Kicking the tires on MSC, better than NCL in the winter out of NYC?

[mking8288]

On 9/19/2023 at 10:40 AM, EllieinNJ said:

Weird to find an MSC review in an NCL forum.  We, too usually cruise NCL but  ... and hope that the 2025 prices of the Prima and/or Viva come down.

How are you ... what's going to be more "weird" is that we are likely going to be seeing more of us (NCL addicts, not cheerleaders) hanging out at the other lines, MSC and Princess come to mind, as Susan and I have been discussing & debating, especially seeing what NCL has on their calendars for NY/NJ folks ahead in 2024-2025.  Literally not "them" sounding the general alarm for us to abandon their ships but rather, we are going to jump & leap across the river to other ships ... and, we hate the ultra-mega RCL monster ships at Cape Liberty.  Manhattan's congestion pricing ahead next Spring isn't going to help with our ground transport cost either.  Twice cancelled the Prima ... but, found a deal and we are well past the point of "no return" paid & ready to go soon.  

 

On 9/19/2023 at 11:16 AM, Red-Sol said:

Will find your experience very interesting here Jim. Will hit Sapphire after my November Getaway cruise and may see what type of status match I could get on MSC?

One more cruise for us and we'll be Diamond with the home away from home cruiseline and since one of our nieces promised to "sneak" us onboard, pretty certain she/they are going in 2024 - will do the match - supposingly, will be just "Gold" - upgrade to YC (Inside, at least ??)  and see what the fuzz is all about.  Kick the cans ourselves, going to be an interesting semi-live for sure.

 

55 minutes ago, JIMESOPUS said:

... one thing in common, internet signal keeps dropping out, completely gone for ... Uploading pictures is impossible ... internet manager desk ... the longest line. 

Venturing outside ... ship alive and packed.  Aft elevators ... packed like sardines. 

Don't you feel "at home" a bit, just kidding but what is different about it ??  Last week, we're prepared for the worst but it wasn't all that bad - aside from 2 cancelled ports and missed our Bar Harbor lobster rolls.  EMC's satellite WiFi while connected was awfully slow at times but I managed to squeeze every last breath out of her, not easy and had to turn off Google One's VPN plus it turned out it was Amazon's VPN that has been the evil root cause.  Final evening before disembarkation, the line at iCafe manager's desk was gone, just about everybody were on their own cellular data while docked off the VZ Bridge, either facing Staten Island or Brooklyn.  Because of the lack of major production show - nothing against the Choir of Man, just not our cup of tea - avoided the possible elevator crush - used the stairs more often than not, being on steerage Deck 5 and only scouted the buffet upstairs 4 or 5 times, including refilling the water bottles.  Didn't want to repeat our "exposure" like last May's Joy encounter again as we haven't gotten the newest booster, just approved.  

 

BIL/SIL that sailed together last week did feel the friendliness and helpfulness of the crew, especially during embark/disembarkation using WC assistance.  They sailed MSC once before C19 when the ship was calling NE-Canada in the Fall then, with a mixed experience and like the shows ... maybe, time to do a "conference call" with the rest of my gang to go as a group, ship will be the destination as the itinerary is so familiar and boring, the same old ports again.  

 

NCL is dropping the balls themselves with their executive decisions "against" NY/NJ and folks in the Northeast, including neighbors north of the border & within a day's worth of driving distance - with their ship deployment schedule.  Not happy with seeing the Getaway again and the one & only, last night - joking about the Joy instead next year on a last minute deal to Bermuda, Balcony sailaway rates is fine for Susan & me, but if the price is right - take the Inside GTY.  Oh darn, those prices now are just crazy, crazy & unbelievable.  And, if we don't find something to our liking at all, imagine us sailing Carnival's ship from NY ... and file a semi-live report (maybe submit that CC review with a different "identity"  

 

NHC's latest update on that tropical disturbance down in the Florida peninsula possibly create rough sea state conditions & wind, etc. by the weekend but you should be in-bound by then, nothing serious unlike last week to worry about.  Cheers.  Have a great day & week ahead, all ... /mking8288 - Henry

[bluesea777]

2 hours ago, JIMESOPUS said:

 

@bluesea777 Thank you for the wonderful weather

YES! Weather’s been good for the last few days. Trust you enjoyed your time off ship in Bermuda. 
 

