Georgia_Peaches

I became “Elite” just before the shut down so haven’t had a chance to use my perks yet. I didn’t know about the no 5-7 cocktail hour on day 1. I would have wondered if there was a different event taking its place as well ( like a welcome aboard gathering…idk). so thanks for asking the question and hopefully you’re not discouraged from asking more in the future.

Really can’t help but wonder if OP is just trolling. If a legit question, I guess they got their answer in spades.

Sorry to hear this report. I think we all knew this was coming…hoped it wouldn’t, but here it is.

We booked a RS on Solstice back in August when they were running a 75% off the second person promotion. I was able to get the suite at a cheaper rate than we've ever paid for a RS. But this is on Solstice...a ship that hasn't been renovated or revolutionized. Recently pricing the only suite category left on our sailing has the CS for roughly the same price we paid for the RS. What I'm trying to say is, I think we got a good deal by booking back in August but those prices seem to have gone by way of the dodo bird....especially on the E class ships!

Thank you for the comparison. More and more I just think MSC has the suite life down to a T. We will be on Celebrity Solstice in a RS in March. I look forward to the all included specialty dining and the additional powder room for DH. I wish MSC would expand their N. American embarkation ports, perhaps in time they will! Where are you off to next?

On our 4 nighter we rented one of the pool deck cabanas (Meraviglia only has three). I couldn't believe the price! $34.99 for the entire day and included an ice chest of water and soft drinks. I was so shocked at the price that I kept asking the poor Italian concierge to repeat himself because I thought I was hearing wrong. Needless to say, it was money well spent and I'd do it again!!

In my opinion it’s not just an inside cabin. The balcony isn’t important to me at all. What we are paying for is the yacht club experience which, in my view far exceeds the stateroom itself. Considering what we have paid for a suite in the past on other lines, I think we are getting a good deal. But it’s all relative, I guess. We did get it worked out in the end.

Round 2 After pointing out MSC's own policy to my TA, she in turn pointed it out to a different MSC service representative. The second rep was aware of the policy and was able to book my room with the appropriate codes to reduce the price by 30% and then by an additional 5%. The room I selected is booked and confirmed. I lost the bet against myself as I figured it would take at least three tries. ☺️

Thank you for this live review! We are doing this cruise in March and I will be following along with great interest. We have never done the Mexican Riviera before and as such, have no idea what excursions we should take. In looking at the cruise planner today, I found many that sound similar in nature. Am anxious to learn which, if any, excursions you will be exploring. Cheers!

Agreed! See post three...

OMG! You're right, of course! 30% off plus an additional 5% off puts the fare at $2312, not $2260. Thank you for splitting hairs! I totally need to get my math straight! 🤦‍♀️

Very good points!

A casino thread, woohoo! I recently received a 30% off casino voucher from my November sailing on the Meraviglia! DH was very proud of me for my casino contribution because 30% off is pretty sweet. After reading some success stories from fellow CC members, I was delighted to learn that the casino offer CAN be combined with my 5% off Voyager's Club membership. So who wouldn't jump on a 35% savings?! Reaching out to my trusted TA with voucher in tow, I selected an August itinerary (well within the required 9 month expiration time of the voucher) for an interior YC stateroom, 7 nights on Seaside. Price before taxes is $1739 pp. With 35% off, the total price of this cruise becomes $2260 plus tax. Not too shabby! Fast forward to Round 1: MSC customer service rep told my TA that I could use the 5% off or the 30% off but not both. 🤦‍♀️...Which one did I want to use? 🤦‍♀️ So I reread the fine print on the voucher: Hmmm, where do you think this will go, CC friends?

Couldn't agree more! I absolutely love an energetic crowd and the vibe that goes with it and I have been on plenty of S class ships to know it can be accomplished. I guess I'm now a part of the older demographic 🙃 by definition but still enjoy a lively atmosphere and I don't think I have to jump to an E class ship to get it... I think some might get the impression that S class ships are dull...hope not.

Thank you, @mafig! The only thing keeping us off of NCL is their current suite pricing. It's just too much for repeat itineraries in the Caribbean. We'd like to try some new itineraries some day but for now, we are just sticking closer to home. 😊

So I'm guessing your deposit wasn't $500? The math doesn't make sense. If your balance due was a difference of $500 then I was going to say that human error must have reversed the figures. I agree, this kind of thing is frustrating. I assume you are going to give them a call? Please report back!

Interesting video! Celebrity has "revolutionized" several of their S class ships to be more like the E class. I think if they really are trying to cover their bases as it relates to appealing to a variety of age demographics, they need to leave the S class ships alone. It's one thing to refurbish the decor and another thing entirely to take a ship and morph it into something else (ship within a ship concept). If they continue to revolutionize the remaining S class ships to be more like the E class, then in my view they really aren't playing to multiple age demographics at all. I guess I'm a traditionalist.

I think some of it may be due to Celebrity's rating system and the pressure that goes with receiving a 10 on the survey card. Pure speculation on my part but if your butler thought he/she had done something wrong they may have thought they were going to receive a poor service survey. The thing I'm learning most from this thread is that the communication between the passenger and the butler on embarkation day is key. I've scoffed in the past at people who say they provide their butler with a list of requests and likes/dislikes on day one. I thought this was so pretentious. Now I'm beginning to realize that such a thing can really make for a much smoother and less stressful experience for all parties because everyone gets on the same page from day one. Should I create such a list for our upcoming cruise I would probably indicate that I won't be requesting personal escorts around the ship but would enjoy a plate of cheese and crackers delivered to the room in the afternoon. I think now I may need to go back and re-read what others have prepared in advance for their butlers.

I get that but the op specifically said the reason was he didn’t want to bother the butler, not that he wanted it faster without all the fuss.

Now that would be way cool!

Depends on what is important to you. The Escape is hands down my favorite ship. Mic drop. The last time I was on her was the 2nd to last week before the shut down. We had an aft Haven penthouse suite. The balcony was simply amazing. The haven enclave is beautiful but the pool deck is small and not adults only. There were some kids from time to time but nothing too outrageous. The outdoor sun deck is ages 16 and up I believe. The retractable roof was open much of the time and that really wasn’t my favorite (on Breakaway they kept it closed and climate controlled). We thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor dining area attached to the restaurant and the thermal suite on the ship is the best at sea imo. We also really enjoyed the draft house, the water front and Choir of Man (theater show). The casino is large and offers a variety of current games. Smoking is a bummer but we survived. There’s a dueling piano bar, tons of dining options and endless things to do!

Would you mind expanding on the tour itself? What you toured/where you got to go…

Not sure why you wouldn’t want to bother your butler. Serving you is their job. You paid for it and should feel encouraged to use their services. If you feel your butler has gone above and beyond or you feel you may have been a little extra needy, give them additional compensation in the form of a tip.

Yes, that would be a great feature! If you have time to shoot me an e-mail I'm at pipercatandjane at gmail dot com.

Wasn't suggesting that at all...was going to give you mine. But no worries, I'm good. And I did speak with my TA today and she laughed and said she had no idea what that could be. Have used the same TA and have had tremendous service from them for years. In fact, I've shared my source with numerous cruise critic members via e-mail that I provided. It's a shame that Cruise Critic won't allow the public sharing of TA info but their site, their rules. Happy cruising.