GadgetRick

That is norm here in TX as well. Like you, when we go on vacation, especially somewhere tropical, we want to relax and not get too dressed up.

 

On our cruise he wore shorts in the specialty restaurants as well. They did stop him in the MDR on the first formal night and asked him to change into pants. It was our mistake as we did not notice the formal night in the daily schedule. Other than the formal nights, no one cared.

Thanks. Great info for sure.

Totally agree!

 

On our MSC cruise about 2 weeks ago (Mediterrean), my husband wore nice linen or rayon shorts with loafers along with polo style shirts in the MDR. The only days he couldn't wear shorts were the formal nights. On those nights, we put on slacks.

I guess I'll just ask when I get to the ship. But, yes, this is what I'm talking about. This is perfectly-normal here in FL. I go to very nice restaurants all of the time here and dress similarly to what you're describing. Nobody bats an eye.

I am very old fashion, and for me white table cloth and shorts with flip plops can not be together in one sentence. Every time I see a post with question " do my son needs pants to DR? he dose not have any or he dose not want to wear any " it makes me wonder .

Could be both.

 

Personally, I don't wear long pants often living here in FL. It's hot. I don't care to get dressed up for dinner. It's vacation. It's supposed to be relaxed.

 

There's a difference between coming in wearing cutoff jean shorts and a wifebeater and wearing a nice pair of shorts and decent shirt.

 

I'm sure my wife will make me go to the DR for a few nights but, otherwise, I guess I'll be at the buffet...

I was watching a video review recently and they said something about men not being able to wear shorts any night in the dining rooms. Is this true?

 

Also, I understand they have 2 formal nights (ugh). Are khakis and either a polo or a button-down shirt good for these nights?

 

I'm from FL, self-employed and don't have to dress up. Can you tell I'm not looking forward to having to dress up for dinner? ;)

My wife and I just got back (Jan 2-7 2017) from the Paradise. This was the Grand Cayman and Cozumel run. We just took it back in May 2016. We have been on quite a few cruises, different lines. We like the Paradise. Park and cruise is cheap and right across the street. The port is easy to get to.

 

We had an Oceanview stateroom and an interior cabin. Both are very accceptable. Comfortable bed and pillows.

 

The shower is amazing. Big enough for two, not like the plastic star trek transporter tube showers on most new ships. And the pressure is fantastic. Not the water saving drizzle shower heads like most.

 

Shiplash (the band) is gone, replaced by Last Call. They are pretty good and very versatile.

 

Comedians were good. They have a new cruise director (Brandon) and he is really very good.

 

The casino is pretty good (machines seemed a bit tight this time). The food was good (miss the lobster on formal night). Brunch at sea, how can you not love filet mignon and eggs???

 

There was always something to do, and with a younger crowd, it was party on !!

 

This is one of the best value/fun cruises out there.

 

Oh yeah, ice cream any time you want. I give it 5 stars.

 

If you don't like fun, there are cruises that are perfect for you, just not this one.

 

Pretty much the experience we've had on this ship both times although, like I mentioned, the service was a smidge lower than it was in 2015 when we went but not bad at all.

No there is not comedy on MSC ships (thank god:p) All shows are Broadway style and much better then CCL or NCL

 

Thanks. I sorta expected it. Oh well, guess I'll be spending time in the sports bar...

Entertainment on Divina is almost completely musical, because the diversity of nationalities on board would make comedy not relevant to a majority of the passengers. EM

Are the musical shows all Broadway-like in style like so many other cruise lines? Or is it more, "normal," style music? Seems every ship I've been on, the musical acts--no matter if it's rock, or whatever--is always spun with a Broadway-style. I hate that.

In regards to the Carnival vs. MSC MDR food. Keep in mind my last Carnival Cruise was on the Valor a few years ago, and the time before that was a lot longer on the Sensation. Things may have changed on Carnival since then:

 

I personally prefer the Carnival MDR over the Divina for the following reasons:

 

1) Food and service was faster/better on Carnival. The "food better" is subjective obviously. Food was not bad on Divina (well except for the Lasagna which tasted exactly like Chef Boyardee Ravioli). I just thought Carnival food was better. At least last time on Vista, our waiter offered freshly cracked pepper on things and grated parmesan cheese. On Divina, I only got fresh cracked pepper in the paid restaurants (and of the 4, only in 2 of them). And the parmesan cheese on Divina is the stuff from the can (unless you're in the paid restaurant).

 

2) Drink service on Carnival in the MDR is superb compared to Divina. I didn't have to hunt someone down for a glass of water refill or order my drink order right away so I could get it 30 minutes later. (If you want more than one drink, I suggest you order BOTH right away on Divina).

 

Again, not BAD, but a lot of room for improvement, IMO, on Divina.

 

Again, things may have changed on Carnival since I last sailed.

 

But try Divina and see what happens. After the first night you'll get a good feel for what you may have to do differently (like the water situation). We ordered bottled water the rest of the time to ensure we had water when we were thirsty. But had to pay for it (Unless you have the drinking package).

