amygutman

Thank you so much for this post. In an aqua class suite on a girl's getaway in July - got an amazing deal and could not say no. Have not been on Celebrity since the summit about 8 years ago but the Reflection looks lovely. Regarding the thermal spa access - it seems like you had a difficult time finding loungers? Is there the say "chair hog / towel reserving" issue there is on decks? If so, did you find that the spa manager was receptive to relocating the offenders belongings? Curious as to the "discounts" given to the aqua suites as well - considering the ridiculously high spa prices at sea, it would have to be a heck of a discount to book anything I could enjoy just as well at home (plus, no pressure to buy lotions, etc). Thank you again! Warmest Amy

We loved our YC trips - and the service on board was beyond amazing. Really loved the rotating menus in the YC restaurant as well. The observation areas were outstanding and the crew divine. Entertainment...very odd. Like random velociraptor in a peter pan pirate show, and a man dressed in a giant nose walking across the stage in another production dance show (I kid you not). Not bad...just really, really strange. Plus, there are literally mirrored surfaces everywhere. I have not had a single cruise on MSC in which I didn't end up with at least one bruise from smacking my elbows (or face) into shiny wall or staircase. It's just their customer service - my TA, who has the patience of a saint, hates dealing with them despite their great prices. I agree - have never gotten a straight answer (or the same answer twice from different reps), challenges with response times, and a website that is so bad it makes you want to toss your laptop. However - get past that and I know you will LOVE the YC. ONly downside is no covered pools in the YC area which is a definite perk on NCL (except for Epic / Getaway). Warmest, Amy

Great to know...though I have to admit, would love to see Portland again (oh...Gilbert's...I miss you so).

@Laszlo I am curious though as when the itinerary change will be announced as we are on the June 14 2024 Boston - Bermuda sailing. Love Portland (used to live right on the Eastern Prom) and Newport...I suspect an additional day in Bermuda would be out of the question due to berth spaces. However, there would be the potential for docking at St George's for the day - it would be a tender, but still...an extra day in Bermuda! Bermuda was our home for over 2 years and 3.5 days is just not enough time to see friends and visit our favorite spots! Warmest, Amy

@cruiseny4life I highly suggest Universal Studios > Disney. Way, way more affordable choices, and even the Fast Pass options are cheaper. Hotels - definitely cheaper (we love Cabana Bay...super Kitchy and right next to Volcano Bay). Plus...oh man, do we love the Harry Potter train. If you had told me 1 year ago that I would be considering Carnival > NCL I would have though you crazy. But I have to tell you, I cannot justify spending $$ on the ugly and ill-designed Prima-class ships. I will not give up hope for my Haven experiences though. It is an amazing product and such a divine treat. Gritting my teeth as I love MSC, but possibly the worst customer service of them all. So - with new Princess experiences coming to Ft Lauderdale that may be a viable option until my desire to cruise in Haven & the Yacht Club overwhelms my frustrations with NCL and MSC. Warmest Amy

