zackarykeef

Bars/Alcohol/Drink Package: We had the top drink package included being in YC. This was nice, although definitely not as nice as before the change. The last time we sailed, we upgraded to the top drink package, and could drink WHATEVER we wanted. We are champagne drinkers, so this was so nice. It was definitely much more limited this trip, but we found way around it. The YC bartenders were great...loved having drinks in the TSL. Cocktails were all great. We really only spent time there and the Champagne Bar, which we also loved. After befriending the bartenders (and some good tipping, and chatting about our previous MSC experience, we started being offered some nicer champagnes and bottles that weren't on the menu. They would save things for us for the following day...it was such a treat. Also...it doesn't make sense that if a drink is over the $15 limit, you have to pay full price. It's silly, but it is MSC's policy (for now). Rumor from the bartenders we heard on board is that they are likely doing away with that soon, and you'll only have to pay the difference. This is on par with other lines. This was especially annoying, as they price many cocktails at $16, obviously on purpose. Pay attention though! Many of these were all things that are included in the package. When I was told it was over, I just ordered the things separately and then asked to have them mixed. The bartenders had a good laugh, and as they realized it was silly also, would eventually make the cocktail without charging. Definitely pays to be nice, friendly, and understanding...something some of the a**holes we saw could take note of. Seriously, it will never cease to amaze me how some people talk to the crew. 🙄 Staff: What can I say...the staff was great. I know there are some bad eggs here and there, but I've never had overall bad staff on a cruise. Everyone in YC was pleasant and went above and beyond. There is definitely a big shift in crew as the ship prepares to sail to Brazil in a few months. Per Brazilian law, they must sail with at least 60% Brazilian crew. This was very evident, as I have never seen so many Brazilian crew before. Some are new, some are from outside YC, and some came from other ships, so...there are minor hiccups and learning curves, but everyone was extremely pleasant and helpful. I have absolutely no complaints. Our butler Divi was amazing...cannot say enough good things. Our favorite TSL bartender is the only one he knows of so far going to Explora, so that says a lot. We already looked at booking this new ship/concept to see him again! Finally...special shout out to the Champagne Bar crew...we love you!

