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Live from the Divina May 7, 2016


maureencruiser
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Hello, all! I will be posting live from my cruise starting this weekend. I fly out of Lynchburg, VA on Friday afternoon. I'd like to steal a page from LMaxwell and ask if anyone has any questions that I can get answered on the cruise? :confused:

 

I am traveling solo and I have booked the Surfer internet package, we'll see how that goes. I've been getting reports that I can only be logged on for 30 minutes at a time. That is not good news for a verbose, one fingered typist like myself. :D This may be my last post. :eek:

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I will put my requests in this thread Maureen:

 

First: Please check to see what "MED" by MSC products/prices are available in the logo store for me,,especially the diffuser or something similar posted below:

 

269782_189511731103146_6598768_n.jpg?oh=2f7bce7e24b626aad59f686795120f85&oe=57E689DC

 

Secondly: Bea and I have had an ongoing conversation regarding the casino loyalty program: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Cruise-Information/On-Board/MSC-Casino-VIP.aspx

 

We'd like to know if MSC intends to expand the casino loyalty program to be included as an extension of the Voyager Club membership. Also,,how does MSC determine point values and what comps are given at certain point values. Bea received a 30% off a future cruise for her play in the casino onboard MSC Magnifica so maybe a chit chat with the casino manager may shed some light on MSC's direction with this new program,,,which btw,,isn't very well advertised.

 

Have a great cruise Maureen!!!!! If I think of anything else,,,,I know how to reach you!!! :D:D

Edited by Mikesa1721
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Hi Maureen. Simple one here, can you check if it's diet pepsi or diet coke on board. I hate diet pepsi :(

 

I'll check, it was Coke in 2014, here is a pic from my first lunch.

 

232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv%3B67%3A%3Dot%3E393%3A%3D7%3B3%3D%3C25%3DXROQDF%3E2873964%3A73257ot1lsi

 

I will put my requests in this thread Maureen:

 

First: Please check to see what "MED" by MSC products/prices are available in the logo store for me,,especially the diffuser or something similar posted below:

 

269782_189511731103146_6598768_n.jpg?oh=2f7bce7e24b626aad59f686795120f85&oe=57E689DC

 

Secondly: Bea and I have had an ongoing conversation regarding the casino loyalty program: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Cruise-Information/On-Board/MSC-Casino-VIP.aspx

 

We'd like to know if MSC intends to expand the casino loyalty program to be included as an extension of the Voyager Club membership. Also,,how does MSC determine point values and what comps are given at certain point values. Bea received a 30% off a future cruise for her play in the casino onboard MSC Magnifica so maybe a chit chat with the casino manager may shed some light on MSC's direction with this new program,,,which btw,,isn't very well advertised.

 

Have a great cruise Maureen!!!!! If I think of anything else,,,,I know how to reach you!!! :D:D

 

I'm on it! I tried yesterday where it says, Join the Casino program and it brings you to the request a call form. I don't need no stinkin' call, I need 30% off my cruise! I think they are still in the process of updating the website. You know, updating it from the 1800's. :p

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Hi Maureen.. I just wanted to tell you that I read your review on the Divina yesterday. Omg....you are HYSTERICAL. Looking forward to this one soooo much.

 

Her other reviews are hilarious as well. I just re-read her Grandeur review the other night.

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Her other reviews are hilarious as well. I just re-read her Grandeur review the other night.

 

Let's see what you say after you ACTUALLY meet me! Who's that crazy person with the Boston accent? :D

 

I'm following closely Maureen, thanks for this.:)

 

At your service, Bob, happy to have you along for the ride. :)

Edited by maureencruiser
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Hello, all! I will be posting live from my cruise starting this weekend. I fly out of Lynchburg, VA on Friday afternoon. I'd like to steal a page from LMaxwell and ask if anyone has any questions that I can get answered on the cruise? :confused:

 

I am traveling solo and I have booked the Surfer internet package, we'll see how that goes. I've been getting reports that I can only be logged on for 30 minutes at a time. That is not good news for a verbose, one fingered typist like myself. :D This may be my last post. :eek:

 

 

Maureen, that is so funny! So they limit your connection to 30 minutes at a time. WOW. How long do you have to wait between connections? Is it a matter of just disconnecting for one second then reconnecting?

Oh well. weird.

 

Let me share a trick from the bulleting board days. Type your posts on word or notepad, I think Word will work better, before you connect, then just connect and paste your text. Should not take you 5 minutes of use.

 

Cheers.

 

Armando.

