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My View: From Mazda to Meraviglia

APDMOM

By APDMOM,
in MSC Cruises

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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4 hours ago, Bettyboop66 said:

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this “live from”. My DH and I will be on the Meraviglia Dec. 4 for 7 days.This is our first MSC cruise and I’ve learned some great tips from you. We status matched from Princess so we will be diamond. 

That is great!! You will probably be invited to a Diamond even too. I was diamond on my first MSC cruise but got “ demoted” because they say they had made a mistake 😁 No worries here though - I appreciated the thought. Be sure to use your 1 hour free Thermal Area pass. 

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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TIP:  Remember there is NO room service breakfast on disembarkation.  We still saw several cabins with the 'room service' card hanging outside the door - I hope they did not wait for room service as a 'wake up' call!  😮

 

image.thumb.jpeg.e8541942f69e1863d1e534f58f0116b3.jpegimage.thumb.jpeg.da6eff8f6c09d1e9511912743d9b4417.jpeg

 

 

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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Surprisingly, the Marketplace Buffet was not that busy this morning.  We found plenty of empty seating in the back around 7:10 A.M.  We found out later that many passengers opted for self-assist to leave the ship, which is probably why we had so much seating.  Something I forgot to share earlier this week - they have these delicious smoothies for breakfast right when you enter the buffet - turn right and look at the smaller counter with cereals on the right.

image.thumb.jpeg.da6c38ccd5da9401ebad0afa615b9e8e.jpeg

 

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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Disembarkation:

 

We were assigned to the champagne lounge for disembarkation, but it was packed - even had some people taking a nap on the floor.  So, we just sat around the pool in the cool Port Canaveral breeze, watching a bit of World Cup action and taking occasional walks to get steps in before the drive home.

 

Look at this line of self-assist at 8:35 AM - it snaked 3 times over about half of the Galleria.

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A few farewell messages on the dome:

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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There was a shoreside delay with the ship being cleared to disembark.  So many people assumed it is an MSC issue.  From our experience, this has nothing to do with the cruiseline, and everything to do with the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  We had these kinds of delays after holiday cruises on Carnival and Royal Caribbean also.  You just have to go with the flow and enjoy the ship... These are times I am thankful we don't have to fly to/from cruising.

 

A few more views from my walk:

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IMG_8944.thumb.JPG.4a265c604d4b9c3761d694e15272338d.JPG

 

 

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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TIP:  Walk ALL the decks on one of your first 2 days when you arrive - if you see stairs, take them up or down to find out 'what is here?"  There are so many 'secret quiet spots' that can be found this way.  You also get to see some art you would otherwise miss.

 

Deck themes:

Hagia Sophia

IMG_8986.thumb.JPG.e75d982f848a3c69a7d2c814457d968c.JPG

 

Acropolis:

IMG_8987.thumb.JPG.80dbb8cc02e7a93329804ba48f8200c8.JPG

 

Grand Canyon:

IMG_8988.thumb.JPG.ae69648a6905152482f31962f903aecf.JPG

 

IMG_8990.thumb.JPG.ae1878095ae30c8a84275304dbe19777.JPG

 

Kilimanjaro:

84602645_IMG_89912.thumb.JPG.d860bd654766a65bd6a6ec423e962a9a.JPG

 

IMG_8993.thumb.JPG.985ce8a11f6545bad39fc2b5e4116045.JPG

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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 Our number was called about 20 minutes late (about 10 AM), but we got off the ship quickly.  The trouble was in the terminal, where there was quite a bottleneck due to limited availability of customs agents.  Traffic is also not very well planned out at terminal 10.  We paid for our parking at 10:50 and got our final glimpse of Meraviglia:

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Goodbye to our home from this past week - the adjoining balconies 12344 and 12348:

image.thumb.jpeg.8ee08934146b032b955abd687654ab6a.jpeg

 

Until next time, Meraviglia!