Late to the thread, but you asked a question I have been pondering for a number of months. Our family loves NCL, specifically the Haven. Had the best "bucket list" cruises on old / smal and new / large ships, wonderful service, outstanding itineraries. Like your family, we have a child - and sailing without our soon-to-be 15 yo is a non-starter. Our current home port is Port Canaveral but anywhere is Florida is "train-able" and we are happy to fly if the itinerary is right. But we have become somewhat disillusioned with NCL of late - still have two Havens booked and 4 FCCs, but 2 NCL-initiated cancellations repositioning / repurposing (Spirit TP, Epic TA), and instant dislike we took to the Prima class ships (not our style, Haven looks awful, and the design is just...lord, like Ikea vomited in a tiny, cramped space) have made it hard to find another NCL cruise we are excited about outside of our current bookings. NCL prices have also skyrocketed (even booking 2 years out), and recent horror tales of customer service are concerning. We had our own negative interaction when we were assured that a 12 night Middle Eastern itinerary was "still going ahead" when clearly there is a war on. We were told that "itinerary may change but only if necessary, and shortly before the cruise leaves port". Um, that port was Haifa, so yeah...i'm not dropping 18K not having any idea about potential ports so that gave us a great excuse to run away from the Viva (we had only booked for the itinerary). You'll see from our profile that although we love NCL (especially our Sapphire perks), we have dipped our toes into other lines with very positive experiences. Interestingly, looking at many cruise website recent readers' polls, NCL seems to have taken a precipitous drop off of cruisers' favorites so am not sure if that plays a part in your booking decisions. Like you, we have a child so Virgin and Viking are out. Carnival: I freely admit that I changed my opinion of this line 180 degrees when we took a 3 night "Super Bowl Booze Cruise" last month on a tiny, old ship out of Canaveral. Oh lord it was fun for the whole family. Now - the kids clubs literally had no kids (there were <25 children under 16 on the cruise total), but despite their small size, the clubs were well-staffed (by very cheerful, but bored-looking attendants). The arcade was amazing, and although there was only 1 slide, it was never busy and the pools / hot tubs were plentiful. Food...amazing. Service...top notch. Friendliest crew we have ever had. We loved it so much we just booked a 7 night Caribbean and upgraded our Mardi Gras TA to an excel aft corner suite (with hot tub!). The price for this suite which includes tons of perks and access to the Loft 19 suite area was A THIRD of what our cancelled Epic Haven TA cost. ). Celebrity: loved our Summit suite, and i'm excited to try a ship with a true "suite retreat" as we feel the very high prices do not justify a room + perks but no suite deck nor pool. We thought the dining and amenities were lovely, and our neighbors have had 3 Celebrity balcony cruises this year they loved (though they did grumble about pricing). They said Celebrity is both LBGTQ+ and family friendly (they are a gay couple and went with their kids and grandkids). I just snagged a deal on an AquaSpa Suite for a last-minute girls long weekend (about a third off of the regular price) so steals can be found (maybe even for Christmas) Disney: ung-dly expensive, and kiddo not currently into Disney, Star Wars or Marvel. Plus, so... many... children. Service was wonderful on on prior cruises, food great, shows outstanding. But kids everywhere (and worse, their pushy demanding parents you can't escape even in the adults-only areas). No deals for Christmas traditionally (prices actually go WAY up) Royal Caribbean: Deals can be found!. We booked a Allure Star Class 2 bedroom AquaSuite for a 3 night Bahamas (kiddo's April birthday) for about 200$/day less than what a Haven 2 bedroom villa would have been for an equivalent # of days. Our travel agent actually recommends the smaller / older ships with fewer bells and whistles; that means fewer kids overall so your child may actually be able to really enjoy use the child-specific activities without over-crowding. The older ships are much cheaper as well (vs the 70k+ Icon of the Seas Family Suite 🫣). Yes...there are holiday deals (we recently looked at an early January / late Dec non-holiday cruise for S&Gs) Oceania: trying NCL's sister line June 2025 to return to Alaska. The smaller size and much better itinerary (long port stops) really appealed to us. Agent says not a ton of children, but very "child-friendly and accommodating" (not sure what that means, but hey, Alaska). There are threads detailing the holiday spirit on this line, and prices are similar to the Haven / suites (not cheap, but the inclusions are impressive and <900 cruisers vs 5000 on big ships) MSC: love the Yacht Club and our kiddo says the food is "way better" than in the Haven (he likes the rotating menus, plus they really cater to the kids). Pricing almost always better than NCL, and tons of holiday deals to be had. We have spoken to cruisers staying outside the YC though and they nearly universally state that embarkation / debarkation are chaotic, lines are long, and the kids club activities are "crowded" and super weird". It could be a matter of taste though. We had a recent bad experience with customer service so not returning to MSC for a while (a shame, and the prices are so, so good for families). We love our NCL Sapphire perks but looks like we will be Loyal to Royal, Treated Like A Celebrity, and Joining the Fun Squad in the near future. I wish you good luck and hope you had as interesting of a time reading this thread as I did...good seeing familiar names after lurking on Carnival and Royal boards for the past few months. Warmest Amy

