo, quiz nights, anything else like that?

Thank you so much!!!!!

 

 

 

You can thank JamieLogical 😀 for the magnet ideas and yes most of the walls and doors are magnetic.

I ordered some fancy earplugs for our upcoming July cruise and they are soooo comfortable and cute:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0CNGFS1T8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
 

The Miami excursion was super easy to book. They gave us the alternative options right away and we booked it on the app if I remember correctly.  Very reasonable pricing too.

The spa is included in the Aurea experience and extra for any levels below Aurea.  We loved the Aurea level experience; totally worth the upgrade.  We loved the priority embarkation; basically walk right on (other than the bowling ball debacle we had).  We loved being able to go eat in the dining room anytime we wanted to between 6-9pm (or around that time; I cant remember the exact time frame).  The special outside Aurea deck is only for Aurea.  If you need quiet you may want to think about an upgrade.  The spa is very quiet and the outside Aurea deck as well.  Your daughter will not be able to access the spa until she’s 18.  Something to consider.

We didn’t feel any hassling in Nassau.  I like the bargaining in the Straw Market but it’s not for everyone.  We just use common sense in any tourist town.  Be aware of your surroundings and don’t have your purse or wallet hanging out in view for all the see.

They also had a Dream Catcher craft and origami.  I think there was another one besides those two and the coloring.  It’s all free.  It was fun to get to meet other cruisers.

They have a crepe cafe in the main promenade area but is for a fee.  I didn’t find the “snacky” type places to be too expensive.  I can’t remember the prices but I don’t recall anything looking exorbitant.

I remember seeing Bingo and Quiz competitions as well.