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On the other occasion, I saw a couple of adults eyeing the chicken nuggets that were on offer. Children aren't the only ones who enjoy chicken nuggets, nor are they the ones who pay the cruise fares. Adults, whether they have kids on board or not, should be allowed to eat whatever they wish from the buffet that they paid for — even if it comes from the children's menu. Specialty coffee from the onboard chocolate shop also isn't included with the packages, nor are coffees on private island Ocean Cay, which leads me to my next head-scratcher. I had the single best coffee drink of my life when we called on Ocean Cay. The Coco-Nilla Latte is espresso, vanilla flavoring and coconut milk, and I loved it so much that I tried to have it replicated on board.
MSC Fantasia Cruise: Expert Review (2023) - Cruise Critic
MSC Fantasia Cruise: Expert Review ( .
Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 15:06:34 GMT [source]
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Among the standout features planned for MSC World America will be an Aquapark with multiple waterslides that integrate virtual reality technology. MSC Cruises also announced last week that the ship would have what's billed as the only overwater swing ride at sea; the attraction is called Cliffhanger, and it's suspended 160 feet above the water. MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean are currently the only cruise brands in the world with ships measuring more than 200,000 tons.
Carry-on drinks policy
Generally, if you're planning to eat at more than two or three specialty restaurants, booking a package will save you money. However, passenger flow is an issue, with many public spaces so crowded they're uncomfortable, and service is painfully slow in some bars and restaurants. You'll likely end up paying a lot more than you originally planned because some of the most enticing things to do come with added fees. And, as my travel companion so succinctly put it, I've never been told "no" so many times on a cruise. MSC Seaside deck plans are well designed, with separate levels for public spaces and staterooms.
Galleria Meraviglia
Gratuities, room service and premium alcohol and Wi-Fi packages are included in all Yacht Club fares. You do not need to purchase add-ons or pay added fees like you would in cabins outside the Yacht Club. Finally, MSC Meraviglia's sports equipment is kept under actual lock and key.
All four dining rooms offer set seating, except Panorama, which also accommodates passengers with Aurea bookings who have anytime dining. Waves, Panorama, L'Olive Dorée and L'Olivo D'Oro are MSC Meraviglia's four main dining rooms, where passengers can eat dinner for free. (Specific restaurants will also be open on certain days for breakfast and lunch, depending on the day's schedule.) Menus, which change daily, are the same across all four. One of the biggest contributing factors was the ship's layout and flow. Some areas lead to dead ends, while others force you to enter busy areas — like the massive Marketplace Buffet — to find stairs to go up or down a deck. In several bars and lounges in the main atrium, tables and chairs are scattered so close to the main staircase that it's difficult for two-way passenger traffic to move through the space.
Thank you for visiting MSC Cruises
And for cruisers who are perhaps put off by all that commotion and want more of a sophisticated experience at sea, then Virtuosa could also be the ship for you. MSC Cruises’ Seaside is a popular pick among guests hailing from Europe and the American Southeast. To cater to the ship's largely 40-something English- and Spanish-speaking passengers – many of whom live within driving distance of the ship’s home port of Port Canaveral – most announcements on Seaside are only made in English and Spanish. Explore South America, the magic of the Emirates and North America, the mysteries of the Nordics and Greenland, the exotic Caribbean and the private island Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, our cruises to Asia, South Africa, and our exclusive destination.
Another free entertainment option worth mentioning is daytime street theater that includes contortionists, roving musicians, magic workshops and flash mob-style performances by the onboard singers and dancers. If you happen to be passing through the promenade area when a flash mob happens, you're likely to see a punk rock-themed song-and-dance routine or, perhaps, one where the cast is dressed up like flowers, insects and birds. While the Marketplace Buffet has an "ethnic" section typically serving Asian and Indian fare, the largest variety and the highest quality come from the specialty restaurants. They include seafood, steak, Mexican, sushi and teppanyaki, and all cost extra. MSC bookings can be confusing for first-timers because, in addition to selecting a cabin type (inside, outside, balcony or suite), passengers must also choose from one of three experience packages.
MSC Grandiosa showcases a number of firsts for the line including the160-cover Il Campo restaurant for "Aurea Experience" passengers and the largest shopping area on a cruise ship. New outlets include the MSC Foundation shop where profits from items sold go towards the marine protection organisation. Passengers are not required to undergo a Covid test or show proof of vaccination status to travel aboard MSC Cruises. All public areas of the ship have Braille signage and all MSC Cruise ships have an onboard medical center staffed by the ship’s doctor and other medical personnel.
