Meraviglia New York-Canada-Miami Oct/Nov '19

[Beamafar]

I was right about the 2 waiters sucking up on the day before the last day of the previous leg.  They haven't been the same since, once they realised we weren't disembarking yesterday!  Coincidentally (or maybe not) they're from the same country.

[hamrag]

1 hour ago, Beamafar said:

When I'm on a ship I like to have a Bailey's and hot chocolate for "Elevenses" once or twice during the cruise  😋

You omitted the crucial words ....'each day'....👍

[Host Jazzbeau]

You don't do 'elevenses' once or twice a day – they come between 'second breakfast' and 'lunch' 

 

@Beamafar yes I have noticed that the menus are starting to repeat from the ones I had collected earlier.  When you get back I'll try to organize yours as the basic set (in the order from your cruise).

[pmctrish]

I was on the Oct. 18th cruise with a group of six people. The Yacht Club menus look better than the main restaurant menus. We were disappointed in the food in the main restaurant. The appetizers and the desserts were good, but the entrees were disappointing.

[MrMike45]

Hi @Beamafar How's it going.  Missing still being on vacation.  Was a very good cruise, with a few down sides IMO, but overall we really enjoyed ourselves and would definitely consider doing MSC again when they come back to NY.  

 

Just wanted to pop in and say Hi and see how the second leg is going.  

[Nunagoras]

5 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Elevenses 😁

 

 

For those not familiar with the term, "Elevenses", it refers to a morning break when you have tea/coffee, perhaps with a snack, usually around 11am.  When I'm on a ship I like to have a Bailey's and hot chocolate for "Elevenses" once or twice during the cruise  😋

Wow!!!... 🙂 Hi @Beamafar!... 🙂 Oh, well... Keep the Bailey's for you and give me that superb hot chocolate, please!...

 

More seriously: Wonderful review with wonderful photos!... Just a question regarding the hot chocolate and those "fancy" coffee and chocolate drinks. Are they offering all of those in the YC lounge, or are they only offering the basics cappuccino, hot chocolate, etc? And if it's not so much; out of the regular bar menu are they offering such a good number of non alcoholic cocktails or only a few ones?...

 

Many thanks in advance!... 🙂 Have a nice day!... 🙂

[Beamafar]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

You don't do 'elevenses' once or twice a day – they come between 'second breakfast' and 'lunch' 

 

@Beamafar yes I have noticed that the menus are starting to repeat from the ones I had collected earlier.  When you get back I'll try to organize yours as the basic set (in the order from your cruise).

Having problems with the menus 🙄.  They have each day's lunch & dinner menus in the Top Sail lounge every morning but I discovered (after taking photos) that they are NOT today's ones  😡 so have had to delete them.  I took a photo of today's lunch menu so it's the right one.  🙄

 

I had posted earlier on that I had problems with the first couple of days' menus ... this was what I meant.  I went to delete the incorrect ones and ended up deleting the correct ones instead lol 🙄

 

Luis, the YC m'D, is an absolute sweetheart so I'm going to ask him to supply me with ALL the menus which I'll photo and post the lot when I get home.  That's gonna save a lot of time and trouble, cos we don't dine every night in the restaurant and I won't have to go looking for that day's menu -  especially if they're not putting the correct ones in TSL.

 

Today was the second time I've discovered it.  I now can't be sure if the menus I posted on the days we didn't dine in the restaurant are the right ones 🙄

[Beamafar]

There are quite a few issues onboard, including in YC restaurant which MSC really needs to address before this ship starts here season in Miami.  Otherwise they are voing to be in serious trouble.  😱

 

Today's lunch was the most disastrous experience I have ever had!  If I weren't so tired, I'd elaborate further.  It's gonna have to wait til at least tomorrow ... I'm wall-falling right now, so can't do the detail of it.

 

We spoke with a couple of women a short while ago who are in an OV.  They are having a hard time getting tissues and spare toilet paper!!!!   That problem was reported here by some on the TA.

