Georgia_Peaches

I’ve only seen escargot in Le Bistro. Not sure about lobster. 

1 hour ago, gmbhardy said:

 

Oh yes they do. My TA told me that NCL is the only cruise line that treats upgrades as a total rebook. You get the perks of the upgraded room, not what you had for your original booking. I just upgraded from a balcony to a H5 and lost $200 of OBC. 

Yep totally agree. This is my experience as well. We upgraded from an H5 to H6 and our OBC changed from $325 to $375 bc that’s what was being offered at the time. In this case it worked out in our favor. The OP should be able to find out from their TA or NCL directly. 

59 minutes ago, tomservo said:

Aren't the higher end suites (Royal Suite and above) on the S-class ships significantly more expensive than the Haven? I guess if you're comparing an RS and up to an H2/H3 they would be comparable in price. But a RS on S-class I feel like is almost twice the price of an H6...

A Royal suite is pricey for sure. But we are on a 9 night ABC itinerary that NCL doesn’t offer. Had they offered it, we would have likely booked a Haven aft penthouse which I feel is most closely matched to the S class Royal suite in terms of size and suite amenities for a little bit less money. 

Have been on both ships in the suite class. I absolutely love the Breakaway Haven and the Equinox can’t really compare. Breakaway has a lovely climate controlled pool and lounging area in the courtyard as well as a private sun deck with plenty of shade options. Service in the Haven is impeccable but not better than Celebrity. In that dept. I’d say it’s a tie. Food being subjective makes it difficult to comment on with regard to taste but I will say that we enjoyed the breakfast options in the Haven as well as some of the dinner menu items. The Haven restaurant has a fixed menu that doesn’t change unlike Luminae, which changes. You can also get MDR items in Luminae. 

We think the Celebrity drink package is better as it includes water and smoothies (for now). 

The bar/lounge area in the Haven is very nice while the bar itself is on the small side. 

The thermal suite on Breakaway is absolutely amazing!  I really liked the Persian Garden on Celebrity until I was introduced to NCLs take on this area. 

Celebrity has the solarium which I like a lot and NCL doesn’t have this. But being in the Haven, I didn’t miss it. In my opinion, the ship within a ship concept that Celebrity is trying to incorporate in their S class ships will never really live up to the Haven product. 

That said, we are booked on Silhouette in a Royal Suite. We chose this ship because it has not yet been revolutionized. We like the suite life on Celebrity as is and pretty soon that will be gone. 

If you want a true ship within a ship exclusive suite experience then I would recommend Breakaway over any of the S class ships. 

I love experiencing and submerging in different cultures and find some of those differences to be fascinating. But as Wonderman has pointed out, good service is good service, regardless of the culture. Indifference and dismissive behaviors by those in the service industry should be addressed, in this case by MSC. Look at how many people have viewed this review. Some may dismiss Wonderman’s observations as simply Americanized complaining while others, specifically Americans like myself who are considering a change, may view it as significant enough to pass on trying the product. Admittedly, I will carefully consider the OPs remarks but will ultimately decide for myself with first hand experience. But MSC should pay attention bc with over 12,000 views thus far, many could decide not to take the chance and move on. 

Wonderman, you have my continued gratitude for taking the time to write this review. 

So funny that you started this thread.  Just yesterday my DH and I were discussing our least favorite part of embarkation day...the muster drill (or mustard drill as he calls it bc he hates mustard).  At any rate, he questions the likelihood of anyone reporting to their actual muster station in the event of an abandon ship emergency such as the Costa Concordia pointing out that it will likely include so much panic and chaos that people will probably bypass the muster station and find the nearest lifeboat.

We tip a couple of bucks for our combined bags.  We do the same when we get off the park-n-ride at the airport.  It makes their day without breaking the bank.  When we arrived back to Port Canaveral after a quick trip on the Sun, the debarkation line was incredibly long inside the terminal trying to get through customs.  A porter came by with a cart offering to move anyone interested to the front of the line.  We took him up on it and at the end, tipped him $15 bucks.  Well worth it to skip that sprawling line. 