Dubbed Bella, Fantastica and Aurea, they all come with different perks and inclusions, as noted below. Speaking of the theater, no drinks are allowed in there, which is odd, given that all other cruise lines allow passengers to order drinks during shows or at least carry them in with them to enjoy while they watch. We saw several surprised cruisers being told they had to dump their beverages or drink them before they'd be allowed inside. Crew members were friendly, my cabin was comfortable, and the daily activity options were plentiful, varied and fun. At night, most shows fell into the "excellent" category, and the food in every extra-fee restaurant and the Yacht Club was phenomenal.
MSC Bellissima Cruise: Expert Review (2023) - Cruise Critic
MSC Bellissima Cruise: Expert Review ( .
Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 15:24:16 GMT [source]
Although there are 19 decks, the majority of MSC Meragivlia’s cabins are spread over seven of them; the rest take up small sections on decks shared with public areas. This means that, unlike on other ships, there are hundreds of staterooms that are not directly above or below busy, loud restaurants, theaters or dance clubs, making them quieter. If you have more flexibility in your budget, consider what’s important to you in accommodation. If you plan to spend a lot of time in your cabin, you might value a balcony or a spacious room more. Families might look for cabins with connecting doors or extra bed options. Cabins located at the very front and very back of the ship will experience significantly more movement in the event of rough seas, so choose a cabin towards the middle of the ship if you’re facing multiple sea days or sailing off-season.
Dating to November 2022, Carnival Celebration is the world's 14th biggest cruise ship. Fast-growing MSC Cruises on Thursday officially announced its North America schedule for the summer of 2025, including a Miami deployment that will set the stage for an epic matchup between three of the world's biggest cruise vessels. So while that will be a minus for some, it's a plus for passengers who enjoy a more traditional style of cruising with less all-singing all-dancing amenities.
"No, those are for children only," a crew member behind the counter told a parent who was trying to grab dessert for his son, who was outside by the pool. The feeling of overcrowding was exacerbated by service inconveniences like long waits for drinks, meals and elevators. When I arrived, lines snaked outside the terminal and down the sidewalk in front of the building. I had multiple passengers throughout my voyage tell me that they waited between two and three hours in line to board the vessel.
For the summer of 2025, both MSC World America and Icon of the Seas will sail from Miami on Saturdays on seven-night trips to the Caribbean. Carnival Celebration will sail out of Miami on Sundays on six- to eight-night trips to the Caribbean. MSC Grandiosa -- the first of the line's new Meraviglia Plus class -- was christened in Hamburg on November 9, 2019, by Godmother to all the line's ships, Sophia Loren. Through at least September 2024, MSC Meraviglia is sailing seven- and eight-night voyages to Nassau and Ocean Cay Marine Reserve in the Bahamas from Brooklyn. Speaking of limited-time performances, on the second-to-last night of the voyage, I sat in the theater unsure of what to expect from the headliner, Lorraine Crosby. "You might be thinking, 'She sounds like the lady who sings that Meat Loaf song.' Well, that's because I am the lady who sings that Meat Loaf song," Crosby joked.
The ship's TV Studio & Bar is where you can find the cruise director filming the ship's daily morning show the night before. It's also the site of trivia competitions, several of which were standing-room-only. I ate there on one night of my sailing and decided to go big by adding jumbo lump crab to my filet mignon.
If everyone is going to the same place at the same time, why not do the muster drill in person? On the flip side, if you're going to make people watch a video instead of doing a live demonstration, why make everyone go to their stations simultaneously? The process creates a chaotic environment where, in my case, people were required to walk into the theater, do a lap around it (for reasons nobody ever actually explained) and immediately exit again. When MSC first announced that MSC Meraviglia would be sailing from New York, the ship's homeport was Manhattan. I groaned when I heard its docking spot had changed to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood. MSC offers passengers three tiers of inclusions (or “experiences”), each with its own perks and price.
MSC World America and Icon of the Seas, in particular, have several similarities, including public area venues segmented into "districts," as MSC Cruises calls them. • Large kids club featuring LEGO, a science lab and a small performance area. • Family group cluster cabins where up to three rooms can be joined so larger groups can stay together. Waiting patiently is not the norm in some countries, so there can be queue jumping at the buffet and people flooding out of the theatre in no particular order at the end of a show.
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