 

[Beamafar]

We're giving tonight a miss. It's almost 6pm and I'm struggling to stay awake.  We've been having such a great time but I'm sometimes only getting 4-5 hours sleep at night and its beginning to take its toll!

[cruisingnewtoit]

11 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

There are quite a few issues onboard, including in YC restaurant which MSC really needs to address before this ship starts here season in Miami.  Otherwise they are voing to be in serious trouble.  😱

 

Today's lunch was the most disastrous experience I have ever had!  If I weren't so tired, I'd elaborate further.  It's gonna have to wait til at least tomorrow ... I'm wall-falling right now, so can't do the detail of it.

 

We spoke with a couple of women a short while ago who are in an OV.  They are having a hard time getting tissues and spare toilet paper!!!!   That problem was reported here by some on the TA.

 

I've read reviews about pax not getting  spare TP & tissues. I've also read reviews where pax say they didn't have that problem. That's great for them but that's how it should be. MSC doesn't get a high five for doing the minimum. Disastrous service yikes  😱. I am looking forward to reading the details though I am sorry you went through it.

 

I'm hopeful that you get a good rest. I've enjoyed reading your posts.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Having problems with the menus 🙄.  They have each day's lunch & dinner menus in the Top Sail lounge every morning but I discovered (after taking photos) that they are NOT today's ones  😡 so have had to delete them.  I took a photo of today's lunch menu so it's the right one.  🙄

 

I had posted earlier on that I had problems with the first couple of days' menus ... this was what I meant.  I went to delete the incorrect ones and ended up deleting the correct ones instead lol 🙄

 

Luis, the YC m'D, is an absolute sweetheart so I'm going to ask him to supply me with ALL the menus which I'll photo and post the lot when I get home.  That's gonna save a lot of time and trouble, cos we don't dine every night in the restaurant and I won't have to go looking for that day's menu -  especially if they're not putting the correct ones in TSL.

 

Today was the second time I've discovered it.  I now can't be sure if the menus I posted on the days we didn't dine in the restaurant are the right ones 🙄

 

No problem.  I hope you can figure out the right order.  If you like, after you get home and get it sorted out – email the jpgs to me at hostjazzbeau@cruisecritic.com and I will remake the sticky around them.  We can put a link from this thread to that one, so you don't have to repost all that stuff!

[Beamafar]

The m'D had told me that the menus are numbered 1-14.  Our sailing of 23 nights is a combination of a 10 night cruise coupled with a 13 night one.  They're both one-offs, unlike when the ship begins its regular, standard itineraries from Miami.  So I don't know that the order that we're getting the menus in will apply after this cruise.  This is the dilemma you may face, Host Jazzbeau, if you were to say in the sticky that the menus on Meraviglia will come out in this order over the course of 14 nights.  Even the m'D doesn't always know which menu numbers will be the next few days' ones from what I can glean.

 

I'm finding that some of the experiences onboard are quite similar in some ways to when we first sailed this ship at the tail end of the inaugural.  The crew haven't had the opportunity to settle into a routine since leaving Europe.  They've just had a repositioning cruise, followed by 2 North American sailings with different itineraries, the first with the horrendous embarkation process which was outside of MSC's control, plus missing a port due to weather as well as a shorter visit to Quebec on account of whales ... again, all outside of MSC's control.  They now have another repositioning cruise with another demographic onboard to deal with.  I think it's going to take a couple of cruises out of Miami before the ship and crew will relax into a routine.

 

Edited October 30, 2019 by Beamafar

[trainbuff]

The stay in Quebec was not cut short because of whales. This is yet another lie fed to some passengers by the reception staff. Nobody could know if whales would be a problem a week before we were to leave Quebec since the whales go where they want, when they want. The real reason as explained to me in a conversation with the cruise director was they wanted to get to NY earlier due to the embarkation fiasco. We arrived back in NY before 2am.

[Beamafar]

Our first sea day on this leg has been a difficult one.  I actually managed to get a straight 7 and a half hours sleep, so jad expected to have fully recharged batteries for the day ahead.