Thank you VT for the great information. It sounds lovely. I want to cruise with you 😉. Think I will have to give this some more thought. 

Hcat, the art crawl sounds very interesting as well!  

On 9/18/2019 at 8:53 PM, vtcruising said:

I agree with the suite idea. We have done 2 wine tastings, one in a sky suite and one in a CS (another couple had the CS). We spoke with the butler and MC concierge who comped some platters of food, brought glasses and another bottle or two of wine. There were 8 at one tasting and 9 at the other. We each brought a bottle from home, either a local wine or another favorite and everyone introduced their wines. It was great fun both times and we found some new favorites.

 

Without a suite, it obviously would be tight for 10 people in a cabin. As happened with Jelayne, you may or may not get a space onboard. Maybe they would give you a space at an off time in the MDR or Meeting Place.  I wonder if celebrityonetouch@celebrity.com would help with arranging it pre-cruise? Good luck!

 

VT how did you go about setting this up in terms of participants?  Through the roll call?  My DH and I are on Silhouette in November for 9 night ABC cruise. We are in a RS and would love to host such an event but I really don’t know where to start. 

Thank you!

9 hours ago, B+S said:

Thanks to everyone who saw the forest for the trees and suggested winning the war not just the battle.

 

We'll apply for new passport books and turn over our passport cards in hopes they arrive.

 

Tis a shame though, for the rules at Celebrity's own Pre-cruise FAQ site, at the US Bureau of State - Consular Affairs, and at the US Customs and Border Patrol Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative website are all crystal clear - all we truly need is a Passport CARD, open loop or otherwise.

 

We should not have to do this for fear of Celebrity's own incompetence or ignorance at check-in. But we will.

 

Bob+Sue

Good News, Bob+Sue!  We are hoping to meet you at the Meet & Mingle once on board.  

18 minutes ago, mnocket said:

More to come once I return home.........

Thank you for this perspective.  I will look for your review.  Hope you continue to enjoy your vacay.

BTW...I've never heard of being hard pressed to find an open slot machine in the casino...even during peak times.  Is the casino small or just not equipped with many machines?

Agree that it is not about the lack of buns at the grill.  He is so very detailed in his reviews that everyone will likely land on something that sticks for them.  And I would also agree that when you get used to a certain level of service, such as what one typically receives on Celebrity, it can be difficult to live up to.   Still many of his observations are spot on for things that would be turn offs for us.  With an itinerary such as his, you can't really go wrong though.  For us, we are cruising the Caribbean for the 100th time so it's less about the itinerary and more about the experience.

CelebrityOneTouch@celebrity.com  

You can e-mail this address with questions and it will be filtered to the appropriate person for ship and sailing.  I e-mailed them last week regarding the elimination of free movies in the stateroom and was contacted by the shore side concierge for Silhouette.  Not sure with whom your issue will land but you will get a response from someone.

32 minutes ago, B+S said:

Sure, I could pay the $340.00 for two expedited passport BOOKS. But should I have to?

No, you should not have to do this for an error on Celebrity's part.  

46 minutes ago, hcat said:

I am not getting the impression of lavish service and great food from  Wonderman's review...or photos.  He reports language / understanding issues  in the part of  some staff. He did say he would withhold final judgment til they finish  on both MSC  ships

I have been following Wonderman's review as well.  Am concerned about the communication issues more than the food.  Since food is so subjective and the pictures don't look much different than what I see on X or NCL.  I did find it concerning that there were no buns at the YC grill.  But then I remind myself that this is an Italian cruise liner on a Med. itinerary and they are not catering to the American market at all.  Last year we took a land vacay to Italy and completely immersed ourselves in the culture for two weeks.  Talk about communication issues...and the food was just meh on my Americanized palate.