Had so much fun that we didn't want to wait for our Mardi Gras TA next year to have another Carnival experience - Booked the Celebration for December in an Excel Forward Corner Suite for a 7 night Caribbean cruise our of Miami. Yeah - we went back to the suite life to get the corner balcony, but also loved the idea of the Loft 19 perk. That being said, I just found out I spent enough time in the casino to have a free balcony room on a 3-5 nighter, so keeping my eyes peeled for another bargain out of Canaveral. Warmest Amy

Cannot wait! Honestly, we were pretty bummed that our NCL epic transatlantic was canceled for November and the rescheduled date in October just doesn't work with our schedule. The thrill of a completely new ship for an extended sea voyage is amazing. After the hospitality on our Liberty cruise, we're hoping to see the same happy spirit on the Mardi Gras but with a few more bells and whistles for the 6 or 7 sea days. I've been converted... happily happily!! Warmest Amy

Millie was just so lovely - "I now present to you....a solid gold, made of plastic, ship-on-a-stick" 😁 Kiddo has been to 23 countries so far...we love exposing him to different cultures and people, if only for a day. He loves cruising (as long as he has his wifi, of course). Next up for him: Allure of the Seas for his birthday. He's never been to CocoCay - I worked there as a doc when I worked for Royal and I know he will love it! Warmest Amy

I LOVED it...it was such a beautiful location for sunrises and sunsets. Warmest Amy

That's an AMAZING Hack!!! OMG...I cannot wait to use that advice. Warmest Amy

BACKGROUND Our family (DH, 14 yo son, myself) are unashamedly Bougie cruisers. I HATE lines and crowds when I should be on my balcony being brought French press coffee by our butler 🥰. We have not sailed in anything other than a suite in 10 years, so how did we end up on a 3 night “booze and party cruise” in a balcony room? Honestly, not an A—hole, I just like what I like. I’m a night shift ED doc and time off = destressing & shutting off my brain. With a new job, personal craziness, and no cruise since September, I needed a cruise, STAT. The only thing that fit our schedule was a Carnival three nightery out of Canaveral. Living in Orlando, we can be at Canaveral in 45 minutes so I reached out to our TA Donnie who we adore. He says “No suites available but I found a great balcony and you can get ‘faster-to-the-fun’ for like 70$ and it’s the Super Bowl so should be a great party “. Good lord…a party cruise jam-packed with drunk brawlers? Yikes…I asked him about the ship: “The Liberty is old and small. Minimally refurbished. Really ugly orange and pink staterooms. Not awesome reviews overall but everyone raves about the crew and the service”. So…not my style of cruising, no suite, crowded, people everywhere but for a cheap price 45 minutes from home? Well, any day on the water is better than a day at work so why not? I furiously scrambled to “suite-it-up”. Tipping our hat to @Sthrngary who espouses the “NCL Haven-Lite” cruise method, we got the non-alcoholic package, cheap wifi, pre-paid tips, 2 nights in the steakhouse and Faster-to-the-Fun for <500$ (for the three of us). Booked the Aft Vista Suite Wraparound Balcony for embarkation in Canaveral, port day in Nassau, sea day, then back home. Our travel agent has never steered us wrong but a sense of dread started to fall. BOARDING We usually book “stay-and-park” hotel package but it didn’t make sense for a shorter cruise and booked at Port Parking (https://www.parkportcanaveral.com/) for 60$ for the 3 nights. 5 mins from the cruise port and shuttles every 15 minutes. Polite, professional and on-time. The Carnival terminal was well marked, customer service agents everywhere, and no lines >5 minutes. Very accessible as well with elevators / escalators right at the entrance. The notorious drug-sniffing port dogs were there (though by the amount of stinky bud we smelled on the ship, not sure if the doggos were off their game). Through the check-in process and into the “Faster-to-the-Fun” waiting area in 12 minutes for a 15 minute wait until 1034 when our 1030 boarding group was called. From there, we passed the photographer gauntlet and directly to our muster station in under 10 minutes. Muster man was lovely: “You guys know how to use a life-jacket, right? Put it on, strap yourself in, and pretend you are Leonardo Dicaprio” (I gently reminded our muster leader that Dicaprio actually died in Titanic, but whatever…). FTTF allowed us to drop off our bags in our not quite ready room, met Nengah our cabin steward, and we were eating lunch in the buffet a few minutes later after admiring NASA / SpaceX in the distance. It took < 60 minutes from shuttle to lunch. Super-efficient and our first glimpse at the consistent and genuine friendliness of the Carnival crew. BTW: there are very few options for lunch on embarkation other than the Lido buffet until noon when the smaller venues open. More on that later because there are some hidden gems on board! THE SHIP Aside from the cabins (to be discussed later), this really is a gorgeous ship with “ocean-liner” vibes. It is not a style for everyone: DH dubbed it “art deco-Venetian-New Orleans” mash-up. It really is pretty, but with some very odd choices (like random platinum hands holding up a ceiling in a bar) and some wear-and-tear in some areas on the carpets, decks, and quite of bit of rust externally. The glass elevators are cool and showcase the skylights. It is 180 degrees opposite of minimalism but it is a very happy mess. Oddly, there are few hand sanitizer stations and I could not find many AEDs. I know, it’s a strange observation but as a physician and former cruise doc I know there should be more public AEDs than I saw. The womens’ bathrooms were very clean (I even took a photo of the “folded” toilet paper), but hubby said that with the exception of the theater WCs, it looked like wild buffalo had used the majority of the mens’ toilets. Huh. ITINERARY Canaveral, Nassau, Sea Day, Home...We've been to Nassau many times and although we love the hidden stairs and the Fish Fry area, we stayed on the ship due to safety concerns. The new port looked lovely though and will probably try out on our next swing through. I think a lot of people in the same idea as the ship seemed fairly crowded to me for a port day. Even so, kiddo had free reign on the slide and we never had a problem getting space in the hot tubs or a wait at the restaurants / venues. RESTAURANTS Only one negative: this was the first ship we have ever been on without a “washy-washy” greeter in the buffet. Not only that, no hand-washing stations which was certainly strange. Onward to the good: We did not have a bad meal…actually, not a single bad bite on board. Literally, we missed out on so many of the smaller locations because we had so many awesome options. Cannot review Guy’s Burger Joint, The Seafood Shack, Blue Iguana or the Pizza Palace as we never ate at any of them - lines formed early. Surprisingly, even though the lines were long, they appeared to move quickly and there was no obvious pushing-and-shoving in the queue with good-sized portions being served. That being said – the Seafood shack plates looked awesome and they were clearly a hit even as a non-complimentary option. The pizza crust smelled fantastic and the pizza slices were flying out of the kitchen. Silver & Golden Olympian: We had breakfast and dinner at each. Beautiful in a very Art Deco cool way. Service was outstanding – comparable to our suite restaurant experiences on Celebrity, NCL and MSC. Attentive, professional, and proactive. We could never get our drinks down to half-full as a