JamieLogical's Live from the MSC Meraviglia 9/24

[JamieLogical]

 

I know it's a little early for me to be starting this thread, but I am just so excited to be cruising again soon that I couldn't help but post. I can't wait to be back on the Meraviglia in 13 days. Depending on how Hurricane Lee goes, my husband and I are supposed to be doing a 10-day sailing out of Brooklyn to Canada & New England. This will be my third CA & NE cruise and my husband's second. Newport, Sydney, and Charlottetown will all be new port stops for us.

 

Initially, we had booked a flight to fly in the day of the cruise. Not something we usually risk and it turned out that I still wasn't willing to risk it. I decided to go ahead and change our flight to the night before. We are now scheduled to arrive at JFK around 9:00pm on the 23rd. The change in flight meant booking a hotel and for reasons I don't understand, hotels in NYC for that specific night are insanely expensive. We had a whole saga of booking a Fairfield Inn near JFK for over $400 for the night! Then we wanted to find something better or cheaper or both. So we tried to book the Even Hotel in Brooklyn for a deal that looked too good to be true. Turns out it was. I booked it through some online booking site I had never even heard of. Called the hotel directly the next day to confirm that I actually had a reservation. I did not. So I am not sure if that was a scam or a glitch or what. I canceled through the booking site and I do see the credit back to my credit card "pending" on my account, so hopefully that will actually go through and I won't have to dispute the charge. Finally, I booked the Baltic Hotel directly through their own website yesterday for a somewhat reasonable rate. I am already booked in the Baltic Hotel for the night before my solo cruise in October, so I had already done some research on it. That seemed to go fine, but this morning, I realized there is no actual charge on my credit card for it, so I have an email in to them to confirm that reservation. I will try to call them later today if I haven't heard back.

 

Cruise prep is underway, but I still feel like it has snuck up on me. I *think* I have all of my pre-cruise shopping done. I still need to take an inventory of a few supplies to make sure I have enough to last through the cruise (vitamins, Liquid IV, cash...), but I should have time to buy any last-minute items. I still have to do all of my laundry of my cruise clothes. I have an appointment on the 21st to get my hair done. I will post pictures of whatever crazy color I end up with this time. I am leaning towards a peach/coral? I ordered new nail polish to paint my toenails. I never paint my toenails except when I am about to go on a cruise, because that's the only time I ever wear sandals. Hopefully my fellow passengers appreciate my attempts to not have them vomit at the sight of my feet.

 

We are booked in a Fantastica Balcony on the bump-out on Deck 8. It's directly opposit the one I was in on my solo sailing on 4/22. We have bids in for an upgrade to a YC Interior (still not convinced that's an actual upgrade) and a Whirlpool Balcony Suite like we had on our 4/8 sailing. I will keep you posted on whether either offer is accepted.

 

I will post here with more thoughts and progress as the cruise approaches. Feel free to post any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

[Mark_T]

Nothing like being well prepared 🙂

 

Will be interested to see how your upgrade bids turn out...

 

Hotel prices seem to have gone up a lot over the last few months, but trying to book a Saturday night on its own has always been tricky as it means they lose the chance to sell that room for the whole weekend which is their preference.

Edited September 11, 2023 by Mark_T

[Tierun]

Crazy that a flight and hotel is probably still cheaper than parking at the terminal. 

[Mark_T]

Also the variability in both means you need to keep rechecking the pricing.

 

We've cancelled and rebooked our Miami hotel for next Feb three times now.

 

It is on a reservation with free cancellation up to 2 days before arrival. Got the price down from crazy to merely expensive, I don't think that 'cheap' is likely any time soon 🙂

[JamieLogical]

8 minutes ago, Tierun said:

Crazy that a flight and hotel is probably still cheaper than parking at the terminal. 

 

We did initially calculate the difference between flying in the day of and paying for ground transportation vs. driving and parking. With gas, tolls, and parking, the flight was cheaper. Now that we have changed it to the day before and had to pay for the hotel, that is coming out more expensive. Also, we upgraded to first class on the flight. We never fly regular economy, because my husband is tall. So, we usually fly comfort plus/economy plus. For these flights, Compfort Plus and one checked bag each came out to the exact same price as First Class, which includes two checked bags each.

[Laurab23]

Looking forward to your review.

 

Laura

[JamieLogical]

Good news! I called the Baltic Hotel and they confirmed my reservation for the 23rd as well as the one on October 24 for my solo cruise. That's a relief!

