CruiseHabit Bill

There are a few considerations.  Where are you coming from/where do you live?  Regent Seven Seas Voyager should have 110 US outlets, and likely a single 220 EU (type F).  

MANY (though not all) devices made recently for the US and EU (plus GB) are dual voltage.  This means they can be plugged into 110 or 220, you just need an adapter (rather than an expensive and bulky converter).  You'll need to check the labeling on your devices to ensure that's the case.

Now, if you mean something that will give you more outlets, that is a little more tricky.  Many types are not permitted on ships for safety reasons.  Personally, I carry an adapter that plugs into an EU type F (220) and gives you two outlets (1 that can be used for GB/EU/US, and a second (ungrounded) for US or EU.  I actually have these on the site, but I really do carry them with me on all cruises.  https://shop.cruisehabit.com/collections/cabin-comforts/products/2-to-1-eu-to-us-power-adapter-gain-extra-outlets-in-your-stateroom

Let me know more about your specific circumstances and I'm happy to help further.

@karl_njIt really depends on what you're comparing to.  I always get the streaming plan, and interestingly I found Apex (last week) to be similar to Edge in June and July...sometimes.  On Edge I worked from the ship for two weeks straight without issue.  On Apex there were days it worked fine - not breakneck speeds, but adequate to work, and then other days it slowed down.  It didn't seem to match with the weather, either.  Except for part of one day where something was clearly wrong, it was still miles better than some RCI and X ships which have older setups, but not as good as others.  On the upside, nothing seemed to be blocked.  I was able to connect to two OpenVPN connections without issues, and didn't run into any other protocol probs.

In multiple cities and countries I've stowed bags at a hotel (even if not staying there).  They're used to holding bags on the first and last days for their hotel guests, and have the space for it.  The concierge has always been happy to hold my bags for a small tip.  I just ask if I can leave my bags with them while wondering the city.  We actually had some friends do this in Ft Lauderdale a few weeks back, on the day Edge was late leaving.

7 hours ago, twangster said:

Serenity has lots of space though. 

I loved the look of that area.  It's honestly nice on a lot of CCL ships, but the pool and sunken lounge, esp being right across from the bar, made me think I could spend a considerable amount of time there on this ship.

BTW, after my last internet comment I remembered years ago (may have even written about it) that CCL uses land-based stations when within X miles of said stations.  That would explain the boost you saw - but may lose depending on location.  It's interesting though that there is such latency, as that makes me wonder what the backhaul is.  :;shrug::

Have you eaten at Emiril's yet?

Thanks for all of these.  In my short time onboard I found it overwhelming to get photos as there are SO MANY different venues.  She really has some pretty spaces.  

Have you felt, so far, like people are spread out reasonably?  The idea of a ton of small venues sounds great...unless a few are wildly more popular than others.

Interesting that the internet quality shifted so drastically.  Still hoping they magically move to o3b 🙂

On 8/9/2021 at 6:31 PM, karl_nj said:

Edge reminds me a little of RCL's Anthem, which is one of my favorite ships, so i think i'm going to like Edge a lot.

I've heard folks say that - but so far, they've all only been on one of the two.  Going to put that to the test myself soon as well.  We'll be on Odyssey on Sept 5 🙂

2 hours ago, karl_nj said:

I first saw this on Norwegian Breakaway; thought it was a great idea.  Surprised more cruise lines don't do something similar on their newer ships.

This has confused me for years, as every ship I remember being on until the 2000s had this.  Ships built decades before I was on them in the 80s and 90s had this, simple switches to indicate DND/need service/off.  I'm so confused to see all the tech on ships, yet not this. 

2 hours ago, twangster said:

Cruise Summary

Since this was my first time sailing with MSC my approach for this cruise was to basically forget everything I knew about cruising.  It's too easy to fall into the trap of comparing everything to a cruise line you may have sailed last or more frequently.  

Walking onto a ship with a "I've never sailed before" mentality lets you relive that special first time you walked onto a cruise ship and it helps to remove any preconceived notions you may have about a different cruise line.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and for the price it was outstanding value.  

Ocean Cay is beautiful.  While fairly young as a cruise line private destination it checks all the boxes for this type of "port of call".  With the drink package covering Ocean Cay it does perform better than some other cruise lines that don't allow their drink packages at their private destinations.

