Captain-John

Sorry the meal was not as you hoped, Bea but thank you for your continued updates and trust you are having a good time.

Thanks for your continued updates Bea. I appreciate the actual delivery doesn't match the app sometiems, but I continue to be impressed by the menus and do not remember them having as many appealing (to me) options in the past. I would quite enjoy the Gloria Italia show, I don't speak a word of Italian but went to see Zucherro in Glasgow last year so much a fan I am. I thoroughly resent any kind of tour that has a shopping or 'demonstration' element to it, which is to say almost all cruise line operated tours. I appreciate I am in a minority as I had someone say to me in St Petersburg once that 45 minutes in the cruise-line owned 'souvenir' shop 'wasn't enough' and another threesome kick up an almighty hell that they missed a tour of an aloe factory in Aruba because the ship docked late on a Sunday and the factory was closed.

Thanks for your review Bea and look forward to following along. Sorry about the taxi! I have to say those MDR menus look better than the current Celebrity menus (a line I've been following closely as we are booked on Millenium in Japan next May). A real surprise for me as I have always embarked on an MSC cruise 'despite' the food and always held Celebrity to a higher standard but things have slipped there lately. Like you we are not MSC loyal. We were on NCL Joy in Haven earlier this year and we are booked on World Europa YC in November (I hope to post a review also). I'm looking forward to contrasting the two experiences given their similarities (ship-within-a-ship etc.). We have fond memories of Musica's sister Orchestra and (even although it was many years ago now) I remember reflecting on how well maintened the ship was despite her age at the time. Is this the case for Musica these days?

Wouldn't that be something if it was the case. Straw that broke the camel's back etc. A cut too far. There is something satisfying in thinking that something fairly trivial in and of itself has opened the floodgates to the wider issues people have.

I read with great interest. I wonder if they would consider plating some of the fare they serve in the buffet and serving it in the MDR? They're making it anyway, might as well offer some of it for variety to those who wish 'table service.' The complete opposite to what I thought years ago whereby I'd be aghast if the buffet offered the same food as the MDR. Now it seems the buffet offering is better, so nothing to be aghast about!

Ah, understood. Still not sure of the relevance (in respect of service delivery) but suppose it is useful to know for any admin queries, transferring over shore excursions and restaurant bookings etc.

I was browsing a thread on the Explora forum but didn't want to hijack that thread with a question better suited to here. The poster suggested that the MSC YC Concierges can see how much you have paid for your cruise. I cannot think of a single reason why they would need to know this (if true). Does anyone know if this is really the case?

We stayed on Joy until 10:45 (final call) in May - there were several hundred people still onboard/behind us in the queue to leave.

Just on the removal point, if gratuities are included in the booking (not pre-paid), can you claim them back if the service is not up to par? Even if reported on board and time given for it to be corrected?

Having never sailed Celebrity before, we are booked on Millenium in Japan next year. The menus posted earlier are not getting us too excited I have to say. In 20+ cruises we have never had an evening meal in the buffet but if the menus don't change before next May we may need to start a new habit. We have a 5 night speciality dining package albeit options are limited on Millenium. My go-to is a steak if the other options are not appealing in the MDR. I'll be eating a lot of steak I think as Tuscan I am sure will do a good one. Luckily, for this cruise it's more about the destinations than the ship. I had always regarded Celebrity as as a step above our mainstay of NCL and hope to be proven correct yet.

Understood, however however a redirection to the Local/O'Sheehans has no incentive for the guest so they might as well just say 'don't come to the Haven restaurant first day' in the absence of a suitable alternative. I wouldn't have thought they would use these venues for overflow either but just picking up on what the previous poster said.

Yes sorry maybe I am not being clear. American Diner is a paid for venue, the fee is waived on the first day so this is a 'perk' - an opportunity to try a speciality venue for no charge. O'Sheehans is a complimentary venue for all guests so there is no advantage (for the guest) to 'inviting' Haven passengers there on the first day, I don't get why NCL would even suggest it.

Odd, what's the Haven advantage then?

We went to American Diner on Joy and it was a good lunch. Presumably the menu at O'Sheehans was not the usual fare?

I too wish they'd just ask for a time rather than a flight number but agree there are workarounds. It's up to me if I want to be at the airport 3 hours before, not the 4+ that NCL dump me there. I promise I won't sue if my planning goes wrong and I miss the flight.

Just on the escort front, I have opined many times on these boards that I don't need or want an escort to the restaurant etc. One previous butler was incredibly persistent despite being told politely and firmly several times an escort was not required - 'let me do my job' was the reply. Well part of doing the job is working with the guest to provide a level of service they need/are comfortable with. We don't like being beholden to a dinner time for example and just leave the cabin when we are ready/feel like it. However another butler on Meraviglia was fantastic and anticipated our needs (or lack thereof, we are fairly 'hands off') and worked accordingly. We are back in YC on World Europa in a few weeks and I will report back on the butler services that are provided for us and compare to previous experiences. We were also in Haven this April/May so have a fairly recent compartor. The thing I am most looking forward to is the four cheese pizza delivered to the stateroom - call me simple. 🤷‍♀️

This is a disappointing change, I have often booked spa category cabins to guarantee access. Now subject to competing with others for the passes, they may sell out. Plus of course the price has increased.

We meet again. Really keen to hear how you find Epic. I was on her last October and she was not as well maintained as I was accustomed to for NCL ships. So, hoping that's changed. Regardless, have a fabulous time.

If we ever end up on the same sailing I'm sure we'd end up having a spirited debate or two. We might see the other side. This medium doesn't always make it easy.

'All the *bad* sentiment' - I've edited it. Sorry but you are just picking a fight. 'What am I going to do about it'? Come on. Unless you personally are the person at NCL responsible for this decision, you're coming on way too strong. I didn't insult your mother. You and I have disagreed on these boards before but I am starting to wonder why you so strongly and consistently defend NCL at every turn. NCL must absolutely love a section of its passenger base. The ships can be in bad shape, the food can be lower quality than before, they can have underhand marketing tactics yet some just say 'more please.' No wonder they keep pushing the boundaries when many are so permissive.

They aren't and look at all the bad sentiment.

Optics.

I personally am of the belief that an extra $50-$100 on the headline fare to 'absorb' issues such as this, or other 'nickel and diming' examples goes down far better. It's optics and it's messaging. Obviously NCL and some cruisers really make a decision to cruise one line or another based on that kind of marginal difference or the cruise lines wouldn't play games with headline fares, DSC, drinks package add-ons, 'Free at Sea' bundles etc. If we get into the weeds of cross-subsidy, someone not using the MDR but the buffet instead is arguably paying over the odds for a seated table service they aren't getting. I'm not meaning to be difficult, but in one way or another we are ALL paying for facilities that we may or may not use. For example, I don't have children but many ships I'm on have a kids' club facility. I appreciate your example of the RC package being double the cost of NCL isn't the same as what I'm saying. But for NCL to pay the VAT to Spain in this case, they wouldn't need to double the cost - we're talking a few bucks per passenger averaged out over the whole ship.

NCL should pay it to Spain without charging passengers more, end of story.

They can only cut so deep, and then there won't be a business left to 'save.' Whack another $50 bucks onto the cruise fare and nobody would notice or care. But little moves like this are noticed and generally creates a negative sentiment bigger than the incremental cruise fare. It's all about the messaging. I'm not looking forward to my first X cruise in all honesty. Sure, my eventual opinion will be based on my actual experience but the sum total of all the 'little' changes I've read about on these boards is really bad PR.