I wonder how different it would be on a Caribbean cruise on the Seaside with regard to communication issues and even food offerings.  That's the ship we opted for in order to try MSC in March.  Based on Wonderman's review, I am not sure I'd book a foreign cruise liner for a European itinerary.  I think he has the right attitude though and seems to be going into it with an open mind.

Great ongoing review. I look forward to it every day. But wondering, are you having a good time? With service and food seeming to be just ok, I’m just wondering if you are regretting your decision to try MSC. 

BTW..so glad you found a lucky machine!!

12 minutes ago, HelenREMfan said:

 

As I said no top deck movie screen on the Silhouette and Celebrity Central is claustrophobic and not very comfortable!!

 

So glad you pointed that out again bc I don't think aml3679 read the entire thread.  If they had, they would have understood the issue was much bigger than lemons.  In fairness, it is a long thread...

At any rate, a happy ending!  

So I just got a call from our shore side concierge for our upcoming cruise on Silhouette (11/22).  She said that my one touch email ended up with her and she wanted to discuss the matter with me.  She was absolutely wonderful and completely empathetic to the issue.  Like someone else posted, she seemed as outraged by the change as the guests and said she was glad I wrote to voice my concern because the more people who do so, perhaps the more top level executives will pay attention.  As we are in a RS, she did confirm that there are no more free movies for any  cabin category.  She also indicated that as a group, the concierges were called together to discuss the change and to determine the appropriate way to respond to guest complaints.  I believe that her dialog to me was very similar to what has already been reported.  At any rate, they are making note of the number of complaints that are coming in on this issue...so keep them coming, I guess.

4 minutes ago, Robb said:

Is there a charge for movies in the Celebrity Suite (the hump suites) ?  Thanks for the responses.

 

I asked the same thing about the RS.  No answer so I'm assuming at this point, nobody really knows for sure.  I also asked One Touch in my e-mail but there has yet to be a response on the matter.  I'm going to assume that all categories will be assessed the $14.99 fee until or unless I'm told otherwise.

Love the pics!  I know you've only just boarded but was wondering if you have seen any Coke products or is it just Pepsi?  I saw what looked to be Pepsi products in the mini fridge.

2 hours ago, dexddd said:

March on Mera?

No, sorry.  Forgot to mention the ship.  We are on Seaside in March.

1 hour ago, erdoran said:

Why not purchase airfare?  I bought mine over a month ago for my June, 2020 cruise.  Sometimes (especially using miles) it’s smartest to buy it as soon as you can.

In my experience, fares that far in advance are more expensive than they are around 8 weeks from departure. And when cruising...anything can happen.  In the OP's situation, his cruise was unexpectedly cancelled and he now has pricey tickets that he has to deal with.   

33 minutes ago, EMc&DrS said:

I see you are from ATL, too.  If you enjoy cruising as much as we do regardless of the cruise line or where it's going, you will definitely LOVE YC on MSC.  This will be our 4th YC cruise coming up, and when we saw we could get another week of outstanding service and luxury for less than a week in a standard balcony room on Celebrity for the same dates, there was no debate--back to YC.  Hope you have a great time.

Wow!  Sounds pretty perfect.  Thank you for the information.  We are really looking forward to giving it a try.  After being in NCL's Haven (nice, but pricey) and Celebrity's Royal Suite (nice, but REALLY pricey) it will be nice to try a suite product that doesn't break the bank.  Go Dawgs!  😎

If you are a member of a roll call for an upcoming cruise, I think it might be a good idea to post about this in that forum as well.  There are lots of roll call members out there who may not regularly tune in to CC boards for issues such as these.  I just posted in my 11/22 roll call making a plea to contact Celebrity regarding this issue...

Maybe I missed it, but I am just curious as to why you have already purchased airfare for a 2020 cruise.  Sorry about the cancellation, BTW.