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by JamieLogical

[Captain-John]

 

2 hours ago, Mark_T said:

Also the variability in both means you need to keep rechecking the pricing.

 

We've cancelled and rebooked our Miami hotel for next Feb three times now.

 

It is on a reservation with free cancellation up to 2 days before arrival. Got the price down from crazy to merely expensive, I don't think that 'cheap' is likely any time soon 🙂

 

Agree, we were in Miami in April this year and the prices are unlike anything I have ever seen (well in excess of 'inflation'). I can only speculate that people are still living off their Covid savings and may have a 'live for the moment' attitude given the restrictions we had to endure all those years ago. Miami is also very 'trendy', half of Wall Street have relocated there I think.

 

Best rate I could find was directly with the hotel during a sale last Autumn, it only went up and up after that.

 

With rising interest rates and housing/food/energy costs, I don't think these rates are sustainable and hotels, airlines, cruiselines are 'making hay while the sun shines' ahead of a downturn. Well at least I hope so as the price vs. value proposition is way out of skew.

 

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I know it's a little early for me to be starting this thread, but I am just so excited to be cruising again soon that I couldn't help but post. I can't wait to be back on the Meraviglia in 13 days. Depending on how Hurricane Lee goes, my husband and I are supposed to be doing a 10-day sailing out of Brooklyn to Canada & New England. This will be my third CA & NE cruise and my husband's second. Newport, Sydney, and Charlottetown will all be new port stops for us.

 

A Canada/New England cruise is fairly high up my list for booking in future, and I'm pleased you have been twice already and have found it interesting enough to go back again. For some reason, I had put in the 'one and done' category, unfairly it seems!

 

I'm at risk of contradicting myself here, but with a relatively short season and what I would imagine to be high demand originating out of NYC, I find the pricing to be suspiciously good value for these types of sailings - across all lines. I had been eyeing up NCL Joy (terminates in Quebec) as well as MSC as I want to do a longer cruise than just 7 days here and your 10 night sounds ideal so really keen to follow as you go.

 

[JamieLogical]

42 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

A Canada/New England cruise is fairly high up my list for booking in future, and I'm pleased you have been twice already and have found it interesting enough to go back again. For some reason, I had put in the 'one and done' category, unfairly it seems!

 

I'm at risk of contradicting myself here, but with a relatively short season and what I would imagine to be high demand originating out of NYC, I find the pricing to be suspiciously good value for these types of sailings - across all lines. I had been eyeing up NCL Joy (terminates in Quebec) as well as MSC as I want to do a longer cruise than just 7 days here and your 10 night sounds ideal so really keen to follow as you go.

 

 

The price for this sailing was really good. It may be a bit cool by late September, but I am hoping we will still get to see a lot of beautiful fall foliage. My last CA & NE cruise was last fall and it was over Halloween, so much later in the season and we still enjoyed nice weather in ports, though not many leaves left on the trees by then. It's definitely a different experience from a Caribbean cruise. I am not a pool deck sort of person, so it doesn't bother me if it's too cold to lay out by the pool. I will say my first CA & NE cruise was the first week of June back in 2018 and it actually snowed on deck. That one was so cold that it really did force everyone indoors and made the ship feel much more crowded than it otherwise would have.

[karmamule]

Our friends are on the next CA/NE cruise immediately after yours, and we'll be on the Celebrity Summit for our 11 day CA/NE cruise at the same time as them. It turns out the Meraviglia and Summit will both be in Charlottetown the same day so we actually get to meet up. The first CA/NE cruise for all of us so we're very excited. We live in the Boston area and are VERY VERY excited to have our cruise ship be a mere 30 minute drive away from home. 

 

Good call to go ahead and fly in the day before even if it is a few $ more. IMO it's just not worth the anxiety, risk, and rushing around when flying in the same day. We'll be interested in seeing how our Aqua Sky Suite on the Summit compares to a YC cruise (which we've done 3 of before and have another 14 day on the Seascape early next year).

 

This Summit cruise was crazy expensive (even for an 11-day) and the only reason we're in a retreat-class cabin is winning an upgrade bid. Our 14 day YC cruise on the Seascape next year was half the price(!!!) of what we would have paid for this 11 day if we'd paid "list price".

Edited September 11, 2023 by karmamule

[Slyfox16]

Looking forward to hearing about your upgrade bid. We are on the 10/25 sailing of the Meraviglia and the upgrade for the whirlpool balcony suite is almost 1/2 of what our BL3 balcony is, including the drink package.