Food: As I've mentioned in previous reviews, we live in Miami and were previously in NYC, so we’re pretty picky when it comes to food. We are both good cooks and enjoy fine dining. Just throwing this out there so you know where my food review is coming from, as food is 100% subjective and variable person to person. Overall, the food was great! It was on par with both Celebrity and NCL, although offerings were more elevated than other lines being in Yacht Club. Looking at the regular MSC menus, you can definitely see the huge leap to the YC menus. Foie gras, shaved truffles, full lobster tail, numerous risottos, osso bucco...it was all very good. We only had one thing that was "bad" aka not to our taste, which was the hamachi crudo on day 1 lunch. It was just bland and much fishier than hamachi typically is. Stand-outs were the lamb shank, the lobster (we asked for the lobster on top of the champagne risotto instead of what it comes with...so worth it. Do it!), and the pastas. MSC definitely does Italian correctly. Breakfast overall was...fine. It's breakfast. It's the same on every ship IMO. The YC buffet upstairs had good offerings, but overall was underwhelming. I do have to say the seafood buffet on the second sea day was amazing. Fresh seafood that was being cooked to order...we got a ton of shrimp and scallops, and it was delicious and perfectly cooked. My main complaint with the YC was here, however...it was the dining times. The windows for the dining room, and even the buffet upstairs are very short. They also changed day to day without notice. Because of COVID, they are no longer putting a daily activity sheet in your room the night prior. Everything is on the app--or so they say. The issue is, the restaurant times are only on the app for THAT DAY. You cannot check tomorrow's dining times, so we could not prepare for breakfast. We went to breakfast around 9:50am one port day, and breakfast ended at 9:30am. We had to go upstairs to the buffet...which we almost didn't make, as they started taking the food off right at 10:00am. REALLY? At least 10:30am would've been nice. So the next morning we made sure to get to breakfast at 9:15am...only to discover that day it ended at 9:00am. 😑 No warning at all, and no reason as to why it was different that day than others. Sometimes breakfast was 6:30-9:00am, sometimes 7:00-9:30, etc...it just feels very early and short. Same with lunch...only 12-1:30pm. The buffet upstairs closes at 3:00pm every day. This meant that when returning from ports, if we wanted to eat, we had to venture outside of the YC. Not that it was such a big deal, but would be nice to extend the hours on port days to account for those returning to the ship, since we are paying for the YC experience. Again, this didn't ruin the trip by any means, but it was frustrating. The demographic of cruisers and even those in suites is changing, and not everyone adheres to standard early dining hours. I do understand there needs to be some breaks to account for the meal changes, but it did seem too short overall. I know there are snacks always in the TSL, which are pretty good, but they are definitlely not a meal replacement. This was also noted on Ocean Cay...we were in port 7:00am-9:00pm, and Ocean House was only open for lunch from 11:30am-2:00pm. Because of that, it was EXTREMELY busy, and the servers were stressed and overworked. Guests were being extremely rude and unforgiving, and it was overall a meh experience. The food has definitely improved since the last time we were at OC though! The crab ceviche and lobster roll were great! The stand-out was definitely Butcher's Cut. Because we had so much OBC, we decided to dine there one night where the YC menu was underwhelming. AMAZING. Better than the steakhouses on both NCL and X. The bone marrow was HUGE and probably the best we've had. The goat cheese tart also delicious. Our filets were both perfectly cooked and flavorful. BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SMOKED BUTTER. Seriously. This needs to be more widely available 🤣 I would go back and just get the butter. It was so good with the bacon bread they served. Definitely a must in our book. The only other dining experience we had was the main buffet, mainly late night for pizza. The pizza is 💯, including the pizza ordered from room service (ends at midnight...don't miss it!). We did have to go once for late breakfast that we missed in YC, and the selection at that time was limited. The buffet set up on this ship is odd and very claustrophic, which I'm sure is due to the extremely low ceilings. It was bizarre, and I can't imagine it at peak hours sailing at full capacity. Low ceilings + narrow walkways...not for me.

Cruisers: We sailed basically at capacity...5700 I think. YC was full, but with it being YC, it didn't feel like it. However, when we did venture out of YC, parts of the ship felt very crowded. This was mainly felt in the buffet (more on that later) and in the evening venue Le Cabaret Rouge. Our sailing seemed about 90% Europeans. The last time we sailed on Meraviglia right after the pandemic, Europeans weren't allowed to travel to the US yet, so...it was all Americans (and mainly Floridians). I am aware MSC is an Italian line and attracts a more European crowd. Our bartenders we became close to mentioned that the week prior to our sailing was mainly Americans and Latin Americans, but the European crowd shot up exponentially our sailing. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe there was some sort of fall break in Europe last week. Regardless, it was nice to see how different the ship dynamics were with such an international mix. The pools/sundecks weren't as crowded as I have noticed in the Caribbean in the past...loungers were always available. Bars weren't as crowded, as people tended to sit in the seating areas conversing in social circles as opposed to at the bar itself. And when you don't know where everyone is...find the smoking section. the entire starboard side of deck 8 is smoking, and it was always PACKED. I know many Americans have been complaining about the "rude" passengers on MSC. They're not rude...they just have different social standards, and that's ok. Were there things that bothered us? Sure, but that's because we have American standards about lines, personal space, etc. Did it ruin anything? Absolutely not. Entertainment: Honestly…I can’t comment much on this. We didn’t attend a single show…I enjoy them sometimes, but we just had different priorities this cruise. We also tended to eat around 7:45/8:00pm, which is right in the middle of the two show times. We did hear several of the live music acts when sitting at bars, etc, and they seemed just ok. Nothing mind-blowingly amazing that I noticed, but then again, we weren't paying too much attention. Ok, wait...we did briefly go to one of the comedy shows, but left after about 15 minutes. He wasn't that funny. However, I do understand that doing comedy for such an International group where not all speak English as a first language and may have minimal English knowledge must be challenging. Because of that, many of the jokes were extremely basic and superficial in hopes of reaching everyone, I'm sure so...again, take from that what you will. I'm not sure where to put this, but as our cruise finished 10/29, they did decorate a good part of the ship about halfway through our sailing for Halloween. I thought it was fun and very tastefully done, as I had never sailed during a holiday before. Activities: Again, not much to comment on–we were much more of a hang out in a lounge/bar and chat couple than a go to everything couple. We did go to the silent disco, because those are always fun, and this one did not disappoint! It was such a blast, and I was so glad to see they had SO MANY headphones so tons could participate. Nights in the club (Cabaret Rouge) were always packed and tended to have good music when we popped in. Casino: Only played a few slots one night...we each put in $20, and lost it immediately. Like...not a single win. Not 5 cents, not $1...literally pull pull pull until nothing left. It was sad, and we didn't return. I don't know if people won or not, but the casino was always busy. The other thing that kept us away was the cigarette smoke...the entire casino is smoking, and Europeans love to smoke, so...we stayed away other than to walk through.

Booking: We booked a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite via the MSC website directly. I will say, we got an AMAZING deal...it was much cheaper than it should've been. Coupled with $500 on-board credit, it was a definite win. Last minute I decided to bid $100 per person to upgrade to a Deluxe Grand Suite (which basically gives you a walk-in closet), and we had our bid accepted about 5 days before sailing. This may sound silly to some, but $200 on top of the great price we already got was a steal...and so worth it. I never had to deal with MSC's landside customer service (thankfully), so no comments there. Embarkation: Being in Yacht Club, this was super simple. We arrived around 11:00am to terminal C. Our official boarding time was 2:00pm, but we made that mistake the first cruise with MSC--the YC restaurant is closed for lunch by then. Since you can board at any time being in YC, we headed there early. We walked to the white tent designated for YC guests, where we dropped our bags and had them tagged. We were escorted through the line, through security, and straight to the YC waiting area. We handed over our passports, and had our cards and bands in a few minutes. We were then escorted straight up to the boarding area, where they had just called group 1 boarding. We could've walked right on, but chose to sit in the YC area and have a glass of champagne (they had juices, soft drinks, champagne, and snacks waiting) for a few minutes. Then, a butler escorted us through the line to the front, and we were on the ship! From drop-off to ship was about 20 minutes max. I have heard horror stories of boarding taking HOURS, but from what it seemed, the majority of passengers weren't waiting long...there were no long lines, and the terminal wasn't crowded inside with many people sitting. No one on board (or in another social media site's group for this sailing) mentioned any prolonged boarding or horror stories. We did disembark at terminal E...the ship has been flipping back and forth each week, but I'm not sure why. Maybe E embarkation is less organized? I'm not sure the reason, but there didn't seem to be any issues our sailing. Rooms: We were in YC Deluxe Grand Suite 19029, forward port side. The room was GORGEOUS. It was HUGE...they biggest I've had on a ship. The walk-in closet was a game-changer...I don't care what anyone says. It was so nice to have a full closet with so many hangers, and a full set of shelves and drawers. There were still two wardrobes out side of this, so storage in the room was plentiful. The bed was comfortable, and it is separated from the couch/coffee table/sitting area by a nice shelving installation that is all well-appointed. The balcony was huge and provided a nice view, if not completely private due to the shape of the ship (we were two down from a curved balcony, so they could see us, and we could see them). The bathroom was large as well with plenty of storage, and the shower was a nice size, including a build-in marble bench. One of the best things about the room was how dark it got for a balcony. I had a major issue with how light my balcony was on Celebrity, but the way they have the curtain hidden behind a drop down wall and able to retract fully behind a wall not only makes it very dack, but also allows you to fully hide the curtain when it's open. Such a nice touch. The only minor complaints with the room were the bathroom had a slightly musty smell that never went away (it wasn't the towels...they were always fresh) and that outlets were lacking. It's 2022, and there was still only an outlet/USB port on one side of the bed. It would've been nice to have those on both sides. TIP: Bring European converters. We usually do, but didn't this time as we figured there would be enough ports. I think there were maybe 2-3 US outlets, and 3-4 European outlets. Having the extra outlets would've been nice.

Hey, y'all! I just returned a week ago from this sailing, and I've started writing a quick review after my cruises (they are linked in my signature). I don't give you a play-by-play of our trip and what we did, as I don't find that as helpful, and everyone's tastes are different. I try to give a fair, honest review of the cruise by topic, with my final thoughts at the end. I have seen a lot of negative reviews of this ship recently, so I wanted to add another review to the mix. Hopefully, this will help those trying to decide whether or not to sail this ship or with MSC (or Yacht Club), as reviews are always helpful for me! To give you insight into my review’s perspective: I took this cruise with my husband as a little getaway for just the two of us. We are both right around 30. This was our second cruise with MSC. I had never considered MSC in the past, but they were one of the first to start sailing after the pandemic. As I was anxious to get back on a ship, we booked the first (or maybe second) sailing after the restart on the MSC Meraviglia, as it was sailing out of Miami where we live. We won an upgrade to the Yacht Club for that sailing (there were only 800 total guests on board), and we had a BLAST. However, with it only being a short 3-day cruise, it was just a tease for us. We were anxious to get back on MSC again for a full week. *Disclaimer: I do understand that we were in Yacht Club, so I'm sure my opinion is swayed by that...remember, YMMV. I typically sail NCL–I love it. We recently sailed Celebrity for the first time and loved it as well. We are definitely adding that into the mix. I like NCL and Celebrity for fun, groups, and family trips, so we will continue to book with them. MSC (Yacht Club) has become our little treat…a relaxing, spoiled getaway for the two of us when we want/need it. We departed from terminal C in Miami for a 7-day cruise to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay, as well as two sea days. Feel free to ask any questions...I'm happy to help! Happy cruising!

Hey, all! Looking for some recs… I’ve done the stingrays before, but my fiancé hasn’t. The company I usually take hasn’t restarted other than private charters since the pandemic, so was wondering if anyone has a good private tour recommendation. Don’t want to do the ship tours…too crowded always If we can’t find a tour, we’ll likely just head to the beach. Any recs on good spots on Seven Mile to tell the taxi to take us? It’s been years since I went straight to the beach there, so can’t remember. Thanks! Also a thought…I’ve never done the caves. Thoughts? Tour recs? Thanks in advance!

Curious about this at it says pickup is 7:15am? It’s much earlier than ships usually arrive, so was wondering how you’ve done it with them before. Thanks!

Hey, all! Has anyone ever called CS to upgrade their cabin? We are on an upcoming sailing in the YC, and are looking to upgrade to a bigger room. I did put in a bid, but I’m thinking I don’t want to risk it, so we might just call and see how much it is to just pay for an upgrade. I already checked, and there is still availability. This is doable, correct? And just pay the difference? I’ve heard horror stories about CS, and I don’t remember if it was here or elsewhere that someone said not to do this because they completely messed their reservation up, so I would like to get any input! Thanks in advance!

Well, I’m not going to waste my time counting chairs when I get on board, so I guess we’re SOL there. May be a money grab, but if it’s a major money maker, obviously they’re doing something right. Just because some people don’t like it and would prefer more lounge space doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t enjoy it. Traditional cruising is dead (or I guess you could sail Cunard), and there are plenty of other ships without VR lounges and innovations for those who want the same thing over and over again. Here’s some relief for everyone concerned about the size of the Observation Lounge. If you have to sit so far away from the bar that getting a drink is difficult, I guess it can’t be THAT small, right? 🤣

No, but people are complaining that the Observation Lounge is small and that they can never get a seat. I’m just pointing out that the Observation Lounge on Encore is much bigger, and you still can’t get a seat. It makes sense that the Observation Lounge on Prima is smaller, as it’s a smaller ship with less people. It’s not a problem unique to the Prima, chair hogs or not.