Meraviglia is a modern beautiful ship and it's a shame to see so many areas underutilized with reduced capacity at the moment.  Clearly she has space to handle more guests while keeping everyone happy.  

The Marketplace Buffet did lack some diversity at dinner but it's not fair to compare a ship on it's second voyage after restarting during a pandemic operating at dramatically reduced capacity to a cruise experience before the pandemic.  

The status match loyalty program is very much appreciated.  Every loyalty program is different and the perks were really nice.  The included dining experience was great.

I did bring a bunch of single bills and tipped every drink above the included service charges included in the drink package I bought.  These folks have been out of work for 16 months so a few extra bucks is well worth it.  I didn't see anyone else tipping above the included gratuity and I could tell the bar staff really appreciated the gesture.  

At the end of the day the most important question... would I sail them again?  Absolutely!  In a heartbeat.

In fact the MSC Divina is moving to Port Canaveral for a few months this fall and I am looking over her dates to see if I can make it work.   I am also eyeing some more Meraviglia itineraries that are a little longer.  I feel like there is so much left to explore on the ship including the main dining room for dinner.

I was worried that some cruise acquaintances declared that you only enjoy MSC is you sail in Yacht Club.   That may be the case for them but I was very pleasantly surprised I had no YC envy.  If you've got the money, sure why not YC but I'll have no problem sailing MSC with the Fantastica experience again.  

I also like the budget friendly "Easy" drink package.  While it only includes well drinks and not any top shelf liquor that was good enough for me on this cruise. 

Meraviglia is a great ship and I'll have no issues booking her again.  It may not be the same experience compared to my "regular" cruise line but that's a good thing as not everything that line does is perfect either.

I hope this helps you decide if Meraviglia is the right ship for you and I thank you for viewing.  

Fantastic summary and absolutely incredible posts, pics, and updates.  On one hand I feel I now know the ship, but I don't feel there will be any less wonder when we step onboard.  It'll be interesting to see what changes we notice a couple weeks in.  On one hand, MSC has been sailing during the pandemic earlier and more than any other line in the world, on the other hand, this is the first ship of their back in the US, with new crews, etc.

On 8/8/2021 at 9:12 AM, karl_nj said:

I remember ~15 years ago, Cunard would send a padded "leatherette" pouch in the mail, with a spiral bound book, luggage tags, and space to store your boarding pass, etc! 

I think I still have some of those.  Oceania still does this.  

On 8/7/2021 at 9:02 AM, karl_nj said:

Look what arrived for me in the mail yesterday... nice that celebrity still will physically send you luggage tags upon request.  Reminds me of the "old days"!

Makes it feel all the more 'real', right!  So jealous that you'll be on Edge.  I never stop wanting to be on that ship.

3 hours ago, karl_nj said:

Reminds me of the two they have on QM2.

I had the same thought.  Some ships panoramic elevators offer nicer views than others, and this seems to be one of the better ones.

40 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

 

Billy will have to tell us if he is *also* told to dial 881.  Perhaps rotating phone numbers is all a big lie! 🙂

 

I'd bet it's less that they rotate, and more they just have multiple.  They can see which room calls, so that's easy - even if all calling one number.  They may split it up in the event the system can only handle X calls per extension, or something like that.  We'll see.

Awesome update @twangster!

Seems like embarkation was pretty quick and smooth.  I think an hour would be reasonable under normal circumstances, so add in a COVID test and that seems great, actually.

Curious which beverage package you opted for (not sure based on the price).

11 hours ago, karl_nj said:

I guess MSC is just used to carrying cargo that doesn't care where it is stored for the trip!

Mark me cargo, because as long as I'm on the ship that's the important part 😉

So far my stateroom assignment remains, though my boarding time got moved 3.5 hours earlier, which I'll happily accept.

I know you were joking, but I actually ran some numbers a few weeks ago on MSC which might be of interest.  They're WAY more used to carrying passengers than most cruise lines - just not in N America.

Per 2018 Cruise Market Watch, NCLH (all three brands combined) carried 2.47mm pax, and had 12.6% of market revenue. MSC carried 3mm pax, and had 9.8% of market revenue. The share of market revenue isn't surprising - not b/c of their low prices in the US (that's a sliver), but because NCLH's numbers include Regent and Oceania (much higher per diems), and MSC operates many ships in lower-priced markets.