waiter would sneak up and refill glasses before we could ask. Allergies double-checked, the wait staff continually checked on us, different dietary options discussed, and our steaks and seafood cooked perfectly. Carnival Deli: “almost perfect” free option for deli sandwiches, only limited by long lines due to not enough chefs. The creations coming out though looked amazing and kiddo declared the fries “the best”. It’s hidden on the starboard side of the main buffet. BBQ: OH MY LORD!!! Hidden gem alert. This venue is on the 10th floor right above the main buffet. It’s only open for lunch with a very limited menu. We nearly had it to ourselves day 1 and 2, but by day 3 it seems like everyone and their mother found it. It’s slap-yo-momma good. Kiddo nearly ate his weight in mac-&-cheese and DH broke his diet with their sides. Tip: ask for double meat portions…trust me on this one. Apologies for lack of pictures… the food never stayed on my plate long enough for me to actually get photographic evidence. Diamond Steakhouse: Paid venue at 49$/person and worth every penny. Service and food were incredible. Everything cooked to perfection, our waiter Walter’s (both nights) recommendations were spot-on. Offered free glasses of wine or but sadly turned them down. Our neighbor’s bloody Mary looked amazing though. DH said by far the best thing he’d ever eaten on a ship were the roasted clam-stuffed mushrooms. Not a fan of raw seafood on a ship, but I had to order the smoked mussels after watching how it was presented the night before…holy moly, the taste and the aroma were epic! We booked two nights as we were skeptical about food in the main dining room after watching some YouTube videos, and as good as it was, I honestly feel we would have had a great meal in the main restaurant as well based upon our night one experience. walter.mp4 Bars: there are so many bars on this ship – only went to the Serenity area and aft adult bars. Service was quick and efficient. The pool bars looked crazy busy as did many of the other bars – but keep in mind, this was also Super Bowl weekend. There is wait service in the comedy club and theater which was prompt and accurate. Weird thing: all drinks (and meals) have paper receipts. Haven’t seen this for years on ships. It’s so strange to sign a “0$” charge, but there is always a tip area so maybe that is why. We usually tipped in cash though so it goes right to the specific server. AMENITIES This is an older ship; for us, we have no need for bells-&-whistles, just a balcony to relax on but this may be a negative for some. The kids clubs looked, well, rather pathetic and other than the older teen area, were nearly empty the entire trip. They do have a “Green Eggs and Ham” breakfast for I think 4$ but definitely not for our eye-rolling 14 yo. One slide (no waiting!), miniature golf, basketball were always active as well as a dedicated unobstructed running / walking track which was a treat and rare to find on newer ships. The gym was clean and well-appointed, as were the locker rooms. Did not try the spa, but our balcony neighbors loved their massages. There were tons of actual TV channels, not just rerun sporadic show episodes, and although there were plenty of paid options, there were a ton of free movies. Huge bonus! For the kids, the arcade was huge – more games than I have seen on ships twice this size. Tons of choices and at 2-5$ per game not terribly expensive. The adult arcade (AKA “casino”) was also large, and my only complaint was there were not a lot of “cheap” games. They did have live music every night in the casino which also had a windowed area (very unusual but lovely to see in a casino). There were a lot of happy screaming slots and table players so apparently well-paying too. I didn’t lose money so I was happy, and even on day one without accruing Player’s Points I was offered free drinks (I do not have the alcoholic beverage package so seltzer it was). Pools were awesome, though the main one was closed after 1300 on Super Bowl Sunday due to the game and party. There was one other pool on the main deck and then one in the adult area, and at least 6 large hot tubs (two are adult only). Lifeguards and life-vests were plentiful. As for suite amenities: Even if we had stayed in the suite, there are really no specific suite amenities other than larger room size and similar benefits as if you were to book FTTF. There are VFIP Loyalty perks, but of little impact on this ship (I believe dining times, drinks, priority embarkation / debarkation, shopping discounts, etc). FTTF did have a dedicated priority phone / waiting line at customer service which was helpful when I had a wifi question. IT We chose the cheapest wifi as nearly every YoTube review spoke about how bad it was, so I thought “why waste money”? We were shocked at how fast it was. Like, literally as fast as on land. At one point kiddo was streaming videos, playing music and playing Roblox with a friend online. There is also a texting option you can use through the app for 5$ / day – great deal. The app itself was user-friendly and worked like a charm. Meal check-ins, room service, charges, messaging, daily planner, notifications…way better than NCL or MSC. ENTERTAINMENT Blown Away. Just so much fun. We have never had so many options for trivia, dancing, comedy, singers, bands…literally every hour you had 3-4 choices. By far the best group at sea was Flying Fingers violin trio. They had the entire atrium dancing and singing for hours nightly – if you can, imagine Def Leopard and Europe played on electric violins, and if you can’t I have a short video clip. WuUcpc_isPZRfqt2WVO7YmFdSo6B1INeRvKhvyWVkW8pX92IB.mp4 Movies at sea were shown 3-4 times / day. Oppenheimer I think was an odd choice for a cruise, but all of the other movies were aimed at pure fun (and also available in your cabin for free). The theater rock music show was cheesy, but performed enthusiastically. The cast met the audience before and offered photos and temporary tattoos. Cheesy or not, the crowd was singing and dancing so I would say it was successful. There was no theater show on the sea day as the Super Bowl was played on the pool