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Hello, all! I will be posting live from my cruise starting this weekend. I fly out of Lynchburg, VA on Friday afternoon. I'd like to steal a page from LMaxwell and ask if anyone has any questions that I can get answered on the cruise? :confused:

 

I am traveling solo and I have booked the Surfer internet package, we'll see how that goes. I've been getting reports that I can only be logged on for 30 minutes at a time. That is not good news for a verbose, one fingered typist like myself. :D This may be my last post. :eek:

 

Looking forward to your posts! I am just off the Divina and can say that the internet worked fine. That 30 minute timer is actually a clock that will run and if there is inactivity after 30 minutes, the internet access stops. You also have the option of resetting the clock if you are still on. Since all of their packages are now data based (no minutes), you don't even have to sign off. But it's a fail safe way to keep everyone from being signed on 24 hours a day - whether they are actually using it or not. It will also show you if usage is high or low. It's a pretty good system.

 

To JPR61 - We had all Coke products on last week's cruise!

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a request...Food Porn!

 

Oh, Honey, Clearly, you have never read any of my reviews! I INVENTED Food Porn! :D When I started cruising in 1991, I was a mere slip of a girl. Now, the ships are using me as ballast! :eek:

 

I'll be on with you, Maureen. I blog my cruises on another cruising site - or two. I always type it offline in Wordpad, copy and paste into the forums. EM

 

EM, Are you allowed to post a link? If not, we can meet up on the ship and you can tell me. Like you and the other poster suggested, I was going to type it in Wordpad then copy and paste. I don't like the small font on Wordpad, though and I don't know how to change it. :o

 

The 30 minute limit info is coming from Nikki, who is currently on the ship. I'm hoping it is true that it is 30 minutes of inactivity, as the other poster stated. I've lost posts on CC when typing at home because I'm too slow, choosing pictures, etc.

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Thanks Beth & Maureen. Had coke twice on the Divina, but the last time on a Transatlantic it was pepsi. This was in October last year, so wondered if they'd changed. Glad to here its back to coke

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Do you have the beverage package same as your last time on Divina?

 

Good question! :) I wish I had a good answer. ;) If by my last time, you mean my review from 2014 when I had the unlimited package, then no. If you truly mean my last time, which was December 2015, then yes. I didn't write a review of that cruise, but, I have posted about the beverage package I had, which I was quite pleased with. Or, I think I was pleased, it's all a little fuzzy to me. :p

 

This is probably as good a time as any to get into the financial aspects of this cruise. I know many of you are thinking about adding MSC to your repertoire of cruises and trying to decide if it is a good value for you. For me, it is an excellent value. For this cruise, I booked a Fantastica Aft Balcony on Deck 12 during the BOGO sale. When I booked it, I told my guy at MSC that I was probably going to be going solo, as I usually do. He said that was fine, I just needed to book it with a TBD as the second person and never add that person. Here I am, 3 days out, final payment has been made, and MSC is not looking for that person's name, so, I guess it will be OK.

 

The cabin fare is $1034 for me, $0 for TBD. Taxes and fees are $104 for each of us. I expect TBD's fees to be refunded when she doesn't show up, if they're not, that will be OK, too. I had asked my guy what will happen when I go to check in and I am alone and he said nothing will happen, I'll be fine. At check in, if there is any kind of brouhaha and they say I owe more money, I will pay it then deal with it when I get home. I will not be "that guy" fussing and carrying on at the desk, not my style. :rolleyes:

 

So, my fare for a solo aft balcony is about $1100. For comparison purposes, for my birthday in September, I did the Freedom of the Seas in a not as impressive aft balcony solo for $2400. So, yeah, less than half price is a good value for me. Families with children, be aware, for that same $1100, Mom, Dad, and 2 kids 11 and under could sail in that same cabin.

 

About a month ago, I was thinking about the cruise and wondered if a better cabin was available, so, I checked the website and, lo and behold, a Deck 10 aft balcony was available, in fact, the exact same one I had in December, 10262, smack dab in the middle. For you newbies to MSC, the Deck 10 afts are larger than the afts on the other decks, so, always look for them first. Here is a picture I took in December.

 

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My next step was to secure the Adult Forfait Mealtime package, which I thoroughly enjoyed in December (I think) :p. Here is the description from the website.

 

CHEERS ADULT - UNLIMITED MEALTIME DRINKS

 

*Starting Summer 2017 the Cheers package will be re-named the Mealtime Restaurant Drink Package.

 

$20 – $22.50 per person / per day

*Prices may vary by ship or sailings date and are subject to change. Please click “SEE PRICING” and login to view packages & pricing for your specific sailing.

 

Make your everyday meals a special occasion!

 

Unlimited wine (a choice of 2 white, 2 red and 1 rosé house brands), mineral water, draft beer, sodas and fruit juices during lunch and dinner.

 

The drinks included in this package are for consumption in the main restaurants and the self-service buffet, but not in the specialty restaurants.

 

 

This is also a fabulous value for me, as I didn't care for most of their mixed drinks, the frozen Margaritas and such. I had already decided I would just drink wine, anyway. I'm not a fancy wine drinker, by any means, Franzia Sunset Blush, straight out of the box is what I drink at home.

