Georgia_Peaches

Boarding will start around 11- 12 as usual. You just have you sail away later than most. Btw, which ship/port?

5 hours ago, dexddd said:

YC is great.  Our last two Seaside had some obc and 3 Gig wifi.  Wifi beyond frustrating.  Our next trip which was booked close to last Seaside no obc or wifi.  Wasn't largely advertised until you got into a booking and see it included or not.

Can you expand on the WiFi issues please?  This will be a must for us. Thank you. 

41 minutes ago, richandkathynaplesfl said:

 I received the cancellation notice from NCL, but have not received any funds from them.

Has anyone else received their full refund yet?

I believe Graphicguy said he has received his refund on the 9-1 sailing... but opposite from you, he didn’t receive cancellation notification. 

So if I may piggy back off this and ask... I am currently Select on Celebrity but will be Elite after my next cruise coming up in November.  My final payment date for our first MSC sailing on Seaside is while I will be on my Celebrity cruise so I will have to make final payment before we embark.  Is it your recommendation to go ahead and do the match now so I can get the 5% off of invoice?  Not sure which would be the better value, the OBC or the discount.  And BTW does anyone know what Select or Elite on Celebrity translates to on MSC?  Thank you!

Have never cruised Disney and never will.  My DH knows I'm adamant about this and teases me sometimes by saying, "we're taking our future grand kids on a Disney cruise..."  It will literally have to be over my dead body and then only because they're scattering my ashes at sea.

3 hours ago, Januarysent said:

Just had an invoice for a booking on the Silhouette with a classic drinks package.  The invoice shows an On Board Service Charge 260.58 and a YQF4 Prepaid Gratuities deduction of 241.66.  Why the lower deduction? Is this difference a gratuities charge?

I would call and ask.  Please report back..this may have something to do with the rumored change.

On 9/4/2019 at 3:04 PM, mjkacmom said:

NCL would much rather having guests on the ship spending money than dropping them off at a port and pay to fly them back to Miami. An empty ship is a money pit.

So why dump them in NOLA then?  They had to go back to MIA anyway. Why not take the money spending passengers with them?  In normal circumstances an empty ship would equal a loss of revenue. In this case though, the passengers were a liability. I still can’t see how it would be cheaper for NCL to arrange charters than to transport back to port of origination. Would have liked to have been a fly on the wall during that strategy meeting. 

On 9/4/2019 at 1:53 PM, SunsetPoint said:

Everyone's been starving???  When did Newsweek turn into the National Enquirer?

A while ago.

1 minute ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

not for the cruises I am eyeing. I am looking at Spring break 2020, and Haven price on NCL's Breakaway is the same as YC Deluxe Suite on Seaside (Caribbean route, 2 peeps in the cabin, same week). 

A MIni-suite on Epic that same week is only $2,500 total for 3 ppl - same price as inside for 3. While Seaside's balcony is $2,400 and suite $3,000.

 

Wow!  That's great!  Might have to take a look at that.  

1 hour ago, Dgius said:

Wow this thread has really taken some mean spirited turns.  I was the original poster and so much is being assumed that there is some of kind of snoberly involved in the decison to book into the Haven and my angst about the restaurant closure.  So let me just state some facts for a second.   We book into the Haven because we have mobility/disability issues and having the restaurant just a few feet from our room is necessary.  We can stay up in this small enclave and get all our needs met without having to move around very much.  We can also enjoy the observation lounge, near our room.  It is  ideal for us as a vacation given our limitations. Now that the restaurant is closed,  having to navigate down to Cagneys twice a day and also to the specialty restaurant is very challenging and daunting!!  It has really thrown a bit of a wrench into our plans and expectations.  I appreciate those of you who have been supportive with your ideas and suggestions.   We are going to make lemonade and just figure it out when we get there tomorrow morning but I would caution folks about jumping to conclusions about why folks book up into the Haven area.   