[JamieLogical]

18 minutes ago, Slyfox16 said:

Looking forward to hearing about your upgrade bid. We are on the 10/25 sailing of the Meraviglia and the upgrade for the whirlpool balcony suite is almost 1/2 of what our BL3 balcony is, including the drink package.

 

I am also on the 10/25 sailing! Going solo on that one and meeting up with some of my solo friends. Make sure you join the roll call if you haven't already.

 

We bid a *ridiculous* amount for the whirlpool balcony upgrade on the 9/24 sailing only because we loved it so much when we were on the Meraviglia in April. I don't have high hopes, since the category is sold out. All we can hope is that someone cancels or gets upgraded to the YC and creates a vacancy.

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, karmamule said:

Our friends are on the next CA/NE cruise immediately after yours, and we'll be on the Celebrity Summit for our 11 day CA/NE cruise at the same time as them. It turns out the Meraviglia and Summit will both be in Charlottetown the same day so we actually get to meet up. The first CA/NE cruise for all of us so we're very excited. We live in the Boston area and are VERY VERY excited to have our cruise ship be a mere 30 minute drive away from home. 

 

Good call to go ahead and fly in the day before even if it is a few $ more. IMO it's just not worth the anxiety, risk, and rushing around when flying in the same day. We'll be interested in seeing how our Aqua Sky Suite on the Summit compares to a YC cruise (which we've done 3 of before and have another 14 day on the Seascape early next year).

 

This Summit cruise was crazy expensive (even for an 11-day) and the only reason we're in a retreat-class cabin is winning an upgrade bid. Our 14 day YC cruise on the Seascape next year was half the price(!!!) of what we would have paid for this 11 day if we'd paid "list price".

 

I love the Summit, but Celebrity pricing has gotten to a point that it is just impossible for us to justify. We were actually booked on  Celebrity Summit sailing for May 2023 when we decided to change gears and do our first MSC cruise in April instead, so canceled the Summit, lost our deposit, and still saved money. Happy we did, because that was our first MSC cruise and now we know that we are happy with the product for the price.

[ajoneen]

your previous review also mentioned Liquid IV - so I picked some up for my trip this weekend.  Want to check it out before my 11/5 cruise. 

[JamieLogical]

42 minutes ago, ajoneen said:

your previous review also mentioned Liquid IV - so I picked some up for my trip this weekend.  Want to check it out before my 11/5 cruise. 

 

My advice is to try to drink a bottle of water with Liquid IV before you go to bed after a day/night of drinking or at least keep it by your bed to drink through the night. Finish it first thing in the morning if you haven't already.

[Sakura Tomoe]

I'll be interested to see what you think of the Meraviglia.  I'm doing my first MSC cruise on her in February.  I have a YC Inside room, and I couldn't believe how inexpensive it was, especially since I'll be cruising solo.  NCL is my usual cruiseline of choice, but I could never sail in the Haven since it's prohibitively expensive for a solo cruiser.  I've done a CA/NE cruise on the NCL Joy last September around this time and I think it was actually a bit early since the leaves hadn't really started changing yet.  Hopefully you have better luck!

[JamieLogical]

2 minutes ago, Sakura Tomoe said:

I'll be interested to see what you think of the Meraviglia.  I'm doing my first MSC cruise on her in February.  I have a YC Inside room, and I couldn't believe how inexpensive it was, especially since I'll be cruising solo.  NCL is my usual cruiseline of choice, but I could never sail in the Haven since it's prohibitively expensive for a solo cruiser.  I've done a CA/NE cruise on the NCL Joy last September around this time and I think it was actually a bit early since the leaves hadn't really started changing yet.  Hopefully you have better luck!

 

I sailed on the Meraviglia twice in April on a semi-B2B. I did a full live blog back then and will link it below. What I am most interested in is consistency. I felt like the service was great in April and I am curious to see if the same level of service continued once they were more established in the NYC market.

 

 

[JIMESOPUS]

Will be on the Mervaviglia cruise before yours. If any strange pops up I'll let you know. First time on MSC, was able to upgrade to the YC. The bid was for the interior but got a YC1 cabin. 

[3some]

I really enjoyed your semi b2b reviews. I'll be on the Oct 25 itinerary with you and the 'crew'. Thanks for doing the live reviews. They are extremely helpful.