deck, at the bars, and in the theater with a tailgate party before the game. Other than an initial sound issue, the room was filled with hundreds of screaming fans. Very cool. 2024-02-11_18-25-48_980.heic We loved the charity and appreciation events. There was a St Jude’s dance party and fundraiser, and a Veteran’s Appreciation gathering which was so touching and brought tears to our eyes. Later in the cruise Carnival also hosted an afternoon gathering for Vets which apparently they do each cruise in addition to giving great discounts to first responders and veterans. Adam (the cruise director) and Millie (the Fun Hostess) were EVERYWHERE and seemed genuinely happy to take photos, answer questions and chat with guests. Millie hosted all of the trivia and our kiddo won a “genuine 24 carat gold plastic trophy” when he smoked the competition in a trivia contest. The Love & Marriage show was a hoot (and as “Jerry Springer-esque” as Adam hyped it up to be), and the comedian PG-13 show was great. Wanted to see his “adult” show, but these adults fell asleep every night by 2300 missing the late snacks and midnight buffet (yes…they have a midnight buffet and pizza!!!). ROOM This was the source of my greatest concerns as I was not sure where kiddo was going to sleep as the only video I found online did not show the couch well. Ok, here’s the thing: it’s an old ship. It has old art, old furniture, and outdated fixtures. The TV is small, the colors are hideous, but it was so comfortable, so much storage, and yes, even the tiny bathroom was well-laid out. Kiddo said the pull-out couch was very comfy, and honestly the mattress was firm without lumps as many have complained of. Even fluffy pillows kept their fluff! The balcony? Glorious wrap-around and partially covered so well-shaded plus open sunny area. You can be seen by the upper decks due to the angle of the balconies so be aware. The loungers are old, no puffy padded seating, and the outdoor paint is rather rusted…but a similar room this size with a similar balcony on the Icon as a comparison is > 7 TIMES THE PRICE (with much less storage). There are only 2 outlets (& one for shavers in the bathroom which we never found but I am told is there) and neither of them are by the bed. Bring a European adaptor and a cruise-compliant multi-plug adaptor and you will be fine. If you need a CPAP by the bed, you will need a longer cord. This is the one we always use: https://a.co/d/0E5732L. The safe was weird – you had to lock it with a credit card or driver’s license, both of which we would want to actually keep in the safe. Our balcony neighbors said they could hear the music from the bar right below us and the laughter from the comedy club, but honestly, we never noticed. Despite the online warnings, we never had a sewage smell (prepared by bringing solid air fresheners). We would book this room again in a heartbeat and filmed a video of my own. Pardon my errors: it apparently is a “double twin” (can be split), and the buffet is deck 9 above us on deck 6. CREW Cannot praise the crew enough. From Nengah our steward, the waiters (shout out to Walter), the cruise director Adam and Fun Staff Millie, the shops staff…everyone was pleasant, cheerful and chatty. The buffet and all of the restaurants had wonderful staff – 100% going above and beyond. Housekeeping crews were so helpful, and even security were super friendly. We spent so much time just chatting with staff & crew from around the globe and left every conversation convinced that this ship specifically hired people for their friendliness. We never heard the word “no”, and when my kiddo went down a slide backwards, the lifeguard at the bottom gently corrected him then sent him straight back up to the top to try again so he wouldn’t think he was in trouble! That being said, remember the aforementioned “stinky bud” onboard? It wasn’t pervasive, but it was definitely noticeable. By Day 2, security was definitely cracking down but very quietly and professionally. I truly have no idea why anyone would risk being banned from cruising or being thrown in a Bahamian jail for weed but to each their own. OTHER PASSENGERS Have no idea what the “typical” cruiser was for this sailing as the only group we did not see well-represented was families with small (non-adolescent) children. Older, younger, singles, hen parties, bachelor parties, honeymooners, teens. All races and demographics. We heard that 85% were American, and primarily from the East Coast or Midwest. Many people we talked with were combining the cruise with a Disney / Universal Studios trip. Lots and lots of football fans. Shockingly well-behaved. No fights. Most people waited patiently in line, minimal shoving and line-cutting, no griping. Good buffet etiquette. There were some mild dust-ups at the bars, but the bartenders seemed to handle it very well. DEBARKATION FTTF and self-debarkation were amazing. We left our room at 0703, headed to the theater, waiting a few minutes then cleared to leave the ship. Quick swipe of ship cards, then a long walk to port customs. We have passports that we never had to show. Just walked up to an agent, smiled at the facial recognition machine, and voila…done. 5 minute walk to our shuttle, 8 minutes to departure then to our car, and we were headed back home to Orlando by 0748. That’s 45 minutes from cabin to highway. Incredible. THE SUMMARY Were there negatives? Sure. There is definitely wear and tear, and the rust needs a good scraping and repainting. Although the main areas of the ship are gorgeous in a very busy style, I’m sure it’s not everyone’s cup-of-tea. The cabins are decorated circa-1990 with truly hideous color palates and minimal updates. Few hand-sanitizer stations and no "washy-washy" crew. But we happily turned 1800 from what we thought a Carnival 3 nighter would be. Maybe it was just this ship and this sailing plus amazing crew, but we had so much fun at such a good price. Would book again in a heartbeat and although we will never give up our suite-loving lifestyle, were happy to be proven wrong about the Liberty. FIVE / FIVE STARS!!!! Untitled video - 1708413244551 (1).mp4 2024-02-11_16-56-53_312.heic