IMG_9036.thumb.JPG.749f8d64fcf0e0365eb8c351b2681bcb.JPG

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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Well, that is about all... I know I have some pictures that are buried on the phone - If I find anything helpful, I will come post it here during the week.  If I think of additional tips, I will post those too.

 

It was such fun to have all of you follow along!  I do these mostly to help others with tips from our experience, but also for our own memories.  It is always fun to see familiar faces stop by and some new faces to travel virtually with us.  Hopefully, we will run into each other on some ship, somewhere!

 

When I get a chance, I will add some fun pictures for anyone interested in our adventures in the Mazda, as well as a few pics of trips to Namibia and South Africa. 

 

❤️APDMOM❤️

 

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GA Dave

GA Dave

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1 hour ago, APDMOM said:

Well, that is about all... I know I have some pictures that are buried on the phone - If I find anything helpful, I will come post it here during the week.  If I think of additional tips, I will post those too.

 

It was such fun to have all of you follow along!  I do these mostly to help others with tips from our experience, but also for our own memories.  It is always fun to see familiar faces stop by and some new faces to travel virtually with us.  Hopefully, we will run into each other on some ship, somewhere!

 

When I get a chance, I will add some fun pictures for anyone interested in our adventures in the Mazda, as well as a few pics of trips to Namibia and South Africa. 

 

❤️APDMOM❤️

 

Thanks so much for a wonderful review.  I have been on Mera so many times, yet you had pictures of things I have never seen before!  On my cruise in 17 days, I plan to bookmark your review and then use it to try and find all the unexpected things you posted!

Thanks again!

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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On 11/22/2022 at 2:20 PM, APDMOM said:

Casa Blanca (the first time we saw this house, it had a helicopter landing and taking off from their own personal helipad.  I will have to find a picture of it when I get home):

 

 

@mnpurpleFound it!

November 2022:

D7B4845C-5965-48BB-BD68-E204763EB99A.jpeg

 

Here is the view of Casa Blanca in July 2012, complete with helicopter taking off and landing, as well as a boat. This is edited and enhanced a bit since I did not have a GREAT camera back then.

812468403_DSC_0301copy3.thumb.jpg.40a7c0ee855c282c89f6eda17710df41.jpg

 

The original pic from my old camera:

 

541013034_DSC_0301copy.thumb.jpg.77f48717c720464207303c0c4a71dcac.jpg

 

 

 

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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35 minutes ago, bac513 said:

Do they have a live band/orchestra at the shows. Or is it recorded music?

Some of the shows were with the live band.  My two favorites had the live band for the most part (Born to Rock and Journey).  "Cool" also had the live band.  "One Day More" had pre-recorded music.  It was my least favorite show of the week.

 

I have to say the live band was excellent!  You can also tell they have fun doing their job 🙂

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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44 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

Thanks so much for a wonderful review.  I have been on Mera so many times, yet you had pictures of things I have never seen before!  On my cruise in 17 days, I plan to bookmark your review and then use it to try and find all the unexpected things you posted!

Thanks again!

Love it!  Have fun exploring!  

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mawvkysc "Live from...." Rare

mawvkysc

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Wow. I never saw the smoothies on our three day. I wish we had checked out the food offerings in the kids/family section of the buffet. We were told there were scrambled eggs on the port side of the buffet. We never saw them. In retrospect maybe the employee meant port side family section.  That area is tucked away, almost a secret! Perhaps donuts were there as well. I’ll have to cruise Mera again to find out. 😉 

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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6 hours ago, mawvkysc said:

Wow. I never saw the smoothies on our three day. I wish we had checked out the food offerings in the kids/family section of the buffet. We were told there were scrambled eggs on the port side of the buffet. We never saw them. In retrospect maybe the employee meant port side family section.  That area is tucked away, almost a secret! Perhaps donuts were there as well. I’ll have to cruise Mera again to find out. 😉 

That is always a good excuse to cruise again!  😁  I did not see donuts in the Family & Kids area either.  However, we had over 1,000 teens and kids on our sailing so it may have been a strategic decision to only serve donuts in the MDR for breakfast.  🤣

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EllieinNJ

EllieinNJ

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I so enjoyed your review and loved your pics, especially the menus.  We will be taking our first MSC cruise on the Miraviglia next October for 11 nights out of NYC.  My DH is a foodie and was worried that he would not enjoy the food but you calmed his fears.  I love the shows and was worried that they would be only for European cruisers but thanks to you I think I will enjoy them very much.