 

We had the M&G in the morning where I finally got to meet Nikki, Emma's Gran, Grannyofsix and RNcruiser(not sure I have this one right, R).  I was a little under the weather so I was a little drained after the great chat we had with everyone, then I had the disastrous lunch experience (which, I promise, I will share later) which was a 2 hour ordeal (it wasn't a service issue, it was a food one 🙄).

 

Later in the afternoon, while DH was having a lie-down, I was in TSL at the bar having a cocktail, catching up on my phone with messaging, emails, etc, when a passenger (who's been on since Oct 18th as well) joined me and got chatting.  There was a couple next to him and we ended up in conversation with them, too, which meant that I didn't get some much-needed downtime.

 

Well, at 6pm I was done!! Wrecked!! DH went off to the buffet and had some pizza while I got some shut-eye, with a plan to go get a burger later if I was hungry.

So ... DH returned an hour or so later and I'd slept enough to feel ready to face the world again.  I asked "Mr B" how he would feel about getting dressed up and going to the restaurant where he might have something light (having just come back from having pizza lol) as I then fancied going to the restaurant to eat.🙄   Of course, sweetheart that he is, he obliged, so we dressed smartly (though not quite our 'Elegant' level - I wasn't quite up to that lol)

The area we dined in was quiet (unlike the previous night, which is another story I hope to share at some point 😀) and we had a relaxing meal, then went for our now customary visits to the Champagne bar and Brass Anchor pub to hang out with the wonderful crew in  both venues and where we end up meeting our CC friends when they're in either venue, too. Apologies, Nikkie and Matt for not staying on.  Will catch up again!

 

I had planned to do absolutely nothing tomorrow because I seriously need to get some shut off time, but we've received 3 requests from different quarters which are impossible to turn down. 😀  I'll explain more later.

I'm aware that I still haven't yet shared how I've dealt with the storage issue ... I haven't forgotten! 😉

This cruise is going to rank up there with our very best cruises, that's for sure!!  I'm worn out from the enjoyment of it all 🤣🤣🤣

[G.M.T.]

2 hours ago, trainbuff said:

The stay in Quebec was not cut short because of whales. This is yet another lie fed to some passengers by the reception staff. Nobody could know if whales would be a problem a week before we were to leave Quebec since the whales go where they want, when they want. The real reason as explained to me in a conversation with the cruise director was they wanted to get to NY earlier due to the embarkation fiasco. We arrived back in NY before 2am.

Why are you being so agressive, literally attacking the OP, who by the way is a fountain of knowledge and a well respected Guru on this forum.

[Beamafar]

1 hour ago, G.M.T. said:

Why are you being so agressive, literally attacking the OP, who by the way is a fountain of knowledge and a well respected Guru on this forum.

Thank you for your very kind words, G!

Even if it weren't because of whales having been sighted in the area (though a local guide in one of the ports brought the subject up, saying that all shipping in the region had been impacted by it), and, instead was indeed because of the embarkation fiasco,  AFAIC, the captain was left with little choice as he had a responsibility to do his level best to get passengers off as quickly as possible on disembarkation day to ensure they could make it in time for flights, trains, transfers etc.  He was also preventing another embarkation fiasco by his actions if such was the case.

Either way, our embarkation day on the 18th went much more smoothly!  There were some issues in the port again 2 days ago when they had to slow down the disembarkation process - again, because of slow service from the baggage handlers. However, embarkation still began at around 11.30am, so the ship had zeroed out in good time.

[Beamafar]

11 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

 

 ... Just a question regarding the hot chocolate and those "fancy" coffee and chocolate drinks. Are they offering all of those in the YC lounge, or are they only offering the basics cappuccino, hot chocolate, etc? And if it's not so much; out of the regular bar menu are they offering such a good number of non alcoholic cocktails or only a few ones?...

