MSC Cruise, NYC, and the Bahamas -- March 2024

Planning and Flight -- March 8, 2024

We planned this cruise for our oldest son's, Joel, high school gradation in two months from now. We booked this cruise in May 2023.We wanted to try MSC, Italian cruise line getting into the US market, and let the kids see NYC since they had not been. We picked the cabin so had MSC's Fantastica tier experience. This allowed us to pick between early and late dining. I picked early because I heard they had seen a 9:30 pm dining time, and we definitely would not want to eat that late. I saw a 5pm, 5:30 pm on some signs; we were assigned the 6pm in the Panorama MDR. The time worked well. Travis and I also got a status match from our NCL Platinum status. This gave us MSC Gold and a 10% discount at the shops that we used. We did not use any other Fantastica or Gold benefits. Gold gave priority tendering, which is very nice, but we did not have any tendering required. We got the invite to the cocktail party with free photo, but it was 11am and required dressing up. It was a bad time of day to need to dress up. Gold also gave an hour free at the thermal spa, but I worried about other spa upsells, so we did not try it. Too much side track -- sorry, but if you are sailing MSC, do the status match with your status on other cruise line, some hotels, and some Vegas casinos too, I believe. Then use the match to get a repeat passenger cruise discount when booking that I missed.

Our cabin was 10001 at the very front of the ship on deck 10 with a front facing window. The room had bunkbeds for the kids, which were set off to the side and not taking up space in the footprint of the room. Our last cruise with the kids, we got the bidded upgrade to a balcony since the ship was not full, which was exciting. However, their beds were a pull out sofa and dropdown bunkbed over it, so one had to climb through beds to get to the balcony at night or morning. With this room, I was excited to have their beds out of the walking paths. If I did not describe it well, here it is from MSC's deck plan pdf. 10001 and 10005 have bunkbeds where their wall touch (though it looks too narrow here), and there is a room, 10003, as an inside between them. All three have connected doors that we did not use. It looked like 10005 and 10003 did on our cruise, just seeing them talking to the person in 10003. Maybe the Mother/Grandma. The general recommendation is not to get the connecting rooms if you are not buying both for noise (and saving them for those that need them). We did not have any noise issues with the door or wall with the bunks. It also looked like there was a two story cabin next to us too, which may have also reduced noise on that side. It was a quiet room until the last two nights when we heard some people running around and probably getting luggage set out for disembarkation, but not too bad. I was worried about the location for sea sickness since it was high and all the way forward. Spoiler alert -- I took a couple of ginger candies and sea sick meds day 2/sea day and day 6/sea day, through the Atlantic Ocean. They worked well and did not make me as drowsy as they normally do; I was happy with that. So, location was not a problem, and we could have gone to another place on the ship, if needed.

We were 4 decks down to the MDR and theater and 5 decks up to the buffet. There was decks 4-19, without 17 since bad luck in Italy.

This was our kids' Spring Break, and they get two extra days (which are teacher work days) the week after. For affordable flights for 4, we booked a late Thursday night, 7th, flight into NYC and return on Tuesday the 19th into and out of Newark (EWR). They went back to school on the 20th. The late night flight was not great, but affordable. I booked a hotel close to Newark; it offered a shuttle but not that late. We confirmed that an Uber was affordable and quick since close to EWR. I called the hotel to note a late arrival as Orbitz seemed to stress that this was important, even though I carefully chose a hotel with a 24/7 reception desk.

As the trip approached, I noticed rained and then severe weather warnings, so began to worry. The Tuesday before, we got an email from American saying that due to expected severe weather that we could change our flight, within a given date range, for free. We were in basic economy that normally allows no changes; therefore, I found that I could not make the change online with the link provided. So, I called the number provided, left a message for a callback in 1-1.5 hours, and waited. Travis had found availability on flights the next day, Friday, either at 11:30 am or 3pm, also direct as we had originally. We preferred the 11:30 am; it only had 4 seats left. After a shower while waiting, I decided to try the AA app, found the chat, and Alton was able to fix us up on the 11:30 am, a change that I could confirm online while still chatting with him. Our kids were already planned to miss the 1/2 day of school on Friday before Spring Break. I did get/miss the callbacks after going to bed; AA did two attempted callbacks. Our original flight was landing at 11:30 pm, but with weather, arrived about 3:30 am -- eek, glad to miss that. Our hotel was refundable and an easy cancel in the Orbitz app after getting the new flights.

Friday morning, we finished our final preparations and got an Uber to DFW. We were a little delayed boarding with the plane arriving late, disembarking (cruise term; can I use it for planes? Now thinking about, I think it is deplaning.), and cleaning. After getting on, we were much delayed, about 2 hours, sitting on the plane, because the landing gear needed some nitrogen added, which apparently was out at our terminal and had to be retrieved from another terminal. We were also all separated; we had 4 middle seats on different aisles. When I checking in, I saw the 4 middle seats for purchase for $10 each, which I assumed were our 4 seats. Yes, this is what we were assigned after not paying for them. I also could buy priority boarding at $50 each, but despite being basic economy, we got group 6. I assumed that was because Alton moved us to another flight, but we also had 6 on the way home. I guess I'll find out on our 2 other basic flights later this year if we get group 9 or 6. With the delay, I was surprised to see no flight attendants going up and down the aisle just to tell us that they have not forgotten that we were here. The lady next to me noted that Delta brings water around during delays. I had a lively couple of ladies as my row mates. Our youngest, Owen, and Travis were right behind each other, our oldest some where in between. I was in row 15; I'm never (recently) that far forward.

With the delayed departure, we arrived late. We found the bus #62 from the terminal (there was a marked bus stop waiting area just outside the terminal) to NJ Penn station. You need exact change, so we had separated and brought change for $6.40, or $1.60 each. Though prepared, the driver said to just insert the $5 bill and sit down. From NJ Penn station, we used the machines to buy PATH tickets to NYC's World Trade Center station. The PATH ticket can be bought as a single ticket or added to a Metro card (subway or MTA). We got 2 single tickets and 2 Metro cards for the kids since they did not have credit cards. It is $1 for the Metro card. The Metro card was not really needed or helpful, except to the cruise terminal, more on that later. On PATH, you cannot pay with a credit card tap or phone pay, like you can with the Metro. It is $2.75 each. It was dark at this point, so we could not see the trip with various bridges and crossing into NYC. The World Trade Center station was beautiful. From here, the kids used their Metro cards, loaded with money for a single Metro ride at $2.90 per ride, and we used a credit card. All tickets on this trip from the machines -- PATH, bus, Metro -- had to be brought one at a time, instead of an option to buy multiple in the same transaction. It was annoying and slow. Also after 2 tickets purchase at one time, our main credit card started rejecting the purchase as looking fraudulent, so we had to use a different card. On the Metro, we went on to our hotel, Highbridge Hotel, in the Bronx. Being Friday night, the Metro was very crowded, and the subway performers were driving me crazy (old lady complaint). Very loud with boomboxes, and one (less crowded then) doing flips on the top and side handrails, trying to get me to participate. That was really the only time that we saw performers, but 3 or more different sets that night.

We first checked into our hotel to leave luggage and then went back out for a dinner. We picked up and shared two Greek plates with lamb and pork, rice, pitas, and a salad with a dill cream sauce and hot sauce on the side back at our hotel from Blazin Chicken & Gyro. It was really good. Travis and Joel tried to go to the hotel gym, but they did not have any weights that Joel wanted and the bike was occupied that Travis wanted. They settled for a walk through the Bronx instead and found a raccoon.