That’s…. That’s just beautiful!!!!! 🤣

Nor did I...I only found out through my TA. Perhaps we were just lucky on our prior MSC rebookings. I'd love to hear that it's 90 days in either direction - if you can get someone from MSC to get that in writing I think you would have some happy cruisers! Warmest, Amy

I do read these as well, but perhaps got a bit lazy as had never had an issue previously with re-bookings. I'm not blaming the cruise line, it's on me clearly, but it was a surprise that definitely affects my willingness to book again with MSC. I'm pretty sure they won't miss my money - though I certainly will miss the YC. It's a lovely experience but without flexibility, I just am not comfortable booking. Warmest, Amy

When we checked with our TA and on the phone with customer service, its 90 days after the 1st day of the original cruise booking. Was a bummer, as we were very willing to book earlier (and a longer cruise in a Royal suite we found vs the deluxe suite). Hope you find a nice substitute! Warmest, Amy

Appreciate everyone’s replies. Maybe my experiences have been different (or perhaps my TA has snuck under the radar) but we have definitely booked then change dates on at least 2 MSC cruises previously without this 90 day “must go forward” restriction. In fact, we had to cancel a February 2024 Euribia cruise in July 2023 due to a change in my son’s school testing schedule. Full refund of our deposit was given. I agree, NCL Haven pricing and deposits are getting out of control - but at least the refunds are still there. We love the suite within a ship concept and will keep to NCL Haven vs YC (until, inevitably this refund policy changes as well). Gives a good excuse to try other cruise lines’ suites as well - very excited about our RCCL Allure Royal Genie experience coming up in April and trying out Oceana for the first time in 2025. Even giving a Carnival Mardi Gras suite a try for a 2025 TA. Our TA is ethical and has become a good friend. Everyone makes mistakes, however, we have used his services for 10 years over multiple cruise lines and he has never misled us knowingly. Ah well… here’s to a last minute Carnival weekend cruise (no suite, sigh… but a kick-ass aft wrap-around balcony) to soothe my soul this weekend. Thank you everyone! Warmest, Amy

Apologies if this has been posted already but did a quick Board search and hadn’t seen this topic. Our family are fans of the yacht club so much so that we’ve traveled with many times, with 3 new potential trips planned over the next year (we live 45 minutes from Canaveral so quickie long weekend trips are awesome). Had booked a girls trip for Aug 2026 in Europe that we had to change dates on due to one of my friends starting a new degree program. Our TA (who is not a fan of MSC in general due to their poor customer service with agents), unfortunately told us that we no longer would be able to get a reimbursement for our deposit, but had to rebook another cruise 90 days from the start date of the first cruise rebooked or we would fully lose our deposit. We double checked - as of Nov 2023 you can’t rebook before the start date of the cruise, only 90 days after. And this is almost 2 years out! As we mentioned, we love the yacht club, and the flexibility we have being near Canaveral has been wonderful. But knowing that you can only make one single change, and only 90 days after the original booking definitely impacts our decision to sail MSC again. I hate to be selfish about this, but we occasionally move our cruises depending on work or school schedules, and have never been denied a refund… Again, emphasizing we are about two years out from a September 2024 sail date. I know some premium lines, for example, Viking, have a no refund policy in place but this is new for the MSC YC as far as we can tell. I was wondering if anyone else has been affected by this policy? We were able to find a suitable replacement cruise so we didn’t lose our deposit, but the three shorter YC cruises out of Canaveral we had been planning to book will now go to other cruise lines with less restrictive policies. Yes, it’s definitely first world problems but very disappointing. Thoughts? Warmest, Amy