 

Enjoy, and hope you have a good time!

 

Thanks. Our last Carnival cruise (Paradise this past December) we had one waiter for a table of 13 with minimal help. So it was taking us 2+ hours for dinner. I also understand that's how things are done in Europe so I can deal with that.

 

I also don't care about drink service at dinner so I can deal with that. :)

 

I've never been even remotely impressed with Carnival food although our first Carnival cruise was about 4 years ago. It's gotten worse over that short time frame.

 

I won't be unhappy if we wind up eating at the buffet if it's as good as everyone says. :)

Did you park at the Port or another off-site parking area?

 

We're going on the January 26th sailing. We are locals and we're thinking of driving and parking near the Port instead of having someone drop us off and pick us up.....Just easier to have our vehicle there upon debark.

Thanks.

 

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We park at the port parking across the street. I hate having to deal with shuttles so I pay the extra to park there.

I enjoyed your review. I don't dive but I do snorkel and that is excellent in GC. There is a reef right near the tender docks, so I can just walk there with my equipment and snorkel from the shore for free. There is a dive shop there and people scuba there too. Reef is called Eden Rock. There is another one right next to it called Devil's Grotto. I did like snorkeling in Cozumel but the time I snorkeled at Palancar Reef, which is supposed to be the premier scuba site, I was disappointed. So I can see your point. But since you no longer diving I am probably yammering too much.

 

Not yammering at all. I miss diving but I cannot dive any longer. :(

I think it is more important to know which cabins to avoid. Within each 'experience' there are cabins to avoid. In particular, look at deck 12: the cabins between 12179 and 12204 appear to have shallower balconies. and they do. There is no seating area inside the cabin. The insides in that section are also smaller. The cabins in that area on each deck are two person only. but if you want to have four of you on the balcony, or relaxing in your balcony cabin, those are not the cabins to choose. Cabins on each deck of that bump-out section are the same, whether Bella or Fantastica.

Go to http://www.cruisedeckplans.com and click on each deck with Fantastica balconies. at the bottom of the page it will tell you which cabins will have some obstruction, such as steel hull balconies. When you have chosen some possibilities, come here and ask for recommendations. EM

 

Thanks for that info.

Sorry, for some reason, I cannot post in the Paradise section.

 

Anyway, this was the second year we did a family/friends cruise just before Christmas on the Paradise. Both times we had 13 people along for the trip. I will say, the ship is extremely well-maintained. The crew last year provided much better service than this year although it wasn't bad.

 

Food is, well, typical Carnival. Mediocre at best. Not bad but not really all that good either. We dined in the dining room (early seating) for dinners and the dining room for breakfast. Buffet for lunch.

 

Our service this year was very good but he didn't have any regular help. Poor guy was trying to serve a table of 13 people (more or less) alone. So our dinner always took the whole 2+ hours. Not his fault.

 

Personally, I don't care for shows on cruise ships so I'm not going to comment on the shows.

 

We did the comedy shows. The one comedian--I don't even remember his name--honestly, wasn't very good. The other one--The Cowboy Comedian--was hilarious. Each show was different. We also spoke with him a few of the nights. A genuinely-nice guy as well.

 

The ship is, as I mentioned, well-maintained. Didn't notice any problems with anything. Same as last year. It is, as someone else mentioned, a bit choppy in the layout. You kind of have to go around things to go from one end of the ship to the other.

 

The buffet area has plenty of seating (inside and outside) so it's normally not a problem finding a table (or two) in that are. During peak times, it may be difficult to get multiple tables near each other if you have a large party but that's to be expected.

 

It seems Carnival has cut costs in the menu department as well. We did the 5-day cruise (did the 4 day last year) and, this year, they did no offer lobster on formal night. It was on the menu as a $20 upcharge each night. They also seemed to have dumbed-down the menu a bit. I remembered a better variety of food/desserts last year. Not that it's a huge deal but I was a little disappointed in the choices this year.

 

They had a magician who was in the dining room--and did a few small shows on the ship--who was truly awesome. He used me for a trick at the table and one on his stage show. He's very good and humorous. He did tricks at our table two nights. You just have to call him over when you see him and he gladly does a few tricks.

 

Disembarking the ship on Grand Cayman was a bit, well, problematic. I think we arrived a slightly late so it pushed everything back a bit. Those of us with earlier excursions rushed to get there early and didn't need to. Wish they would have made an announcement saying they were running late. They also didn't communicate what was going on to the people waiting to leave at all. That was a bit annoying. Then again, I HATE having to take tenders at ports. It always seems to be something.

 

Personally, I'm not a fan of Cozomel--this was my first trip to Grand Cayman. Grand Cayman is sort of like Cozumel but slightly nicer. So nothing incredible there or anything. Although I cannot dive any longer so I can't say how good the diving is at Grand Cayman (I have dived Cozomel and was not impressed). Two of our party did a dive in Grand Cayman and seemed to enjoy it.

