MSC Meraviglia November 2019

For pictures, click here.

We took a 5-day cruise on the MSC Meraviglia on November 17. The captain was Captain Battinelli, the Director of Hotel Services was our friend Guglielmo Gargiulo, and the Cruise Director was Gene. We were in cabin 9102 and our dining table was 416. 

The ship can hold 5714 guests and 1540 crew members. There are 32 elevators including the 19 for guests. The ship features a Swarovski staircase and a 96m Mediterranean-style promenade with the longest LED Sky Screen at sea. It was a fabulous looking ship! It was so easy to get around and I never felt like there were huge crowds and long lines. There was plenty to see and do every day and I think cruisers of all ages would enjoy this ship.

Day 1 Embarkation

We drove early to Miami since we knew the Miami-Homestead Nascar race was today. Then we saw that all 3 lanes were blocked on I-95 near the port so we took exit 8B to Hwy 1 and drove to the port. It was actually a much easier route than the chaos of I-95. We were parked and unloaded our baggage by 10:30. We checked in and learned that our Voyagers Club Black Card is now called the Diamond level. The embarkation crew was very unorganized, and we waited until 12:30 before we could get on the ship.

Once we got on the ship, everything went smoothly. We had lunch on deck 15 at the Marketplace Buffet. After that, we enjoyed a few beers until we had the muster drill. All of the bar staff were friendly and quick to serve. After the muster drill, we changed for dinner at 6pm and our dining table 416 was a table for 8. We met Daniel and Janice from Montreal, Ozzie and Lucia from St. Augustine, and Elizabeth and Cathy from Los Angeles. They were a great group of people! We all got along really well and had a lot of things to talk about! After dinner, we saw the show Virtual which was good.

Day 2 At Sea

Breakfast opened at 6:30. After Don got up and had breakfast we walked on the walking track. At 10:30, we went to the Cruise Critic cocktail and I was able to give Guglielgmo the gnome for his daughter. He really liked it. After that, we went with his to the Voyagers Club Welcome Back cocktail party. By then it was lunchtime. After lunch, we relaxed and read until it was time to check out the Arts and Crafts at 3:30 but after seeing what we would be making, we went to the Sky Lounge and relaxed until dinner. We had dinner in the specialty restaurant, The Butcher’s Cut and the food was good. Then we went to the show, Born to Rock, which was excellent! Around 10pm, someone knocked on our door and our friend Guglielmo sent us a gift. It was so thoughtful!

Day 3 Cozumel

We got off the ship around 9:30 and walked around the port for a little while. We were at a different terminal than we normally dock at. The Liberty of the Seas was docked with us. We walked to Hard Rock Café and then down to the other terminal where Carnival docks. There were 3 Carnival ships in port: Freedom, Glory, and Fantasy. Downtown, another ship was docked. At 10:30, we got back on the ship and relaxed. After lunch, we walked around the ship and in the afternoon, we took a little nap. During the afternoon, they brought us chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of Prosecco. After dinner, we went to the show, Way, which was good. Then we enjoyed music at one of the lounges before going to bed.

Day 4 At Sea

We went to the Diamond Party at 11am in the Carousel Lounge. We had a lot of shipboard credit to use so I bought two rings and Don bought two bottles of Grey Goose vodka. Then we went back to the cabin to pack which was easy. After lunch, we went back to the cabin to take a nap before dinner. We had a lovely last dinner with our group and then went back to the room to see if our luggage tags were there, but they weren’t. Our cabin steward quickly got them for us. Then we went to the show, One Day More, which featured a lot of Broadway show tunes.

Day 5 Debarkation

We ate breakfast at 6am and then met in the Carousel Lounge at 7:30. By 7:37, we were getting off the ship. It was easy to find our luggage and go through customs. By 7:57, we were getting in our car and on our way. It was the easiest debarkation that we have ever experienced. All the lines were moving quickly and efficiently.

Things I Learned:

1.     We really liked the MSC Meraviglia.

2.     We plan to sail on her again.

3.     We have fun wherever we go, even if we don’t get to go to the ports that were planned.

4.     It is fun to see our friends again who work on the ships.

5.     If it is organized well, getting on and off the ship can be painless.

Original Photo by Pat Hensley

Using Restraints

In this article 3 California school employees to be charged with manslaughter in death of special needs student,  the school staff retrained a student with autism face down and he stopped breathing.

First, I need to make sure that using restraints on a student is legal. Does the state allow it? Does my school district allow it? If it is allowed, I won’t restrain a student unless I’m trained properly. No one else should do this either.

When my student becomes violent enough to need restraint, I need to look at placement. Is this the right placement for my students? Is this the least restrictive environment as required by federal law?

I can understand if they are a small child and need to be restrained if they are hurting themselves or others. But before you restrain a child, there needs to be intense training on the proper way to do this. If the student is as big as the adult, it is time to call in professionals such as law enforcement to handle the situation. They are properly trained to restrain people if needed.

Whenever a person puts hands on another person, it could be construed as a battery on a person which is against the law. Before I would ever put my hands on a student, I would make sure it is the proper plan of action. Otherwise, I could end up like the three people in the article.

Restraint should be an act of last resort and only by properly trained personnel.

Does your school allow restraint on a student? Does it offer training? Please share.

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash