JamieLogical's Live from the MSC Meraviglia 9/24

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I was disappointed to see today that the last two Aurea Balcony Suites w/Whirpools were sold out now. I had hoped to book one of those when we got onboard this weekend. Who knew they would sell the last two just days after I had noticed the cruise? I am going to have to keep an eye out to see if any open up after cancelations.

 

Sorry that it looks like you missed out on those Aurea suites. I wonder if they went via the upgrade fairy?  

 

 

[JamieLogical]

Last night I did all of my laundry and got my backpack mostly packed. All I still need to put in there are a few toiletries and personal hygiene items that I will still be using until Saturday, so I can't pack them yet. This afternoon I am getting my hair cut and bleached and then I will dye it myself tonight. I am planning to go with "Peachy Ginger" for the color this time.

 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

Jamie looking forward to your review. Was on Meraviglia in July. Tried Holas because of you . We totally enjoyed it, and did a la carte. Wanted to go back a 2nd time but didn't have time. ENJOY the cuirse. 

 So jealous.

[gizfish]

Also tried Holas due to you raving about it, and totally agree.  BTW, we took out our meal and enjoyed it in our cabin.  Also took out fish and chips from the pub.  Nice to know takeout is an option.

[JamieLogical]

8 hours ago, gizfish said:

Also tried Holas due to you raving about it, and totally agree.  BTW, we took out our meal and enjoyed it in our cabin.  Also took out fish and chips from the pub.  Nice to know takeout is an option.

 

I should stop talking up Hola! so much. Going to have more competition for seating once people find out how good it is!

[Tierun]

25 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I should stop talking up Hola! so much. Going to have more competition for seating once people find out how good it is!

Too late. My family group of 18 went to Hola on our last Mera cruise and all loved it. Also when my brother and his girlfriend went they were told to try it. The did a la carte instead of AYCE and they were full and only spent $30. Not sure if that’ll work for the wife and I since we like to get a little of everything.

[JamieLogical]

I am down to the wire to get all my loose ends tied up at work. I have a meeting with my coworker this afternoon to try to hand off as much as I can to her while I'm gone.

 

The only major cruise prep progress yesterday was getting my hair done. That took forever! My appointment was at 3:15 and I didn't get out of there until 7:09. That was just for the cut and bleaching, as I had decided to color it myself. By the time I got home and scarfed down some leftover Indian food for dinner, I just barely had time to mix up the color, apply it, let it sit for a good 40 minutes, and then rinse it before bed. The color came out more orange than I had planned. I was going for a peachy-corally color, but it's way more orange than pink, despite me having mixed in about 5x more pinks than orange. I may try to add more pink to it tomorrow, but my worry is that then it will be too dark. I like the pastel nature of it right now. Will try to take a pic when I get home. The lighting in my office is terrible.

 

Today is going to be super busy. We have to get to the grocery store after work, I need to paint my toenails (always a multi-hour endeavor), and I need to do as much as I can around the house.

 

Fortunately, our flight tomorrow isn't until 7:13pm, so I should have lots of time to get stuff done tomorrow as well.

 

Found out that there is now a random storm approaching the east coast from out of nowhere. Hopefully, it won't impact our flight or the travel plans of any of our other fellow cruisers!

 

Now word on upgrades yet. I am pretty sure our bids are going to be rejected at this point.

[JamieLogical]

Here's a quick picture of my hair.

 

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

LOVE the hair @JamieLogical!

[JamieLogical]

I went in to check the status of our upgrade bids and both still say Pending, but there is now a message that "the time period to modify or cancel your offer has passed."

 

Guess it's too late to cancel my offer for the whirlpool suite with Ophelia threatening some potentially miserable weather!

[Laurab23]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

Here's a quick picture of my hair.

 

Not sure why,but I couldn't get any picture.

 

Laura

[Essiesmom]

14 minutes ago, Laurab23 said:

Not sure why,but I couldn't get any picture.

