Yinster

Not everyone gets the option to bid. For me, I can if I sail with RC but not with NCL. I book with the same TA. Sometimes depending on who you book with, you won't get thr option.

My personal opinion is try for yourself. As everyone has their own opinions on it. We sailed with MSC last October as we found a very good deal with the yacht club. We enjoyed it very much though you are literally limited to the yacht club restaurant for meals unless you have a speciality dining package. Good job they change the menu unlike the Haven restaurant. But sometimes we like to use the MDR onboard and that wasn't possible. With MSC the cost includes gratitude and drinks so it makes it's more attractive. If you don't mind inside rooms you can get a YC inside for a good price and have the benefit of the YC. One thing you notice onboard is that it has a very European feeling. Majority of people are European. They use European songs. It's not a bad thing but it can be a culture shock. Oh they will status match you so do that. But you lose all your points if you don't sail every three years Like I said at the start, best to try it yourself.

Great to finally meet you

Looking forward to your fridge magnet exchange. I will be popping in at the end. See you on board

Doesn't matter what ship or cruise you are on. What matters is the executive chef as the standard filters down from him/her.

Yet NCL still do them. But you are right. It's all about cost and time My cruise has roll call but I find the FB group easier to navigate. All the questions, answers, suggestions and general post are all lumbered in one thread. On the social media page you have different posts so you can find things easier. Plus there are more photos on there than here. Will roll calls on CC be non existent in the future? Who knows but FB are more popular and that's an outlet which is on the decline compared to other social media apps.

I'm hoping to be the first. You are correct since there are fewer star class cabins and if they are all sold out, you need to be the highest bid if one becomes available. Simple case of odds

Only speculating but my first thought would be commission. As the royal up is done by an external company, the TA will get no commission if you are successful. It is also extra time and work for them to inform you if you are interested in simply buying an upgrade as the majority of people will not think to do that after paying full payment. Other discounter TA will not have the chance to participate because they are already getting cabins at a very high discount

That kinda of sucks. Ach well

I didn't realise that full suite will have the benefit of wine, beer, soda and free water included from 11 to 11. I'm sailing on anthem in May and have the refreshments package. Take it, I can ditch it?

Haven't an unassigned guaranteed balcony cabin won't be the reason as there have been plenty of people who didn't know their cabin number but had the option to Royal up.

I don't think you should be too concerned. From hearing people getting successful royal up bids from interior or oceanview to balconies weeks before the cruise and also seeing people booking it this week, I get the feeling it won't be 4000 passengers on board. If you get a train it won't take more than a few hours to Gatwick. You should be fine

I'm confused if you booked as a group for the very small savings why your mom has a separate reservation? If you were both on the same reservations it would be easy as when I check in, I could check in my partner too. The selfie was done later. If you want check your mom in under your reservation I would create an RC account for her and put in her reservation. When the time comes, you do it on her behalf. My parents are the same so I assist them by doing it this way Regarding whether you get different check in times, there are no rhyme or reason what they do on the day whether you can go as a group or not. It depends on a few factors, how busy the sailing is, how busy the actual terminal is, what staff is there and whether they use their discretion.

I just put in a couple of bids to royal up to the star class. In the very unlikeliest I managed to win one of those bids will I get a refund on the gratuity, dining and drink packs I have already bought? TIA

It depends on the shore excursions. Sometimes if it's a bus tour then maybe as they could hire more buses. But if it's a limited tour then probably noti I will add in the discussion to keep your eyes on the excursions if it's sold out because sometimes people back out of the reservation so there might space after all. Go to the shore excursions desk and they can advise you.

If you don't mind NOT having a balcony then check out the yacht club inside cabins. Ok it's an inside cabin but slighter bigger than most and usually even cheaper than the YC balcony. They were designed so that families can have their children in them whilst the adults were in the balcony. But a lot of people have cotton onto this and pay for the Yacht club inside to get the all perks of the yacht club. Usually to compare price, you could get a large balcony on MSC or you could get an inside YC for the same price. It's a no brainer for a lot of people. Not my partner, she likes having a balcony so we pay extra

Tip what you feel is right There is no set amount which is too little or too large. But do bring cash and tip according to service. As someone said the level of service you get from each individual varies as well as how often you use them.

Thank you for your review. When we first sailed with NCL I was lucky and got a Haven Spa suite for £2000pp for 9 nights. Having done that, we never sail NCL unless we can get a Haven cabin within our budget. We have been lucky since I have never paid more than £2000 for 7 nights. We love the product. Also it has meant we are now platinum (RCL diamond level) having only sailed 5 times with points double and one time tripled We are now trying a grand one bedroom suite with RC on our next cruise. Previously only having been in an oceanview which we don't mind. I know we don't get the genie but we are low maintenance and never really needed the concierge or butler on NCL Have you tried MSC yacht club? We did that last October and it is very good. Plus the price is considering lower than RC and NCL. Other thing is MSC will status match you too

If you got the unlimited dining, can you not go twice in one night? Or am I missing here?

Looking to book two nights in either Hampton Inn (formerly Comfort Inn) or Embassy suites in Elizabeth, Newark. Both have complimentary airport shuttle but not sure of port shuttle to Cape Liberty. Though not too fuss as we can use an Uber. Looking to go to 9/11 on our full day stay as well. Any opinions on these hotels or others before we book one?

RC never dropped the COVID test requirement regarding certain sailings including Transatlantic. What has changed is that these tests don't need to be supervised. So RC are pushing this formality onto it's passengers to test themselves correctly. This is ok if all the passengers follow the rules. Otherwise what's the point in it

Why not have both? One morning in a recent cruise I timed it to have three breakfasts in three different restaurants

It's hard to tell whether MSC will be to your liking. All you will have on here is other people's experiences and opinions. It would be the same if you asked if RC was right for you? As you are diamond you will say yes but others will say no I think if the itinerary looks right for you at the price you are willing to pay then go for it. If you decide to book a cruise then definitely do status match and get their equivalent of diamond perks Also I would encourage you if your budget can cover yacht club then do it. You won't regret it. We loved the YC. Drink package and WiFi included. Private lounge space and deck area. Own restaurant and snacks throughout the day and night. Entertainment is different from RC. No big show from Broadway. Rather one off shows they created. Personally we didn't like the infrastructure of the ship we were on. There was no atrium or big area like RC. Rather all the areas were enclosed except for the deck areas. However the newer ships have address this issue. They do try to upsell you but just ignore it. Try it once and see what you think. Only you can decide whether MSC is a right fit for you.

First time you go to Windjammer, try and look out for the officers in charge. They will more than happy to help you with your situation. If you rather do it yourself then either bring your own tray from home or ask if you can have a tray. Don't be afraid to ask for help or a tray. I find that on cruises, staff bend over backwards to help you out

Do what you think is right. No one will have a right answer to this.