 

The Rose on the package is Woodbridge White Zin, which is fine by me, maybe as a special treat, I'll try all the other varieties, so, I can report back on them. I'm happy to report that on my December cruise, for my $140, I had 52 glasses of wine (that's why it's all a little fuzzy), a few bottles of still water, a few Cokes and one glass of fruit juice that I had to pay for because it was after dinner time.

 

 

 

I'll be eating most of my meals in the buffet, so, it's unlimited wine every day from 11 to 4 and then again from 6 to 9. :D So, if my posts start looking like this aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, you'll know I've been enjoying my wine package.

 

 

As you can tell from my picture of the balcony, they let me take 2 glasses of wine at a time. I don't know if they'll let me take more, maybe I'll ask just to see what they will say. The buffet is on Deck 14, aft. There are two bars in the buffet, one right next to the pizza oven.:)

 

 

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There is also a bar at the back of the buffet, near the elevator. This is very handy for grabbing wine and snacks and bringing them back to your cabin, which I did every day. It is also handy if you don't want the bartenders at the pizza oven to know how much you are really drinking. :eek: Although, they can probably tell anyway, I'm just fooling myself. :o

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Thank you so much for starting this live thread. I'm very interested in Seaside when it comes but I don't here very good news about MSC in general Also the MSC Transatlantic Voyages that goes from Miami to Italy (22 days) sound promising as well.

I've sailed only RCCL and NCL but want to branch out and the cruise prices seems very fair on MSC. Can't wait to hear and see more!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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On a side note, as a Black (Loyalty Match) Member, I am supposed to get a 5% discount on my cruises. My invoice shows a discount of $115, which even my weak math skills tell me is closer to 10%. I'll take it, Shhhhh! :D

 

Since I like nothing better than planning cruises, I booked several items ahead of time besides my wine package. I booked my embarkation photo for $15. I enjoy having my embarkation photos so I will remember what ship I was on, when, (52 glasses of wine! :o). I will see onboard if I saved money by doing that and if it really has to be my embarkation photo or can it be any photo. Since I'll be skipping formal night, I probably won't pose for any other photos.

 

I also plan to travel lighter, which is good because my suitcase is sitting here empty, while I type away. So, I bought a laundry package for $20 which allows me to have 10 items laundered. I probably won't need that much, but, maybe I'll run into somebody whose luggage never arrives or something and they can get a few pieces sent out , as well. Shhhhhhh!

 

And, the last thing I bought was the just recently made available Surfer Internet package- from the website-

 

Surfer: Browse the web and stay in touch via email and social networks

 

Access for up to 2 devices to social networks, chat apps, email and web browsing with standard bandwidth priority. Limit of 170 MB per day / 800 MB per cruise**. You can post photos, but audio and video are not available.

$11.00 per day / $33.00 per cruise*

 

I booked this instead of the Social package-

 

Social: Connect with friends 24/7 on your favorite social networks

 

Access for 1 device to social networks and chat apps —Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Snapchat, WeChat, Pinterest, VK, Odnoklassniki, Sinaweibo, Qzone and Line. You can post photos, but audio and video are not available.

$4.50 per day / $16.50 per cruise*

 

I plan to use Facebook and Cruise Critic on my cruise and it didn't seem like the Social package would let me access CC. I could be wrong, though. There is also more MB available, whatever that is.:o

 

They charged me and TBD each 17.50, if I get hers back, that's fine, if not, it is still better than other cruise lines that charge hundreds for internet access. Note to Holland America- Please improve your internet rates before my August Alaska cruise, thanks! :D

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for another $20 a day, why not have the premium all inclusive pkg, you can enjoy any wine on the menu not limited to few choices and locations, and times. Included is the gelatos, patesseria sp?, mini bar, bottled waters to go, and any drink your heart desires regardless of cost, anywhere, anytime... I was considering the mealtime package but upgraded and was so so happy we did. Just my 2 cents tho...( not trying to spend your money) :) enjoy your trip !!

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Maureen, we are in 8114 (unless we get an unexpected upgrade). Feel free to drop in to see out lifeboat view. It is one of the cabins with a tub...Looking forward to it. EM

 

Ooh, a cabin crawl, how fun! :D

 

for another $20 a day, why not have the premium all inclusive pkg, you can enjoy any wine on the menu not limited to few choices and locations, and times. Included is the gelatos, patesseria sp?, mini bar, bottled waters to go, and any drink your heart desires regardless of cost, anywhere, anytime... I was considering the mealtime package but upgraded and was so so happy we did. Just my 2 cents tho...( not trying to spend your money) :) enjoy your trip !!

 

The premium all incl is $61/ day, that includes the gelato and pastries, the Classic is 45/day, no pastries or gelato, but, does include ice cream. It's food (and wine) for thought, though. MSC has so many packages, they are very confusing. Hopefully, they'll consolidate some of them.

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