LLYMI 2025 Newsletter Archives

We are less than two months away from our 2025 LLYMI Cruise! Please pay close attention to these updates. Tim’s VIDEO update is above.

Topics covered this month are:

Don’t pay attention to the boarding time on your cruise tickets! For our charter, it is open boarding from 12:30 - 3:30pm on embarkation day, Saturday, February 8th. If you arrive before 12:30, there is a great chance you will be standing outside waiting.

Your Detailed Event Schedule is here! (Click the Event Schedule button below)

• This is 95% set, so expect some minor changes.
• Things to notice on the schedule
  • Where shows and breakouts can be viewed. You will see where the in-person event will happen and where you can view it live via streaming at another venue and/or one of the TV channels.
  • All shows by a particular performer will be repeated. A performer may have 4 performances scheduled, but they are all the same show. Our goal is to offer enough times that everyone could see it in-person ONCE!
• The Ticket icon next to some events indicates they require a ticket for the in-person venue. We have done away with the problem of standing in line not knowing if you will get into an event.
  • Tickets for an event become available 45 minutes before that event at the venue door.
  • Once you have a ticket, you know you have a seat for that performance or breakout up to 5 minutes before the start of the show.
  • You may not pick up tickets for anyone else - just you and your spouse if they are not with you right then.
  • There will be some standby options that we will share about next month.
  • Remember there are no saving seats - if you want to sit with someone, walk in with them.
  • Those with a Limited Mobility Pass will still require a ticket.

A good thing to remember as you view the schedule is You Can’t Do Everything!! Main Sessions and Breakouts will be available through the Video on Demand system also.

Event Schedule (click here)

Book Excursions NOW! Now that you have the schedule, it is a great time to Book your excursions through our Reservations Team. Remember, those have to be paid for when you book.

A reminder about Dining Room Seating: The deadline for Fantastica Experience guests to send in any dining preferences has passed. Fantastica and Bella Experience guests will be assigned to a dining room AND table.

If you are a Fantastica guest and sent a seating preference, that should be accommodated. All others are assigned tables by MSC. You don’t show up on the first night with people you want to sit with. You’ve been pre-assigned a table and it will be printed on your Key Card.

For Yacht Club and Aurea Guests, you have My Time dining in your respective dining rooms.

Some other REMINDERS:

• Ignore any MSC emails about upgrades, etc.. Those can’t be turned off for charters.
• If you have Special Needs:
  • Email THIS FORM to specialneeds@msccruisesusa.com
  • The deadline to purchase Water for CPAP machines has passed. If you did not request water, you must bring your own.
  • Extension cords for CPAP can be brought onboard ONLY if you’ve sent in your form.
  • Dietary needs do NOT require a form, but our Reservations Team NEEDS to know.

We will have more for you next month.

Sail on,

Your FamilyLife Cruise Team

Topics that are covered this month:

Love Like You Mean It’s Got Talent - We Need YOU!

We have received some great audition recordings, but we still need YOURS! The deadline is November 30th. However, we may extend some grace for auditions that come in the first week of December if it's really good. Here are the official rules and guidelines.

Remember:

• Don’t take yourself too seriously - have fun with this!
• Everyone who submits an audition gets a prize.
• There is an award for The Most Courageous Entry. That means we applaud you for letting us experience your attempt.
• We are asking for a TWO-minute audition recording.

Schedule release - Coming December 11th 

We will have more activities than ever before, so don’t be overwhelmed. You can’t do everything. There will also be more ways to experience those activities - from watching live to viewing it livestreamed in another location, to watching live from your stateroom TV. Much of the content will even be available a few hours after it is complete through the Video-On-Demand system in your cabin.

Event app - Expected release January 21st 

The app will have a lot of information related to the event and it is recommended that you use it. We will send instructions on the download process in January.

Here are a few other reminders:

• You will probably see some auto-generated emails from MSC about upgrading staterooms, etc. Those don’t apply to charters and we can’t stop them. Please IGNORE THEM.
• If you are flying into Miami (MIA), make sure you arrive no later than 12:30 pm on embarkation day. We also recommend not flying out before 1:00 pm on the day we arrive back. If you are flying in and out of Fort Lauderdale (FLL), it is about an hour from the Port of Miami.
• If you are in a Fantastica stateroom experience, make sure you have let the reservation team know your dining preferences. 
• Special needs forms need to be submitted to MSC ASAP. This is for people using wheelchairs, scooters, or CPAP machines.  
• You can bring your own distilled water for your CPAP machine or purchase it for $3 from MSC, but ONLY if you’ve submitted the form.
• Our team can help you book your add-ons - call them

And finally, if you’ve forgotten where we are going…

https://www.lovelikeyoumeanitcruise.com/trip-details

Sail on,

Your FamilyLife Cruise Team

Your October update has arrived, and we finally got Tim and Cruiser back in the studio so you can watch the video update above.