[BoundForSea]

Hey! Happy to see you’re back on Mera again! Question for ya, Ive booked her for myself and a surprise week for my mother as a Christmas Gift. Two rooms. Both Fantastica. Suggestions for dining together and any other hacks?  I’ve only done MSC in YC many times with the DW so this will be my first semi-solo kind of deal. 
 

Did you guys eat in Butcher or the Seafood restaurant and if so what were your thoughts on them? I’m almost thinking of booking the 5ni Specialty Dining package for her and I. We both really enjoy good Mexican, Sushi, Hibachi, and ofc seafood and steak cuisines to make it worth it. I get a free night of Butchers and one other with my Diamond so that would help in that I’d only need the 3ni. 
 

Looking forward to your next go at it!

[JamieLogical]

6 hours ago, BoundForSea said:

Hey! Happy to see you’re back on Mera again! Question for ya, Ive booked her for myself and a surprise week for my mother as a Christmas Gift. Two rooms. Both Fantastica. Suggestions for dining together and any other hacks?  I’ve only done MSC in YC many times with the DW so this will be my first semi-solo kind of deal. 
 

Did you guys eat in Butcher or the Seafood restaurant and if so what were your thoughts on them? I’m almost thinking of booking the 5ni Specialty Dining package for her and I. We both really enjoy good Mexican, Sushi, Hibachi, and ofc seafood and steak cuisines to make it worth it. I get a free night of Butchers and one other with my Diamond so that would help in that I’d only need the 3ni. 
 

Looking forward to your next go at it!

 

You can link your reservations when you do your online check-in (you will need her booking number and cabin number), which should get you assigned to the same dining time/table.

 

I liked both Butcher's Cut and Ocean Cay and found their tastings menus to be more than adequate for me. I know a lot of people complain that the dining package only covers the tastings menus. From what I understand, you do have the option to "trade" a tastings menu item for something off the a la carte menu for 50% off.

 

I was less impressed by the Teppanyaki. The menu choices were limited. It was a $10 upcharge for most of the menus and I think a $30 upcharge for the surf-and-turf menu. I will say, you get a TON of food, so if you can really pack it away, you might get your money's worth.

 

I would never waste a specialty dining credit on Hola! Their a la carte prices are so cheap, I can eat there for under $7. Even if you want to gorge yourself, they have an all-you-can-eat option for $18.

 

Not sure of the length of your cruise, but if you already get a free specialty from being Diamond, I would definitely only get the 3-night dining package. As it is, I won't be Diamond until my next cruise in October, but my husband and I have decided not to do a dining package this time. We will be content to spend our OBC at Hola! and Kaito, if we want to do specialty dining, but will likely do most of our dinners in the MDR, as we also found the MDR food to be good.

[JamieLogical]

For my cruise prep, I am reviewing my packing list, which inspired me to share some of the items I bring along on cruises. I have really honed in on the useful things to bring over the last 20 cruises.

 

Luggage Tag Holders:

On my very first cruise, I just got luggage tags from the porter at the pier, but since then I have invested in these plastic luggage tag holders in two different sizes (different lines use different-sized luggage tags). The zip lock top keeps the tags securely in the holders and the screw-on steel cables keep them securely on my luggage.
Wide: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017BVFA00/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Narrow: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071J4VQNV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Passport Holder:

With the need to carry my CDC card on many cruises since the restart, I got this handy passport cover that has a pocket in it that is the perfect size for my CDC cards (I have multiple now with all my boosters). Not sure I will ever NEED to bring CDC cards on future cruises, but the pocket could be useful for other items as well.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VF53P8C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Dramamine:

I have always gotten motion sick on car rides, flights, etc. my entire life, so I was apprehensive about going on my very first cruise. I was really worried about getting seasick. Someone gave me the suggestion of taking non-drowsy Dramamine (meclizine/Bonine) every morning to avoid getting sick. I can happily say that in 20 cruises, I have never gotten seasick! I don't know whether or not I would actually need the Dramamine most of the time, since the ship's movement is so subtle when not in rough seas, but at this point, I don't want to risk NOT taking it.