 

Disembarking at Cozomel was a breeze as you actually dock there. I mentioned I'm not a fan of Cozomel but I will say we did an excursion we booked before we cruised (not a Carnival excursion) at Mr. Sancho's Beach Resort. We enjoyed this a lot.

 

Disembarking in Tampa was the same as it was last year. We were not in a rush since we live in FL and drive to/from Tampa for the cruise so we had breakfast then left at our leisure.

 

Overall, it's not a bad cruise. The ship is not a large ship, and it may be a little older, but it's well-maintained. The crew provides good to great service. If you're looking for a short getaway, this isn't a bad one to try.

Will be booking a balcony and an inside cabin (for our boys). Looking for the best cabin to ask for. We're doing the Fantastica Experience.

 

Thanks.

Thanks a bunch everyone. I wouldn't worry about it but I've got to keep in touch because it's my business and I've got to make sure everything goes smoothly while away....

I just got off the divina. They have 3 very well priced options. If you go on their website, you will see the options. I paid for mine once I got onboard.

 

 

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Perfect. Thanks!

I need to be able to be in touch as I own my own business. Do they offer reasonable Internet packages like Carnival is (finally) doing or is it the old-school buy it by the minute?

 

Thanks.

This is the link. https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/MSC-Voyagers-Club/Loyalty-Match-Program.aspx or you can Google "msc loyalty match"

You would need to provide the proof of your status with other cruse line (I took the screenshot from the website)

 

Thanks a bunch!

Thanks for the detailed info. We're considering the Divina for our pre-Christmas cruise next year. We've done Carnival (Paradise out of Tampa) the past two years. Nice ship. Service last year was awesome, this year just ok. But I digress...

 

Anyway, not knowing anything about MSC, I've been looking at reviews (especially since it's so darn inexpensive!). Seems everyone has the same comments about the dining room food. Honestly, I was never impressed with the Carnival food (dining room food just mediocre and buffet, well, less than that). We cruised Princess in Alaska earlier this year (owned by Carnival). Food was better but still not great.

 

You mentioned you've cruised Carnival before. How does the dining room food compare to Carnival dining room food? I'm perfectly-fine with the buffet if it's as good as everyone is saying but would like a few nice sit-down meals for the ladies in the house (my wife likes to as does my mother-in-law and other people who travel with us).

 

My older son will be 15 by then and he's NEVER done any of the kids camps on any of our cruises (don't ask me why...). He keeps himself entertained and will have another kid about his age with him. My 11 year old loves going to the kids camp because he makes his own schedule. We'll also have a 7 year old with us. Other than the problem you encountered, did the camps have enough to keep the kids entertained?

 

I've also heard about them (MSC) using other loyalty programs. Do you just let them know what you're in and status when you book?

 

Thanks again! Very timely and helpful!

Thanks. I sort of figured this but thought I'd ask the experts around here.

Planning a family and friends trip near Christmas. Looking at RC out of Miami and looking for advice on where to get the best deal on the booking. Will be 4-8 rooms.

 

Thanks.

[quote name='peety3']No, it's not "the thread for this particular cruise". It's a thread that you started to ask some questions about your trip among a general discussion area regarding Princess Cruises. It's not the roll call. Go here [URL]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/[/URL], scroll down to either "Find your Roll Call" or "Princess Roll Calls", and navigate from there.

People in this particular area are either seasoned Princess cruisers or people new to Princess with newbie questions. Threads for particular cruises belong in the Roll Call.[/QUOTE]

I'm confused then. I apologize. However, people have been discussing this in this thread, which is why I got confused. I'll have to post it over there.

[quote name='peety3']Big businesses have these departments called "marketing". Aside from listening to lots of Maroon 5 and Cold Play, they research these "metrics" about how to make sure their message gets in front of the right people. Sometimes they use print ads in magazines, so they subscribe to everything out there and gather the subscriber data to find the right one. Sometimes they use TV ads, so they look at the Nielsen ratings to figure out which channel/show has the best sampling of "their people" in front of the screen. The happiness goes on and on...

You can do your own marketing too, by choosing what forum to post in. This particular post probably belongs in the Roll Call for your sailing, because you'll be speaking to your most ideal target market: 100% of the people in that thread are (presumably) booked on the same cruise as you. Meanwhile, in this thread, it's full of people with too much time on their hands and who are NOT going on your same cruise...[/QUOTE]

Huh? This is the thread for this particular cruise. Already discussed this with others earlier in this thread.

Have no idea what your discussion about marketing has to do with this.

So, just over 2 weeks away. Very excited. Hard not to be in vacation mode. :)

 

Anyway, would anyone like to volunteer their balcony for me to place my timelapse camera for when we cruise through Glacier Bay? I'll send you a copy of the video and more than happy to buy a drink (or two) for you. :)

 

Thanks.

Personally, I wouldn't spend money on the, "specialty," restaurants. Never heard great things about the food at them.

Princess has an app to keep in touch with others on this ship. That service is free. Facebook would require an Internet charge.

 

Thanks. As long as we can keep in touch with each other.