 

Laura

Nor here

[JamieLogical]

15 minutes ago, Laurab23 said:

Not sure why,but I couldn't get any picture.

 

Laura

 

Does it work when I upload it instead of pasting it?

 

[Essiesmom]

Yep, I see it now.  EM

[Laurab23]

45 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Yep, I see it now.  EM

 

46 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Does it work when I upload it instead of pasting it?

 

That works. I like it.

Laura

 

[gizfish]

Looks cute that color.  Don't fuss over it anymore and stress yourself.

[JamieLogical]

Woke up this morning to find out a large fraudulent charge had been made to my credit card. Luckily Chase recognized it was fraudulent and notified me. I check my credit card charges every weekday and manage them in a spreadsheet, but I had preemptively done that with what I expected to be the "last" charges before our trip from the grocery store last night, so I might not have checked again before leaving.

 

So my husband and I got to spend the past 45 minutes going through all our online accounts and changing our credit card info. I don't remember which card I used for our MSC Upgrade bids. I am almost POSITIVE it was NOT this one, because I am pretty sure I would have used my Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit card, since upgrades would be a travel charge. Would be so sad to win an upgrade only to lose it because the credit card was declined!

 

I am relatively confident we got everything updated so all our auto-payments will be good while we're on the cruise. USPS will just get to hold onto our new cards with the rest of our held mail for 3-5 days.

 

In cruise prep news, I got grocery shopping and toenail painting completed last night. Today I need to clean the house and finish packing. Our flight isn't until 7:13pm. I told our friend who is taking us to the airport that we should try to be there about 6:00. So we have a lot of time to get everything else done. Will be keeping an eye on Ophelia and flight delays all day.

[DaKahuna]

Glad your bank caught the fraudulent charge on your card and hopefully things go smoothly from this point forward.  

 

Bon Voyage. 

 

[JamieLogical]

Our plane is running on time. It is currently en route to JFK from Indianapolis. It is then supposed to fly from JFK to Rochester. And then it flies us from Rochester back to JFK. *Fingers crossed* it keeps running on time!

 

I just finished packing my husband's bundle. If you haven't heard of bundle packing, it will change your life. It is a way of fitting a ridiculous amount of clothing into a carry-on-sized bag. I have been bundling for a couple of years now. I posted pictures of everything I managed to fit into my own bundle on my last 11-day cruise. My packing list for this 10-day sailing is similar:

 

 

Here is a great video showing the proper way to bundle:

 

[JamieLogical]

Finished my bundle, which means I am done packing! I still need to do a little more cleaning, but I think I will manage to get everything done on time. Our plane just landed at JFK from Indianapolis on time, so hopefully it will be on its way to Rochester soon!

[Mark_T]

8 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

Woke up this morning to find out a large fraudulent charge had been made to my credit card.

Nobody needs that right before a cruise, but I guess on balance, the day before is a lot better than the day after you leave...

 

Glad you got it all sorted and behind you, time for the fun to begin...

[JamieLogical]

I got a notification that our flight is delayed until 9:15, so just about two hours late at this point. Fortunately, I got the text before we left our house, so we can just eat dinner and relax. It's going to be a very late night now, though!

[ESCARGO]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I got a notification that our flight is delayed until 9:15, so just about two hours late at this point. Fortunately, I got the text before we left our house, so we can just eat dinner and relax. It's going to be a very late night now, though!

Jamie, I don't know why they changed your flight. It stopped raining here about a 1/2 hour ago and won't start again until around 2AM. 

Have safe travels!

Ted

[JamieLogical]

57 minutes ago, ESCARGO said:

Jamie, I don't know why they changed your flight. It stopped raining here about a 1/2 hour ago and won't start again until around 2AM. 

Have safe travels!

Ted

 

They say it's due to wind, not rain. Also, fun fact, TSA at the Rochester airport closes at 8:30. I had no idea and we barely made it through! We were the last ones.

[cruisin'a]

Yay! You made it! Looking forward to your live review. CAN/NE is on my list for next year.