See/meet ya in 8 weeks!

 

 

[Red-Sol]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

One more cruise for us and we'll be Diamond with the home away from home cruiseline and since one of our nieces promised to "sneak" us onboard, pretty certain she/they are going in 2024 - will do the match - supposingly, will be just "Gold" - upgrade to YC (Inside, at least ??)  and see what the fuzz is all about.  Kick the cans ourselves, going to be an interesting semi-live for sure.

 

Yikes! This now means the possibility of someday meeting up with you Henry...On at least 2 (two) Dos cruiselines...Decisions Decisions! While looking at the itineraries currently out of Brooklyn are not super attractive I think I can be swayed if folks are finding a good experience on the ship itself. (possibly saving a few bucks might not hurt either! 🤣 )

[MsTabbyKats]

@mking8288As an official YC cheerleader, the cost of an interior YC is about equal to a sailaway balcony on NCL.  And you really don't need a balcony....a dedicated YC elevator is about 30 seconds away....to the 30 second ride to the YC pool deck.

 

There is no comparison between the experiences.

 

We did an inside guarantee on NCL a few years ago (5?)....and after that disaster of a cabin, never again (the tiniest cabin ever with no storage space).  Just wasn't worth it to save $$$.

 

We have a CCL to the Bahamas booked for Jan....after that it' "YC Forever"!

 

DH is using a cane now...and I have to compliment NCL employees coming to his assistance just about everywhere.  Also...fellow passengers were always offering him their seats (lol....obviously not locals).  He used the WC embarkationj, but it was a long wait.  For disembarkation, we saw the line waiting the wheelchairs...so he walked off (slowly).  But the bottom line is, YC was just oh so much better.

 

To note...I had looked into the Haven for the Escape sailing but you don't get nearly as much as what the YC offers....and for the cost, no thank you!

[MsTabbyKats]

3 hours ago, JIMESOPUS said:

At least there is one thing in common, internet signal keeps dropping out, completely gone for several seconds then it returns. Uploading pictures is impossible. Finally found the internet manager desk and of course it had the longest line. 

Venturing outside this sleepy enclave the ship alive and packed. Aft elevators are a joke, slow and packed like sardines. 

@bluesea777 Thank you for the wonderful weather

I had some internet issues and the YC concierge desk was able to help.

 

Glad you're enjoying the cruise.

[EllieinNJ]

mking8288

 

Hi Henry.  I still read and enjoy all your trip reports except you lose me sometimes with your technical internet descriptions.   I see you are going on the Prima in December and would have loved to go on that cruise, especially since the price came down to reasonable but we are sailing the MSC Miraviglia in October and the Carnival Venezia in February and cannot take that much time off from work.

 

I really enjoy sailing out of the NY/NJ area without flying.  I got really tired of the away class of ships and I don't see any more jewel class coming to the area. 

 

If you look at the MSC forum you can see so many converts from NCL.

 

[JIMESOPUS]

Forced the VPN off, attempting to upload the Bermuda Welcome committee as a test 

[JIMESOPUS]

@mking8288Thanks for the VPN suggestion, upload under 45 seconds

[JIMESOPUS]

@MsTabbyKatsHave to admit using the YC privilege for the forward elevators is a blast, having the wristband nobody see me swiping the reader. The interior elevator for the YC is a nice touch, similar to the Prima class ships.

[mking8288]

@JIMESOPUS Jim - good to hear that VPN tweak works out on the upload, I was frustrated in January on the GA with u/l as well as d/l speed and cycle thru all the options ... as the server/hardware & inTRAnet speed was good & fine - then, in a nutshell, problem solved.  Epic, get thru ... last week, watching the limited 300 minutes being metered, sneak chunks of data traffic thru.  

 

If by chance you are also using cellular and it's sluggish, and you are on a higher deck - go to the lower public decks - #5, 6 or 7 might get your stronger & more consistent signals ... Dockyard's towers are beaming their 4G LTE closer to ground & not aiming them 10 to 15 stories tall, not with all the low-rise homes & buildings in the "parishes" there - although, water reflected signals will reach up high across the Bay - at least, my "theory"  

 

BTW, in case you haven't check the local BDA marine forecast, NHC updated forecast for TD #16 isn'tl looking pretty up the mid Atlantic coast this weekend, likely to slide up further to the DE/NJ shorelines - expect wind, waves & swell on the probably ship route on the return to NY, worsening into Saturday.  Have a look at Windy App ... past the words to friends onboard, best to be prepared for a bumpy ride.  Leaving earlier than scheduled to rush back doesn't look like will make a difference - ship will have to find a weaker hole to punch thru as by mid/late day - the front isn't going anywhere away.  