 

Rebound Patches:
Unfortunately, this company recently changed their product, making the batches bulkier and MUCH more noticeable. I have ordered the new version for this cruise, but I also bought some backups of a competing brand just in case. Reviews of the new version are that they still work well, but they don't stick as well and are much less discreet. Fortunately, all of the complaints about the new version have prompted the company to begin selling the "classic" version again in the next few months. So hopefully, I will have the old version available again for my October cruise. Anyway, these little patches work miracles at preventing hangovers. I swore by the old version at least. If you followed any of my past live blogs, you know that I always try to get my money's worth out of my drink package!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H3GC9B8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Liquid IV:

This is a newer addition to my hangover prevention routine. While the rebound patches are good for vitamin B, they do nothing for your hydration, which can still be a source of headaches and other discomfort, so I started bringing along these packets with me as well. They basically turn your water into Gatorade, adding electrolytes and helping to rehydrate you after a long day of drinking. They come in a bunch of flavors. I will warn that some complain of them making water a bit too sweet so you may only want to mix half a packet into a standard bottle, instead of the whole thing.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VCS1YM1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

White Noise Machine:

This is the latest addition to my collection. This will be my first cruise using it. At home, we sleep with multiple fans running in our bedroom. When traveling, we had been using white noises apps on our phones. I decided to buy this absolutely TINY white noise machine and test it out. I haven't tried sleeping with it at home, but I have played around with it a little. It is shockingly loud if you want it to be. It's USB rechargeable, so I think that will be quite handy. And, it takes up almost no space, being so tiny.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B7S213SX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Final Straw:

I don't use this as much as I once did, but I do still usually bring it along. There was a stretch of time pre-COVID when the cruise lines were doing away with plastic straws and either provided no straws or paper straws. Now, most lines use biodegradable, celluloid straws that hold up better and don't get soggy like the paper ones did.
https://finalstraw.com/

 

Lanyards:
Ever since I switched to wearing my cruise uniform (will talk about this more below) with pocketless pants, I have started wearing lanyards to carry my keycard. The two I have look like necklaces, so they are a nice accessory to my cruise uniform.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HNY1RL3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7XIB7B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Travel Jewelry Box:
This is another brand new addition to my collection. I am not sure how it will actually work out, but it has to work out better than the tiny velvet bag that I had previously been cramming my jewelry into for cruises. I just had to pay $75 to get an earring repaired (the earrings only cost $75 when I bought them!) because the post broke off. I suspect the reason the post broke off was because I had been cramming these earrings into that tiny bag with a bunch of other jewelry and they were getting crushed. I like that this jewelry box zips closed, so I don't have to worry about it coming open in my luggage.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BBVQQ2D7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Dork Hat:

I bought this hat for $6 at Ollie's. It has been on a lot of cruises with me at this point. I call it my "dork hat" for obvious reasons. But the thing that is awesome about it is how collapsible it is. I can practically roll it into a ball and shove it into my bag. Plus it has a VERY stylish adjustable chin strap to keep it from blowing away, which has come in handy on multiple occasions.

 

Power Adapters:

I now have two different versions of these. I cannot recommend them enough. Other than the Emerald Princess, every single cruise cabin I have ever been in has had 220 outlets just going to waste, so I bought the first of these a long time ago and just bought a couple more. They turn your useless 220 outlets into US outlets and USB ports. The first one I bought had pieces you could swap out for different styles of outlets, which might come in handy if I ever travel abroad not on a cruise. The second set I bought only works with the one kind of outlet, but that's all I ever need while cruising.
Versatile: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YVMM483/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Static: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0845WDMMT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

First Aid Kit:
Of course, it's never a good idea to travel without a first aid kit. I have stocked this tiny one with some more bandaids that I replenish as needed, tweezers, nail clippers, and some Neosporin. We bring it on all of our weekend hikes as well.

 

Downy Wrinkle Releaser Spray:

While maybe not as great as an iron or steamer, this is pretty good for getting wrinkles out. It works especially well on the linen shirts in my cruise uniform. It's also good for freshening clothes that maybe don't smell so great after multiple wears.

Tide Pen:

I hate to admit how many times my husband or I have needed this on a cruise... They do work pretty well!

 

Collapsible Hamper:

This thing is so great I recently bought the exact same one all over again, as my old one was getting a little worn out. The wires were starting to chew through the fabric surrounding them. I especially like that it has a divider, so my husband and I can share it and keep our stuff separated. It had fit well in the bottom of every closet I have had, except in a standard balcony room on the Celebrity Summit. Those closets are tiny, but I still kind of made it work since it's compressible.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N2380FY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Collapsible Cubbies:
I started bringing these on every cruise after my very first one. It was on the NCL Escape and any of you familiar with the NCL Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships know that there are no drawers at all in the room. It feels really weird storing your underwear and socks on an open shelf. So, I went to the Dollar Store and bought 4 of these. Even on ships that have drawers, these can still come in handy. I am using the same 4 cubbies I spent $4 on five years ago after 19 more cruises!