 

Your tips are great too.  Thank you.

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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As promised in my opening of "My View" before, here are our Mazda adventures from the past 3 years.  

 

My View: Road Trip out West

 

Cococino National Forest:

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That time when Google got us lost in New Mexico 🤪

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San Ysidro:

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Bluff, UT:

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Jemez Springs:

827060973_JemezSprings.thumb.JPG.ebc7bc861e6c21c7ca7c1d4133f17b66.JPG

 

Aztec Ruins:

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Forest Gump Hill:

DSCN1232.thumb.JPG.114f9f384cdb19f87b6240559449cc8f.JPG

 

Sedona, AZ
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Verde Canyon:

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Grand Canyon:

DSCN1803.thumb.JPG.7d885288e8fb3347b9a44e038e149076.JPG

 

Winslow, AZ

DSCN2282.thumb.JPG.627a5570f8f440d1c10ff6a56e25f31e.JPG

 

Cadillac Ranch:

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BIG TEXAS:
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Paris, TX:

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That place with the BIG Rubiks Cube:

image.thumb.jpeg.fc9488f781242992bf366d16fa8a6a77.jpeg

 

Gulfport:

image.thumb.jpeg.fc5c97e6baa6a7e0bac7c252c9deccb3.jpeg

 

Mobile, AL

image.thumb.jpeg.52196c254b92cf45e5b5d248de292932.jpeg

 

 

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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Namibia:

 

Swakopmund:

image.thumb.jpeg.ac26177e7e4c7fc6190e405144701669.jpeg

 

Look at this amazing playground!

IMG_4726.thumb.jpeg.d89128aeb1fc2868d944a83324879e01.jpeg

 

DSCN5126.thumb.JPG.175137908b55aec51212c8889004b74d.JPG

 

Climbing the dunes, then rolling down because it is easier:

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Windhoek:

image.thumb.jpeg.7a56b25635a3d6ef8167fc820a0fde6a.jpeg

 

My View while in COVID Quarantine at my SIL's house in Windhoek:

image.thumb.jpeg.8c831aacdf9915b70fe9ca2f25ddbe35.jpeg

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APDMOM "Live from...." Rare

APDMOM

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South Africa:

 

Riviersonderend (My sister's farm):

image.thumb.jpeg.0ce0ade842d1bbd5d372f9bcb1159862.jpeg

 

NOT a Mazda! 

IMG_2003.thumb.jpg.f8a81448bdad46dc12f0f05bb2394db1.jpg

 

IMG_4262.thumb.JPG.284b99a4c52835863443196ee3badf0c.JPG

 

Vermont, South Africa:

IMG_3102.thumb.JPG.5634590a1f681d4396e9a13044533990.JPG

 

Hermanus:

DSCN6830.thumb.JPG.4812ada0569749268ccafd2215283ff1.JPG

 

Cliff Paths, Onrus:

image.thumb.jpeg.d76c2c08c6da5f03743ef478be3fce53.jpeg

 

Driving to Gordon's Bay/Strand:

IMG_3584.thumb.JPG.3548b451e60142d7ecb32369d227ac52.JPG

 

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Drivint around Cape Point:

IMG_2691.thumb.JPG.90aa6003c6114f37a352c52448ed7b39.JPG

 

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With my Mom in the Cape - Gordon's Bay in the background:

IMG_3633.thumb.JPG.67d943b62080f6e2f0aca7ceb5b301cf.JPG

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