2 hours ago, Mike at Sea said:

we keep losing our stateroom assignment

Twangster ran into this as well.  So far my room has remained the same.  I did see someone on FB saying they the crew sealed off some rooms for embarkation tomorrow (so they can turn things around more quickly).  I can't independently verify that, but it did make me wonder about the room assignments.

4 hours ago, twangster said:

In full disclosure i didn't need to a do a test prior to this cruise.  MSC didn't ask me to get tested in advance.  I'll be tested again at the terminal TOMORROW!  Yay!

Getting that extra test is a great idea for the reasons you mentioned, and I'll offer two more:

1. No unnecessary travel to the embarkation port (a short drive for some, a series of flights for others)
2. We've seen requirements change last minute, and this is a great way to protect yourself juuust in case MSC (or any other line not currently requiring this) changes things up at the last minute.

Can't wait to hear more!

3 hours ago, twangster said:

Here at T-11 days I've discovered that a new set of cabins has become available within my category of booking.  All of the new cabins I can now choose from appear to be quad cabins that were not available for me to choose previously.   

I'm happy with my current cabin so I'm not going to move however as I get to know this class and for potential future bookings it's interesting to note how the pool of cabins available to pick from has grown at this point in the cruise countdown.

A few days ago there were two other cabins that were options available to me.  Now there are dozens of cabins on multiple decks should I choose to move at the same rate.  

 

Interesting.  For my booking (Aug 20) there were plenty available already, but I have two thoughts/theories.

1. When you checked previously, had you already selected Fantastica?  That opens up far more categories.
2. Return to service adjustments.  It may be that they initially blocked out a ton of rooms to limit capacity, and then found a way (later) to block capacity while still allowing all the available rooms to be selectable.  Perhaps this or something similar, but ultimately, a struggle relating to them not yet returning to service.

Just guesses TBH.

You're sailing before we do, so we're looking forward to your full report - but make sure you leave us some whisky onboard 🙂

We recently published an article and a video that goes over this and other procedures, rules, etc.

Celebrity Edge COVID Rules: Masks, Buffets, Testing & More (article):
https://www.cruisehabit.com/celebrity-edge-covid-rules-masks-buffets-testing-more

Video:

The very first back in the Caribbean sailed over a month ago.  If you want to see what it was like, the entertainment, onboard experience, restrictions, etc, we kept a daily live blog of the trip and made a video discussing it in the end.

Celebrity Millennium Daily Live Blog and More: https://www.cruisehabit.com/tags/celebrity-millennium-live-blog

I don't recall if my CC discount was reflected before checkout or not, but it did apply (in my case). 

I've never noticed a discount on the drink package upgrade. What was the offer you saw?

Uograding the package is $12/day/person minus your C&A discount if you do it in advance. 

I'm not sure the coat of the photo package. I may have it at home but am out for a while. 

On 6/25/2021 at 8:47 PM, Amy said:

Curious what the process is on Celebrity to show proof of vaccination in FL.  Do you have to show the vaccine card, a copy of it, or do you have to show it at all and they go on your word based on the Governors decision to not participate in Vaccine Passports?  

Apologies for only seeing this now.

At boarding your asked if you'd like to provide proof of vaccination - though it's not required.  If you do not, you'll be restrcited in certain ports, be required to wear a masks, and have to pay for your own testing.  There may be additional restrictions in the future for those who do not voluntarily show their original vaccine card (they're not looking for a copy).

Recently we enjoyed four nights at RIU Palace Peninsula in Cancun, MX.  We've got a condensed review video as well as a full review where we discuss our experience.  Reach out with any questions, and share YOUR all-inclusive thoughts.

Full Review: 

Condensed Review: 

I should probably fix my notifications, eh?  I just noticed this now.  Apologies @dv70

We were booked on Sky Princess for late March of last year - so that's one we hope to make up this year ?

To me, the standout thing about HAL is their musical entertainment.  Lido Market food is great quality, and overall I have no big complaints, but music is the one thing that stands out more than any other.  Princess, well, it's the only major line we've not yet sailed - so we'll see if you get to post a review before we do.  Report back!

We just posed an article with loads of pics showing some of the differences between Edge and Apex: https://www.cruisehabit.com/differences-between-celebrity-apex-and-celebrity-edge