Dgius it's a shame that you felt like you had to explain yourself.  You are completely within your right to feel disappointed without having to justify your reasons for booking a Haven category.  I book the Haven because I like the premium experience.  I don't have mobility issues at this point in my life.  I do it because I can afford it and I like it.  If that makes me a snob in the eyes of people I've never met, so be it.  Regarding your mobility issues, you might consider discussing this with your butler or the concierge who can likely arrange for you to get to a restaurant of your choice via private or service elevator.  I hope you enjoy your cruise.

25 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

I understood the point of your paragraph to mean that the restaurant within the enclave is part of the Haven "experience."  The point of my response is that having a Haven restaurant is not critical to a great Haven experience since it does not exist on the Jewel-class ships and people book & rebook those Haven cabins every day.

Didn't the Haven restaurant become a thing well after the establishment of the Jewel class ships?  It's my understanding that there is no Haven restaurant on these ships because there is not room for one...I could be wrong.  And I think it is a little presumptuous for anyone to determine what makes a great Haven experience for others as I believe this is very personal to the individual traveler.    I personally don't need a butler and would be just fine if that was eliminated from the Haven experience.  A butler is not critical to my enjoyment of the Haven.  I bet lots of people would be quite upset if Haven butlers were eliminated because of how their experience is enhanced by having one.

6 hours ago, Mr Smarty said:

Entirely a first world problem and nothing more.  Get over it and enjoy your cruise.  Talk about an entitled spoiled attitude!  Jebus Christy!

 

So?  First world problems are to be expected in a first world country.  This has nothing to do with being spoiled or entitled.  It's called being disappointed, plain and simple.  If I pay for a certain experience, I expect to receive it.  In this case I think NCL has done a pretty good job of compensating for the closure by providing specialty dining for the entire cruise.  But when you book a Haven category, you go into it with a certain amount of excitement and anticipation for having a premium experience.  Nothing wrong with that and certainly noting entitled about that feeling.  Its part of the fun of the pre-cruise build up.  Perhaps you can't relate but that's your problem, not the OP's or anyone else who empathizes with the disappointment.  

Thank you all for great detail and helpful information. I think we will move forward with the YC. It is priced a little higher than Aurea but much cheaper than an entry level suite on either NCL or Celebrity. Seems like the only real out of pocket will be for WiFi and our OBC can help with that. Many thanks!

Pride of America....the name of the NCL ship that does the Hawaii itineraries.  Someone should really make an CC acronym library 😀.

5 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

At at the end of the day, no one cares what you wear. There are no dress codes. Bring along whatever you want. If formal attire makes your cruise special, go for it.

Exactly this!  Was on the Sun at the beginning of August and saw plenty of varied evening dress from shorts to long dresses and slacks/sports coats.  It really is up to you and how dressed up or down you want to get.  Those who were a little dressier at night were often doing so for the photo ops that were set up in the main atrium.  We saw lots of people who dressed up for the family photo.  

After many, many cruises on RCL, Celebrity, and Norwegian, we are contemplating jumping ship, so to speak to give MSC Seaside a try in March 2020.  I currently have a hold on a YC cabin as we are looking for the suite experience but just before making a deposit I decided to give the cabin categories one more look.  There are several categories to choose from and I think I have a fairly good grasp on what's included in each, but I have a few questions that my google searches haven't been able to answer...hoping CC can help...

1.  What is the concept behind Top 19 Exclusive Solarium?  Is this for Aurea guests only or YC as well?

2.  Is the solarium covered and climate controlled like on Celebrity?

3.  Do YC members have access to the spa area (sauna, ice room, steam room etc) as part of their package or do you have to purchase a pass?  The amenities description just says..."enjoy a private entrance to the spa.." but it's not clear if you have to pay additional for this.

4.  For anyone who has done both the YC and Auera experience, how do they compare?

5.  Are wifi packages available?

Thank you so much!

If they are going to offer the upgrade, then it should be in full...period.  Can you imagine being the one who has to memorize the pictures of those who have been upgraded so that you can deny them access to YC amenities?  Terrible position to be in.  OP, I would give MSC or your TA a call and find out first hand what the deal is so you can go into your vacation with eyes wide open.  IF they are not offering the full experience then perhaps you might want to remain in the category you booked originally and enjoy whatever perks you had with that booking.  