@Frank12 I love a good balcony. We were over-the-moon with a once in a lifetime Deluxe Owner Suite on the NCL Encore for Alaska - we booked that room for that wraparound front balcony WITH side balcony just to see the glaciers (and northern lights...yeah...can you say AMEN)!!! Maybe it was the last-minute booking, but we really got a deal on this room. There was a suite available for 1K more but again, no real reason to spend another 1K when with the Faster-to-the-Fun package, we can pretty much have everything we need without too much fuss plus a much better balcony. Thanks for confirming the couch too - I've been of CC since our last cruise as there was just so much negativity in the Boards. @Riemercruisin @Homosassa @pe4all and yourself have renewed my faith in kind cruisers. Warmest, Amy

@Homosassa Wonderful advice - thank you. As you can see from my signature, we usually are NCL or MSC cruisers - we are getting more adventurous with other cruise lines so there is more unpredictability. It's also our first non-suite in a while...no real suite benefits on Liberty as we booked the faster to the fun option. Though we do like big ships, we prefer smaller ships. Older is never a problem other than things like smaller bathrooms (and it seems like Liberty has uber small WCs) and some wear-and-tear (and from I read online, a very lumpy pull-out bed). For three nights, this seems like a fun intro to Carnival - lumpy pull-out bed and all! Warmest, Amy

Yes, I agree and feel silly seeking reassurance but you can understand why I am asking the question as the photos / videos do not appear to match up with the room description post the 2011 refurb. We love our TA - and he called me today to reassure us as well. Told me I should make a video / take photos of the room as there are so few online so I may take his advice. Warmest, Amy

@pe4all that is wonderful to hear. It was a last minute booking for a long weekend I had off of work. Have never been on Carnival (though booked on the Mardi Gras for a TA next year). Have to say, the videos / photos of the room on Youtube and cruisedeckplans.com do look a bit dire. I hear the crew though are amazing. If you wouldn't mind taking the time, what are your tips to best enjoy this ship? Personal likes / dislikes would be amazing. Warmest, Amy

Thank you so much to you and @pe4all - I looked at cruisedeckplans as well as multiple other videos of that 9C class post the 2011-refresh, and some show the sofa bed, some do not. Maybe it's an "angle-thing"? New to Carnival, but thought it would be a fun quick trip. I understand the boat is smaller, older and a bit worm out, but I am a small, older, slightly worn out chika so it may be a good fit 🙂 I really appreciate the quick response! Warmest, Amy

Thank you so much to you and @homosassa - I looked at cruisedeckplans as well as multiple other videos of that 9C class post the 2011-refresh, and some show the sofa bed, some do not. Maybe it's an "angle-thing"? New to Carnival, but thought it would be a fun quick trip. I understand the boat is smaller, older and a bit worm out, but I am a small, older, slightly worn out chika so it may be a good fit 🙂 I really appreciate the quick response! Warmest, Amy

Quick question - Our TA just booked a last minute cruise on the Liberty for a weekend getaway - could not beat the price. Though we love the space of suites, we chose the Premium Vista Balcony as the Liberty really has no big suite perks like on the newer ships. He assures us that this room class 9C / room 6452 has a pullout couch / bed for our 14 teen, but there is not one in the online room drawings nor all of the videos. Can anyone out there help? Will call the cruise line desk in the morning but stressed out a bit over this. Warmest, Amy