 

Many thanks in advance!... 🙂 Have a nice day!... 🙂

Hi Nunagoras

I will try and get an answer for you over the next couple of days, including what's on offer in the Jean Philippe venue (where everything is for charge, regardless of your 'Experience' such as Yacht Club, or your drinks package.  Even Premium Plus will not cover items here).

[Beamafar]

It will be interesting to see what this leg's Voyagers Club gift will be.  I asked the CC about it a couple of days ago when I was sharing the reactions I'd heard from those who received the squeezy boat lol.  At that time even she had no idea of what it was going to be!

 

Here's an image of the North Atlantic from the YC restaurant yesterday

 

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

19 hours ago, Beamafar said:

I was right about the 2 waiters sucking up on the day before the last day of the previous leg.  They haven't been the same since, once they realised we weren't disembarking yesterday!  Coincidentally (or maybe not) they're from the same country.

 

Another possibility is that the powers that be read your response to the fawning all over and asked them to refrain? It will be interesting if others note the fawning on the last day as Mera starts her Miami runs.

 

Looks like you are having an amazing vacation. It's super fun to travel with you virtually. I've done a live report each of the last 11 sailings and it's work!  I know I speak for lots of people when I say we appreciate you reporting live. 

[Beamafar]

Thanks, BB.  I'm hardly getting anything covered and it's time-consuming for sure, typing with 2 thumbs and constantly correcting mistyped words 🙄

I got 3 hours sleep last night 😏  If this continues I'm going to have to get something to take to help me stay asleep a couple of hours longer lol.

I'm heading back to bed after breakfast to at least get my feet up with my icepacks on my ankles to help with the swelling.  Our butler and his assistant have been gems in providing lots of ice to pack them in so they'll be nice and cold for me. 🙂

 

Despite the ominous black clouds, the sun is shining directly on me in the restaurant 😁

 

 

 

[trainbuff]

My post was in no way attacking the OP. It was merely stating the real reason we left Quebec early as told to me by the cruise director.

[Host Jazzbeau]

10 hours ago, Beamafar said:

The m'D had told me that the menus are numbered 1-14.  Our sailing of 23 nights is a combination of a 10 night cruise coupled with a 13 night one.  They're both one-offs, unlike when the ship begins its regular, standard itineraries from Miami.  So I don't know that the order that we're getting the menus in will apply after this cruise.  This is the dilemma you may face, Host Jazzbeau, if you were to say in the sticky that the menus on Meraviglia will come out in this order over the course of 14 nights.  Even the m'D doesn't always know which menu numbers will be the next few days' ones from what I can glean.

 

No problem.  It would be especially good if your photos show the menu numbers [I haven't been able to spot them so far].  That would really settle the issue.  I'm familiar with the Celebrity system, where they have 14 menus but the chef is free to switch the order around on every cruise.

[Beamafar]

Gave up on the nap when I couldn't nod off and am now in Jean Philippe's with this view 

 

 

Elevenses 😁 (despite the fact that it's only 10.20am 🙄 😂)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beamafar]

13 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

No problem.  It would be especially good if your photos show the menu numbers [I haven't been able to spot them so far].  That would really settle the issue.  I'm familiar with the Celebrity system, where they have 14 menus but the chef is free to switch the order around on every cruise.

 

I had intended to do that even to make it easy for myself to keep them in order!  👍 I remember when Luis pointed the number out to me it was in tiny print.  It was on the last page as far as I can remember which wouldn't be the photographed page.  All the menus have pages in different languages on MSC.

 

Will check it out at lunchtime.  I still have to ask him for access to all the menus.

Edited October 30, 2019 by Beamafar

[Frode]

7 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

Why are you being so agressive, literally attacking the OP, who by the way is a fountain of knowledge and a well respected Guru on this forum.

Wow - my God! 😨 This is like a parody!  😂 Talk about overreacting - and not tolerating other interpretations/opinions. Is this OP (Beamafar) some kind of a Messiah....or what? 
I am sure we are many who are of the obvious opinion that "trainbuff" - and anybody else - can express themselves from their own experiences and information. Without being put in place and additionally being uncomfortably treated