Topics that are covered this month:

Love Like You Mean Its Got Talent

We are ready for your audition files. Here are the official rules and guidelines.

Some reminders are:

• Don’t take yourselves so seriously - have fun with this
• Remember - everyone who submits an audition gets a prize
• AND we will also be awarding the most courageous. That means we applaud you for letting us experience your attempt
• We are asking for TWO-minute audition recordings

Mission Excursions

• We will offer Mission Excursion opportunities in two of our ports - Dominican Republic and San Juan, Puerto Rico
• We will partner with Filters of Hope providing clean water for families and we will share the gospel with each home.
• The cost will be $160 for a couple and includes transportation, 2 filters per couple, and the logistics of the on-the-ground ministry team in the country.
• Limited to the first 40 couples for each excursion. On sale now, call LLYMI guest services

MSC Booking Numbers are coming within days

They are in process and you will receive an email with your booking number hopefully sometime next week.

Here are a few reminders:

• You will probably see some auto-generated emails from MSC after that about upgrading staterooms, etc. Those don’t apply to charters and we can’t stop them. Please IGNORE THEM.
• With your Booking number, you can purchase add-ons like Beverage packages, Internet, Excursions, etc. There are 2 ways to purchase those.
  • Our team can book those for you - and then if for some reason you need to change something, they can help.
  • Online through the MSC system. Our team is not able to help you later if you purchase this way and later need to change something.
• We recommend waiting to purchase excursions until closer to 60 days out. They do change and add excursions up until that point as their onshore partners set the final excursions.

We will have more for you next month.

Sail on,

Your FamilyLife Cruise Team

Before you call to tell us…we are aware it is October 1st now. The September newsletter was delayed - we apologize.

The OFFICIAL Love Like You Mean It’s Got Talent Rules and Info is here!!

(Also, don’t miss the updates at the end)

Your chance to win a FREE Stateroom on LLYMI 26 (and some other fun prizes) has arrived! We are debuting our version of the popular show America's Got Talent on our 2025 sailing. We want to appreciate all our guests' talents…and the courage it takes to share that talent with all of us. Everyone who enters will be rewarded!!!

• Who can enter? An individual, couple, or a group of up to 6 people (all have to be registered for the 2025 cruise).
• Are there restrictions for my act? You have to be able to perform it on the ship - no juggling baby goats - things like singing, comedy, instrumental, ventriloquist, dancing, illusions, impressions, juggling, etc. There can be nothing flammable - no fire sword swallowing…
• What are the details for the audition recording?
  • The deadline for submitting an audition recording is November 30th. To submit your audition recording use this FORM. Your recording must be uploaded to either YouTube or Vimeo, and the link to view must be sent via the form. Should you need help uploading your file to YouTube or Vimeo, see the help articles below.
  • We will not accept files sent directly to us. They must be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo and the link sent to us in the form.
  • Your audition recording should not be over 2 minutes long. It should include a brief introduction of your act and the participants.
  • If chosen to be one of the 10 acts performing onboard, your act can be up to 4 minutes long.
• What happens after you submit your audition?
  • The top 10 best acts will be chosen to perform on the ship in our semi-finals.
  • Our esteemed panel of judges will judge the semi-finals, and the winner of each semi-final will compete in the Finals onboard.
  • Our guests (All of YOU) will vote on the winner during the finals.
• What are the prizes?
  • Top prize - free balcony stateroom on LLYMI 2026 cruise with all port fees, taxes, and gratuities!
  • All Semi-final participants (the top 10 acts chosen to perform onboard) will receive an Exclusive one-of-a-kind LLYMI’s Got Talent shirt!
  • Everyone who submits an audition recording will receive a $25 credit on a stateroom booked for the 2026 cruise.
  • Awards will also be given for the most courageous entries (Translation: Bless your heart, you tried…sort of…)
  • A blooper reel will be made. Have some fun with this!! Remember, everyone entering will be rewarded!!

Help articles to upload audition files

YouTube - https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57407?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop

Vimeo - https://help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/18774922216721-How-to-upload-a-video-to-Vimeo

Other Cruise Updates:

• We would like to upload our registration information into the MSC system this month. This allows us to generate your MSC booking number so you can book excursions, etc. But, we need your citizenship information in the system. Please get your info to our team ASAP!
• As you plan your travel in and out of Miami, remember the recommendations on arrival and departure times.
  • Arrive by 12:30 PM on departure day February 8th.
  • Depart after 1:00 PM on February 15th.