 

 

Collapsible Foot Stool:

I love putting my feet up while relaxing on my balcony. Often, I would ask my room steward for a lounger or a foot stool on whatever ship I was on. That request was hit-and-miss, so I decided to start bringing my own. This folds up to be very small and light, so I can usually just squeeze it in along the edge of my carry-on or in the bottom of my backpack. It comes with a little bag/case. It is tiny, so I cannot IMAGINE sitting on it like Amazon implies you might be able to do. Maybe if I were a doll or a toddler?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y9CPV84/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

 

Cruise Uniform
Back when I sailed Celebrity for the first time, I did not think my usual attire of jeans, sneakers, a graphic tee, and a plaid hoodie would be acceptable. So I decided to get some cheap-ish clothes off of Amazon in order to meet their dress requirements. It turns out that I actually ended up loving these outfits for cruising, as they are cool, comfortable, and cruise-y.

 

Linen Shirt:

Back when I sailed Celebrity for the first time, I did not think my usual attire of jeans, sneakers, a graphic tee, and a plaid hoodie would be acceptable. So I decided to get some cheap-ish clothes off of Amazon in order to meet their dress requirements. It turns out that I actually ended up loving these outfits for cruising, as they are cool, comfortable, and cruise-y. First up is the linen shirt. I have five of these. Two navy, two white, and one black. I recently had to replace the two white ones as they were getting kind of dingy. I wear these with the sleeves rolled up and only the bottom buttons buttoned over camisoles (see below).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091BT8S7P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

 

Camisole:

I have 11 of these in a bunch of colors. They are comfortable and cheap. I will say that there has been some inconsistency in the sizing and quality in different orders of these over the years. For a while, earlier this year, it was impossible to get a white one without straps that were 3+ inches too long.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N0Q2IN6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

 

Stretchy Pants:

I LOVE these pants! They are high-waisted, super stretchy, and fit my giant hips. Plus, they come in all kinds of patterns and colors. They also dry quickly and clean up easily. Not that I have ever spilled anything on a cruise... I have six pairs of these in different prints that I mix and match with the shirts above to come up with 12 different outfits. The only downside is no pockets, thus the need for the lanyards above.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH772PH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

 

Shoes:
These shoes are super cute, which is why I keep buying them. They are basically disposable in that they don't usually last me more than two cruises. It's hard to keep the white really white, even with my trusty Tide Pen. And they really just aren't built to last. Plus, the "insoles" in them are worse than garbage. They are "held on" with what appears to be rubber cement? It's very sticky, but also super stretch, so the insoles just slide all over the place and then your socks stick to the exposed glue. It's terrible. Every time I buy a new pair, I have to spend about 30 minutes pulling the old insoles out and trying to clean up as much of the rubber cement as I can. Then I insert the actually decent insoles that I bought separately and just keep transferring from pair to pair.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097XX7956/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

 

Slipper Socks:
I can't stand not wearing socks (my feet always feel sweaty without them?), so I got a bunch of these slipper socks that don't show much when wearing the shoes above, but they are comfy, breathable, and seem to be holding up well. Also, they are big enough for my giant feet.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BKCP2FN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

 

Suction Cup Foot Rest:
I won't actually be bringing this on this cruise, because the Meraviglia has handy little bars in the showers to rest your foot on to shave. But I have been in a lot of rooms on a lot of cruise ships and hotels that don't have anywhere for you to rest your foot while shaving your leg. So, after my first cruise, I bought this handy item. It doesn't stick SUPER well to some surfaces, but it usually gets the job done.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CFFX90/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Sakura Tomoe]

I hadn't even thought about straws ever since NCL switched to the not plastic plastic straws.  Please tell me MSC doesn't use those garbage paper straws anymore.  For a spell there I had to bring my own straws, and while I'd only use one per day, when people found out I had them I was swamped with requests!  Thinking back, I should have sold em for a dollar apiece.

[JamieLogical]

43 minutes ago, Sakura Tomoe said:

I hadn't even thought about straws ever since NCL switched to the not plastic plastic straws.  Please tell me MSC doesn't use those garbage paper straws anymore.  For a spell there I had to bring my own straws, and while I'd only use one per day, when people found out I had them I was swamped with requests!  Thinking back, I should have sold em for a dollar apiece.

 

No no. I am not aware of any line that is still using paper straws.

[ReneeFLL]

@JamieLogical Does MSC use the wide luggage tags or the narrow ones? We already have the narrow ones.