Memorial Day Weekend Sailing Review

[Pebbs48]

 

While it was not perfect, we had a good time.  We arrived at the pier about 10:15 Saturday morning and were on the ship by 11:15 AM without purchasing the Express embark/disembark package.  Valet parking was $22 / night so $44 total.  Buffet opened about 11:30 AM.  Rooms were ready about 1:00 PM.

Food in the Buffet and Fins (MDR) were good.  Prime Rib and Desserts were excellent.  We did not try any of the paid venues (Frank & Lola's pizza, JWB Steakhouse).  Went to the Tales from Margaritaville show which was hokey but cute.  

 

We had a porthole cabin on deck 4.  The bed was comfortable and the sheets were clean & crisp.  The hairdryer or the outlet (220) didn't work.  The shower head was terrible and was clogged with calcium buildup.  Also couldn't get the safe to work.  Barely saw our cabin steward. 

Paid $99 for 10 drinks (x2) which included the gratuity.  Buckets of beer (5 for the price of 4) were $30 plus 18% gratuity.  Bagus, the bartender in License to Chill on the pool deck, was awesome.  He kept my beers cold from one day to the next so I didn't have to consume all five in one day and made the best mojitos & strawberry daquiris.

We did not do any excursions in Freeport.  Took a cab for $12/pp round trip to the shopping area but most stores were closed so we got some food and cheap beers at Rum Runners.  Open air market vendors were pushy as expected.

 

[Pebbs48]

[Pebbs48]

[Pebbs48]

[Pebbs48]

Sail away party.  I think everyone was on deck.  It was never this crowded the remainder of the cruise.

[Silent Penguin]

I'm glad you had a good time.  Thank you for the informative review and pictures.   Wow, that pool is tiny!  Forgive me for asking without doing the research myself, but what is the passenger capacity of the ship?    It looks like your cruising experience has been primarily with NCL.  How did the food on the buffet compare to that on the NCL ships?  Do you think you will cruise with MaS again?  Is there anything about the experience that would incline you to recommend going on a cruise with MaS to  those of us with a history with  mainstream cruiselines?   

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

On 6/2/2022 at 10:06 PM, Pebbs48 said:

 

We had a porthole cabin on deck 4.  The bed was comfortable and the sheets were clean & crisp.  The hairdryer or the outlet (220) didn't work.  The shower head was terrible and was clogged with calcium buildup.  Also couldn't get the safe to work.  Barely saw our cabin steward. 

 

Thanks for the review. Isn't there also a 110 outlet and did it work?

[rikitikitavii]

On 6/2/2022 at 10:18 PM, Pebbs48 said:

Sail away party.  I think everyone was on deck.  It was never this crowded the remainder of the cruise.

There is also a 2nd pool, adults only.  I think the capacity for double occupancy is somewhere around 1600 to 1700.

[Pebbs48]

24 minutes ago, rikitikitavii said:

There is also a 2nd pool, adults only.  I think the capacity for double occupancy is somewhere around 1600 to 1700.

Yes post #3 shows the adult only pool.

[Pebbs48]

59 minutes ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

Thanks for the review. Isn't there also a 110 outlet and did it work?

There is a 110 outlet and it worked fine.  The hair dryer supplied was 220v.  I wish I had brought my own.

[Pebbs48]

On 6/3/2022 at 11:02 AM, Silent Penguin said:

I'm glad you had a good time.  Thank you for the informative review and pictures.   Wow, that pool is tiny!  Forgive me for asking without doing the research myself, but what is the passenger capacity of the ship?    It looks like your cruising experience has been primarily with NCL.  How did the food on the buffet compare to that on the NCL ships?  Do you think you will cruise with MaS again?  Is there anything about the experience that would incline you to recommend going on a cruise with MaS to  those of us with a history with  mainstream cruiselines?   

Capacity is about 1600.  Our cruise was sold out online but I don’t think there were 1600 people on board.  More like 1000.

 

Food was on par with NCL but obviously because of the size difference not nearly the selection.  Tortilla chips on the buffet but no salsa.  Stuff like that.  But I never went hungry.  Pizza is $15 up charge in one of the specialty restaurants.

 

We went in with low expectations and were pleasantly surprised.  I would go again but it’s an 8 hour drive which is tough even for a long weekend.  They offer a sail & stay package at a couple different resorts in Freeport that I might consider.  
 

Up next Virgin Voyages!

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 6/2/2022 at 10:06 PM, Pebbs48 said:

 

While it was not perfect, we had a good time.  We arrived at the pier about 10:15 Saturday morning and were on the ship by 11:15 AM without purchasing the Express embark/disembark package.  Valet parking was $22 / night so $44 total.  Buffet opened about 11:30 AM.  Rooms were ready about 1:00 PM.

Food in the Buffet and Fins (MDR) were good.  Prime Rib and Desserts were excellent.  We did not try any of the paid venues (Frank & Lola's pizza, JWB Steakhouse).  Went to the Tales from Margaritaville show which was hokey but cute.  