Have been cruising NCL for a few years now and have never seen an offer for Beverage Package deals. Additionally, I have not researched a cruise on NCL in the last few years that didn’t include at least 2 perks, ie Beverage Package and specialty dining or something like that. It’s a shame they missed out on the perks. Perhaps it has something to do with POA specifically. If they are drinkers, they should prepare to bite the bullet for a drinks package. 

Agree PTC...case closed.  I think they were darn lucky to get what they did because NCL didn't have to do anything at all.  But OP has raised awareness.  While that doesn't necessarily make things better for the OP, it may help others.

14 minutes ago, Ptroxx said:

Didn’t the OP choice his own room??    

Here's the deck plan on NCL's site for OP's room on deck 14:

And here's the deck plan for deck 15 in the space directly above OP's cabin:

Given this information, if you didn't know that blank space indicated a crew area, you might easily conclude that nothing of concern is directly above.  Perhaps NCL should label the blank spaces so people can dig deeper into the cabin location research.

31 minutes ago, mickey89 said:

The YC price WAS good value but in the last 9-12months their prices have sky rocketed.

The biggest problem in YC is the lack of shade and that turned us off rebooking Seaside.  The YC food is also a big let-down it doesn't even compare to Celebrity MDR and the onboard service is poor due to their rapid expansion with lack of trained personnel. Don't build your hopes up too high or you'll be very disappointed.

Yeh, but it's all relative.  Many will say NCL's quality of service has declined and their food is subpar.  The new Celebrity movement to "Edgeify" their ships have left many complaining about a lack of shade.  And while YC prices may be creaping up, they are still less that suites on NCL or X...can't say about RCCL.  I'm going in with an open mind but appreciate your opinion as an experienced MSC cruiser.

Like the Op and so many others, we are also booked on our first MSC (Seaside) for March 2020.  Looking forward to trying the Yacht Club and comparing the experience to both NCL Haven and Celebrity Suite Life.  We have a 9 nighter coming up on Celebrity so I'm going to wait until after that sailing to submit my status match request with MSC.  To be honest, it's the price of the YC that is drawing us as suite cruising on NCL and Celebrity has increased so much in price over the last few years.  Am very curious to see how MSC's product compares when the price is so much lower, and have been lurking on the MSC board for more insight as well.  None the less, we are so looking forward to our cruise on Seaside.

12 minutes ago, April42749 said:

Has anyone ever seen any cruise line warning about "noise issues" for any cabin (like obstructed views)?

 

I've never seen any...but I think they should.  I've been able to find reviews on most cabins before booking them but sometimes they are not available.  We booked cabin 15100 on Breakaway last year and I couldn't find a single review regarding noise even though on the deck plan it appeared that there was an open space between that room and the salt room in the thermal suite.  I had no idea what was behind that wall but took a gamble and hoped for the best.  Turns out it was just dead space on that ship, (it's a Haven Deluxe Spa suite) on the Escape...but it could have very easily been a crew area.  

8 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

Once you make that statement, you lose all leverage. There is no need for them to devote any further time or effort based on that statement. Better to cut their losses and move on to other current and potential future customers.

That's a very good point!  Usually statements like that are made out of frustration when one feels like a situation didn't go their way.  I don't really have an opinion about what NCL did to try and compensate except to say that it is more than I've heard being done for others who appeared to have more dire situations...which really begs the question about NCL's level of consistency with customer relations...but that's another thread.  So the BEST outcome is to be completely transparent (NCL) about possible issues with certain cabins so people don't feel duped.   

4 minutes ago, Mr Smarty said:

be careful selecting your cabin from now on!

I'm always "careful" when I select a cabin but you don't know what you don't know a lot of times until it's after the fact.  For instance, I didn't know, until reading this thread, that white space on a deck plan usually means it's a crew area of some sort.  It's not marked on the deck plan so if you didn't know, how could you be more careful?  Additionally, if that particular cabin is situated in a noisy location, so much so, that someone may request to be relocated so they can sleep, I think NCL should at least make a note of it somewhere so that people can be "careful" in their selection.  JMO