But the thing is…on the Encore it’s much bigger…and I still couldn’t get a chair. More space = more chair hogs to curl up and nap all day. It’s all relative. I meant to ask re: the theater to club conversion. While it’s a nice concept for space-saving, is there a bar in there/easily accessible? Does anyone know? Would be weird if you have to hang out/dance in there but have to leave to the lobby or something to get drinks…

I mean, I think you really hit the nail on the head here. My last NCL was on the Encore earlier this year, and the Social Club and Cavern Club are still small, and you couldn’t get seats to the shows…maybe SRO if you were lucky. Yes, they’re slightly bigger, but so are the ships. SO many people making judgments and commenting on this ship haven’t even been on it yet, and are solely going off of what they read. Hell, one of the most vocal people and harshest critics in this thread continues to admit they haven’t sailed and are only guessing based on what they’ve read…so like…those comments truly don’t mean much. I think people forget/don’t realize this ship is actually smaller than prior ships. New doesn’t always mean bigger. It means new. Innovative. I like that the concept is different. We don’t need more of the same ship over and over. RCCL kept cranking out Oasis class ships, and people were over it. So here they come with their new class as well. We don’t need more of the same. People like change. And for those who don’t and still need cloyingly sweet, low-proof mojitos (yes, I am one who doesn’t care for the mojito bar), you can continue to sail ships with a mojito bar. I like new. I like modern. I like different. My last 2 cruises, I didn’t attend a single show or game show or tribute show or anything…I don’t need to be entertained. I take cruises for different reasons than others might. Everyone is different, so that’s why they are making different ships. The Prima doesn’t have to fit your view of what a NCL ship should be…it just has to fit someone’s. And I am very much looking forward to my upcoming cruise on Prima. The overwhelming majority of people who go online to post reviews are for negative reasons. I have read PLENTY of positive reviews, including this one, here and on another popular SM site. So no, they are not consistently bad. People also don’t realize that the CC community really isn’t that big, and there are plenty of people who will cruise Prima who we will never hear from. Take everything you read with a grain of salt. People don’t always write the truth. For example…one of the biggest debates and still a mystery to me over on the X boards is whether or not the AC shuts off when you open the infinite verandah. This topic is brought up over and over again, and each time, half the people say it shuts off, and the other half say it doesn’t. Like…there’s one answer. It does or it doesn’t. And even amongst those who’ve experienced it, they still can’t agree. Bird, thank you for this honest review and all of the pics! Quick question…I think you may have only briefly mentioned it, but there are still the wall touch screen kiosks on Prima, correct? Someone mentioned (I’m not sure if here or another thread I read) that you waste your first day standing in line to make all the reservations. Every cruise, as soon as I walk on, I pick the first kiosk, make all my reservations for dinner or (occasionally) shows without issue, and that’s that. Less than 5 minutes. I never understood people standing in all of these lines at the Social Club or the Box Office, etc, but I presume many don’t know this is an option?

OoOoOoh well that’s nice. Do you scan your card at all the elevators, or just the front YC elevators?

We are on in 2 weeks…so glad to hear you mention the service is better than ever, especially because you mentioned it was slightly lacking back in September. Is this elusive perk something happening now that we can expect in 2 weeks, or something planned for the future? The new menu looks great! Hopefully it lived up to expectations and you feel it was a positive change!