We will have more for you next month.

Sail on,

Your FamilyLife Cruise Team

Read carefully - there is no video update this month. (I know - disappointing isn’t it! Tim is a slacker this month…)

First, here are a few reminders to be aware of.

• If you book a Bella guarantee cabin, it will show up on your invoice and account as a Fantastica cabin. That means a specific reserved cabin is assigned. It is still the Bella experience which is the most discounted experience and does not allow for changes in dining or session times from what was assigned.
• Dining is different than in the past. If you are Fantastica and you would like to eat with someone specifically, please contact our reservation team to discuss that. Dining assignments will be made by November 1st. Please call them soon.
• Aurea guests need to reserve their specialty dining package times by November 1st. Please call our team.
• Please get your citizenship information to our team ASAP so there is no problem verifying it and we are assured you will get on the ship without delay.

Love Like You Mean Its Got Talent:

We have been delayed slightly in getting the final details out to you, but those will be coming in September. As a reminder, here are a few answers to your questions.

• Who can enter? An Individual, couple, or a group - max 6 people
• Are there restrictions for my act? You have to be able to perform it on a ship - no juggling baby goats - things like: singing, comedy, instrumental, ventriloquist, dancing, illusions, impressions, juggling, etc. There can be nothing flammable - no fire sword swallowing…
• What are the details of your audition recording?
  • Deadline is October 30th for us to receive your audition file. (The process of submitting your audition will be out in a few weeks)
  • 2 minutes max for audition recording / if chosen for performing onboard, your act can be up to 4 minutes
  • Top 10 best will perform on the ship
  • Top prize - free stateroom on 2026 cruise
  • Awards given for the most courageous - and a blooper reel will be made. Have some fun with this!!

We will have more for you next month.

Sail on,

Your FamilyLife Cruise Team

We have a lot to share this month, but some of it will only be found by watching Tim’s July Update Video above. For instance, we hope you have seen we have confirmed Danny Gokey as one of our performers on the 2025 cruise, but there are more. Tim shares other speakers and performers that have been confirmed but not announced yet. You’ll get the inside scoop!!

Other topics covered this month:

• First Upload of our Manifest to MSC - coming soon
  • Charters are different! The cruise line’s normal guest marketing is not relevant to us. It is not possible to turn off all of the cruise line's automatic emails - IGNORE THEM!
  • When we are ready, we will send you your MSC booking number from our LLYMI team, and they can help you purchase onboard items like Internet plans, drink packages, etc.
• A word about excursions
  • Once you get your booking number you can technically book excursions, BUT, the cruise line will continue to add new excursions up until 60-90 days from our sailing. Keep that in mind.
  • Mission Excursions will be offered in BOTH San Juan and Puerto Plata this year through our partner Filters of Hope. Details are coming soon.
• The official content theme has been finalized for this year. It is Resilient Marriage: God’s Grace for Life’s Obstacles
  • You will hear stories of transformation, how the gospel helps us to build a resilient marriage, and have a number of breakout options covering some of the specific obstacles we face in marriage.
• A word about the MSC App
  • It will work and have our schedule of activities, however, we will not offer any support for their app. If you have problems with the MSC app, we can’t help.
  • We will also have our LLYMI event app with a lot of additional functionality and options.
• CPAP Machines / Distilled water
  • If you need to travel with a CPAP machine, contact our team to learn how you can purchase distilled water for your CPAP, and details about bringing your own extension cord onboard.
• LLYMIs Got Talent - official entry details are coming the first part of August, but here are some basics.
  • Who can enter? An Individual, couple, or a group - max 6 people
  • Are there restrictions for my act? You have to be able to perform it on a ship - no juggling baby goats - things like: singing, comedy, instrumental, ventriloquist, dancing, illusions, impressions, juggling, etc. There can be nothing flammable - no fire sword swallowing…
  • What are the details of your audition recording?
    • Deadline is October 30th for us to receive your audition file. (The process of submitting your audition will be out in a few weeks)
    • 2 minutes max for audition recording / if chosen for performing onboard, your act can be up to 4 minutes
    • Top 10 best will perform on the ship
    • Top prize - free stateroom on 2026 cruise
    • Awards given for the most courageous - and a blooper reel will be made. Have some fun with this!!

If you missed our June update, you can go back and watch all of this year’s newsletter videos on this page.

We will have more for you next month.

Sail on,

Your FamilyLife Cruise Team