 

Have a safe ride back to NY and best regards.  

[JIMESOPUS]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

@JIMESOPUS Jim - good to hear that VPN tweak works out on the upload, I was frustrated in January on the GA with u/l as well as d/l speed and cycle thru all the options ... as the server/hardware & inTRAnet speed was good & fine - then, in a nutshell, problem solved.  Epic, get thru ... last week, watching the limited 300 minutes being metered, sneak chunks of data traffic thru.  

 

If by chance you are also using cellular and it's sluggish, and you are on a higher deck - go to the lower public decks - #5, 6 or 7 might get your stronger & more consistent signals ... Dockyard's towers are beaming their 4G LTE closer to ground & not aiming them 10 to 15 stories tall, not with all the low-rise homes & buildings in the "parishes" there - although, water reflected signals will reach up high across the Bay - at least, my "theory"  

 

BTW, in case you haven't check the local BDA marine forecast, NHC updated forecast for TD #16 isn'tl looking pretty up the mid Atlantic coast this weekend, likely to slide up further to the DE/NJ shorelines - expect wind, waves & swell on the probably ship route on the return to NY, worsening into Saturday.  Have a look at Windy App ... past the words to friends onboard, best to be prepared for a bumpy ride.  Leaving earlier than scheduled to rush back doesn't look like will make a difference - ship will have to find a weaker hole to punch thru as by mid/late day - the front isn't going anywhere away.  

 

Have a safe ride back to NY and best regards.  

@mking8288 Thanks again for the assistance, have been keeping waze and Windy at hand, actually looking further east and checking Ireland extended forecast.

Should be interesting going back since some complained sailing over was rocky, hoping for early walk off on Sunday but until then enjoying this experience. We bought the car. 

 

Jim

[JIMESOPUS]

Last day in Bermuda, this will give us a chance once more to explore this ship. Last night we stop by the casino, interesting mix of machines and new titles, smell of smoke lingered around but didn't see anyone smoking. In fact we have encountered some strange smells, they may have burn't something at the chocolate store which took several days to disperse.

For those who had to navigate thru the Atrium on the Away ships you haven't seen nothing. Every night they have a light show along with a show presented by CD crew on deck 6, the place is alive with sound and lights but passage thru is nearly impossible, deck 7 is somewhat open but that fills up fast.

[luckyinpa]

On 9/19/2023 at 12:59 PM, JIMESOPUS said:

So today I ran into the door police, some lady from Germany has decided to monitor the door on deck #15. I gather that I should wait until the door closes before moving on. At first I thought this was one and done but several hours later she was still there monitoring the door.

One of the Achilles heel of the Prima and Getaway was the outdoor courtyard and pool area in the Haven well it's here too. Someone mentioned about a solarium for YC on deck #19, will have to get back there.

@Red-Sol We did the match, Sapphire = Gold

 

do you mean an employee will scold you if you dont stand there and wait for the door to latch closed? is this common among YC experiences?

[mking8288]

@JIMESOPUS  Nice & sunny, beautiful day in Bermuda.  It looks like the Joy is staying put as scheduled and MSC sailing later today as scheduled.  Meanwhile in other news, NCL Escape had cancelled Halifax's scheduled port of call today, apparently left Saint John yesterday & changed course, returning early to NY again ... reaching the Newport/RI & passed Cape Cod/Nantuket Island - Martha's Vineyard area already at 21.2 knots.  Montauk, NY is perhaps 75 nm ahead - yet to reach any CC posting onboard the Escape ... just calculating the #'s - expecting her to reach NY later this evening or tonight, drop anchor or dock early at MCT-Pier 88.  

 

Looks like another weekend of disruptions to air travel along the East Coast corridor.  Flightaware and the other app that's loaded on our Pixel, Galaxy and iPhone - like the Windy App is my "go to".  Safe maritime travel for everyone on the return to NY this weekend.  