 

We had a porthole cabin on deck 4.  The bed was comfortable and the sheets were clean & crisp.  The hairdryer or the outlet (220) didn't work.  The shower head was terrible and was clogged with calcium buildup.  Also couldn't get the safe to work.  Barely saw our cabin steward. 

Paid $99 for 10 drinks (x2) which included the gratuity.  Buckets of beer (5 for the price of 4) were $30 plus 18% gratuity.  Bagus, the bartender in License to Chill on the pool deck, was awesome.  He kept my beers cold from one day to the next so I didn't have to consume all five in one day and made the best mojitos & strawberry daquiris.

We did not do any excursions in Freeport.  Took a cab for $12/pp round trip to the shopping area but most stores were closed so we got some food and cheap beers at Rum Runners.  Open air market vendors were pushy as expected.

 

So you ended up paying $39.00 or $7.80 for a beer. The $99 package we had. The mixed drinks were all watered down. Lucky if you could tasted the alcohol at all.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 6/4/2022 at 8:20 PM, Pebbs48 said:

Capacity is about 1600.  Our cruise was sold out online but I don’t think there were 1600 people on board.  More like 1000.

 

Food was on par with NCL but obviously because of the size difference not nearly the selection.  Tortilla chips on the buffet but no salsa.  Stuff like that.  But I never went hungry.  Pizza is $15 up charge in one of the specialty restaurants.

 

We went in with low expectations and were pleasantly surprised.  I would go again but it’s an 8 hour drive which is tough even for a long weekend.  They offer a sail & stay package at a couple different resorts in Freeport that I might consider.  
 

Up next Virgin Voyages!

Pizza yes was $15 plus $2.70 gratuity. It was delicious but $17.70 really?

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

So you ended up paying $39.00 or $7.80 for a beer. The $99 package we had. The mixed drinks were all watered down. Lucky if you could tasted the alcohol at all.

I think the math comes out to $7.08 a beer.  Not bad for shipboard prices.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

1 minute ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I think the math comes out to $7.08 a beer.  Not bad for shipboard prices.

You are correct. but lot less on Carnival.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

2 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

You are correct. but lot less on Carnival.

FYI Carnival 16oz glass is $6.00-$6.50 a bottle of beer is usually 12oz.

[Silent Penguin]

On 6/4/2022 at 8:20 PM, Pebbs48 said:

 

 

We went in with low expectations and were pleasantly surprised. 

 

  This is exactly our reaction when we tried Carnival for the first time after cruising primarily with Disney Cruise Line.  

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

We went with high expatiations. Cruised on this ship a couple of times before the change. It was a nice ship for its age. Looked just fine. Food was only so-so drinks were strong and not expensive. Now, the food is much better and a wider variety. Ship has the Caribbean flavor which is nice. However, everything else is way over priced for our taste, especially the cruise itself. We are about to take a 4 night cruise returning on the 5th day on the Carnival Liberty out of Port Canaveral. Just a little less than the 2 night on this ship which we took about two weeks ago. $653.72 Ocean View mid ship. Cabin only $204.00 pp plus the tax. Off site parking is $9.00 a day. Plus, Guys burgers. Free pizza and soft serve 24/7. Plus $125.00 OBC. So, those that have no problem with spending, enjoy yourselves. Many like the 2 dayer because of work. We enjoy getting the best for the dollar.

[Host Jazzbeau]

It seems pretty clear that BPCL was charging too little, which is why they couldn't survive.  Those prices aren't coming back.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

It seems pretty clear that BPCL was charging too little, which is why they couldn't survive.  Those prices aren't coming back.

I do not think you are correct. Those prices were in line with other lines and it was before the pandemic. The pandemic and not being able to sail hurt everyone especially smaller cruise lines. BPCL especially. Overcharging is no way to make a profit and keep customers returning. You lose in the long run. 

[Pebbs48]

20 hours ago, Silent Penguin said:

  This is exactly our reaction when we tried Carnival for the first time after cruising primarily with Disney Cruise Line.  

You'd have to pay me to go on Carnival.  🤣

[Pebbs48]

On 6/6/2022 at 1:03 PM, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

So you ended up paying $39.00 or $7.80 for a beer. The $99 package we had. The mixed drinks were all watered down. Lucky if you could tasted the alcohol at all.

A little over $7 per with the bucket of 5.  $8.26 for a single budweiser.  A little steep but not much higher than going to a restaurant.  The bartender at License to Chill on the pool deck was amazing and made the best mojitos & daiquiris.  We were quite pleased with him.

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, Pebbs48 said:

The bartender at License to Chill on the pool deck was amazing and made the best mojitos & daiquiris.  We were quite pleased with him.

 

You have mentioned this gentlemen before.  I assume that the drinks he prepared contained sufficient alcohol?  

[lele100]

On 6/2/2022 at 10:07 PM, Pebbs48 said:

What is that ?  with the parsley and greenbeans below looks good

[Pebbs48]

On 6/29/2022 at 1:01 PM, lele100 said:

What is that ?  with the parsley and greenbeans below looks good

Braised short ribs on top of mashed potatoes.  It was very good!