 

Misery map on FA - https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today

 

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, luckyinpa said:

 

do you mean an employee will scold you if you dont stand there and wait for the door to latch closed? is this common among YC experiences?

Haha, perhaps this is how MSC is keeping the "interlopers" from accessing Yacht Club. Lots of stories, especially from a morpheus poster about this. It seems to really rattler Yacht Clubbers when those that don't belong enter...I know, I know....plenty of Haven folks get rattled too. 

[JIMESOPUS]

3 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

 

do you mean an employee will scold you if you dont stand there and wait for the door to latch closed? is this common among YC experiences?

No it was a passenger, seems to her thing. She also monitors the theater and chases the intruders away. The mix appears to be 60 % American / 40% International, you can pick them out at dinner. 

[JIMESOPUS]

@mking8288 Looks like no runners today, waiting for a tug, ropes have been dropped. Observed the Insignia sailing thru the Great Sound today, appeared that it was tethered to a tug.

 

[JIMESOPUS]

Sitting here today, trying to jot down some pros and cons of this MSC  experience. So with a LIT in hand and macaroons on the plate next to me here I go.

 

Booking - still think NCL is easier but tonight we sat down with a future cruise consultant. She explained all the experiences and different levels of the cruise experience. What I didn’t know is that if a booking is canceled by you the deposit can be applied to a different cruise within 1 year, so in fact you don’t lose that money.

 

Safety Drill - Still believe NCL has a better system but as it was posted there are workarounds.

 

Originally this cruise was supposed to be about steerage in MSC to NCL, apples to apples but a curveball that was thrown by MSC opened our eyes to the Yacht Club. Our experience in the Haven was a nightmare, partially the weather was to blame, second that the cruise was overbooked ( first full one after Covid ) and they may have been overwhelmed. Never again would we spend that amount of money on a single cruise. 

But now with the level of service that we have encountered / experienced these past 5 days, Yacht Club is the only way to cruise.

Our butler has gone out of her way every day to find us and make sure everything is OK. But it's just not her, everyone stops and asks if we need / want anything. We got one of the nicest compliments the other day, they really enjoy American cruisers.

There isn’t a need to eat at a specialty restaurant, the food available at the YC will is simply remarkable.

 

Cruising Dollars for us have become more valuable, gone are the days of working some extra OT to cover the additional cost.

 

More comments and of course pictures but my plate is empty

[Laszlo]

5 minutes ago, JIMESOPUS said:

@mking8288 Looks like no runners today, waiting for a tug, ropes have been dropped. Observed the Insignia sailing thru the Great Sound today, appeared that it was tethered to a tug.

 

Safe travels back....  

 

 

[mking8288]

Jim and all ... had you refilled your plate, should have cellular signal off & on heading toward St. George before making that wide turn to leave the coral reef zone.  

 

RCL has cancelled their entire 5 days cruise *Vision of the Seas) out of Baltimore to Bermuda scheduled tomorrow with the developing tropical storm system & forecasted poor regional weather.  Significant compensation being offered, guests were notified late yesterday, as no other (alternate) port of call(s) available to change to, per cruisehive. 

[JIMESOPUS]

About 15 minutes ago the captain made an announcement about the future weather conditions and what to expect. Still planning on Brooklyn Sunday morning, safety of the passengers and ship primary concern. 

" damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead ", Rear Admiral Farragut 

[rxlowry]

Very nice report!  And I understand the wanting to test out other lines.  I thought Celebrity Summit out of NJ this summer was great!  Lots reminded me of NCL ten years plus ago.  MSC is really gunning for the North American market.  We had a great time in YC in Europe last year and excited to try an inside YC next year!  Earlier this month tried Oceania out of NYC which while food was great, service and entertainment not so much. 

[MsTabbyKats]

@JIMESOPUSGlad I can say "I told you so" about YC.

 

Question:  Guest services said you can apply the deposit from a canceled to to another one.  Was that person talking about YC?  If true, good to know....

[JIMESOPUS]

13 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

@JIMESOPUSGlad I can say "I told you so" about YC.

 

Question:  Guest services said you can apply the deposit from a canceled to to another one.  Was that person talking about YC?  If true, good to know....

I'll try to take a picture and post it.

[JIMESOPUS]

Weather closing in, full speed ahead.