Hi, all! I was adding the Bon Voyage Deluxe Package, which is champagne and strawberries, to our booking. I went through everything, entered my CC information, and paid. It took me back to the home screen, and I noticed the package was still in my shopping cart. However, when I check my account, I was charged. No where in my booking can I find this was added. Does anyone know if it shows up anywhere on my end, or the ship is just aware and will have it ready in our room? I want to make sure everything goes well, and definitely want to make sure it's on our reservation and that I didn't pay for no reason. I even re-downloaded my e-ticket, and it's not listed under purchased services. It's odd to me that it's not listed anywhere, and I worry if anything goes wrong, the only documentation I have of it is my bank statement. Wondering if anyone has purchased one of these room amenities before and what the outcome was. Thanks!

Here's my take, especially if you're considering MSC (I know this is an NCL board)... NCL prices have definitely gone up, but considering the all included (when compared to Carnival or RCCL), they're pretty good. You won't catch me on Carnival or RCCL because they never include beverage packages, and when you add them, the price skyrockets way above NCL. I have done one MSC in YC, and will be sailing again with MSC in YC in 2 weeks. If you're considering it, DO IT. I haven't sailed outside YC, but the consensus seems to be that the experience is much lower than NCL, even when taking the price savings into account. BUT...YC is consistently regarded as the best "ship within a ship" concept, and although not cheap, it's WAY cheaper than NCL Haven. My love is NCL...maybe because I've sailed with them the most. I will continue to sail NCL. But also will starting sailing with X (after my recent cruise...loved it) depending on costs vs NCL, as well as MSC YC for something special when we want to splurge.

Hey, all! Quick question for anyone who may know the answer if they’ve sailed recently since the Vibe change… I know since they summer Vibe passes are now available for pre-purchase, but does anyone know if they are only pre-selling some, with the rest reserved for once onboard? There is a list on the NCL site for Vibe prices by ship, and they include both pre- and onboard prices, which leads me to believe so. I only ask because we’re looking to book a cruise, but we only want to go if Vibe passes are available. I’m not sure if the PCCs can look at certain sailings and tell you if there are still passes available if you call…sometimes they’re not much help. Would hate to book only to find out we’re SOL with Vibe, so hoping that if all the presales were sold out, we may have a chance once on board. Thanks in advance! 😎

I think several have already said it before, but a lot of this IS due to upbringing, culture, region, etc. The definition of “class,” “elegance,” or “dressing up,” changes depending on all of these things, especially with it being 2022. Everyone saying long pants and a collared shirt are expected, but a LONG time ago, even that wasn’t considered elegant. I live in Miami currently, and there are plenty of expensive, hip, “nice” places all over and opening up, and the way people dress up going to those places fits the part. This is extremely different from the way people “dress up” when I’m back in my home town visiting family in the US. Just because it’s your idea of “dressing up” doesn’t mean it’s everyone’s. As someone mentioned, I am much less offended by a man in nice shorts and polo or button down than I am by someone in oversized, old beige pants with too many pleats at the bottom like my grandfather would wear. Plus, women’s acceptable dress can be much more offensive. ”Shorts” is a blanket term that shouldn’t be used. Of course no one wants to see athletic shorts or jean shorts with ratty t-shirts or tank tops (which I have seen in dining rooms before), but that is a completely different league than pressed chinos, a button down, and nice boat shoes that I feel most here are referring to. Standards of what is nice have also changed…the Titanic was “elegant” at the time…now it would look outdated. We’ve all entered restaurants that are “nice” but haven’t been updated since their inception long ago. They look old and dusty. There’s a reason ships, homes, etc are being built like they are now…much more modern. I mean…compare the Seashore to the Titanic. X has some nice ships, and they’re considered a “classy” line, but I find they look outdated when compared to their newer ships. It’s a sign of the times, and dress also evolves with that.

The idea of slides is not new…RCCL has had them for years, clearly successful as they continue to install them on their new ship and other lines are now copying (NCL and MSC). The idea of non-traditional balconies is not new, either…X has been adding more angles and “infinite” verandahs, and MSC’s Sea- ships were the first to have an extended “waterfront”-style deck, with many different balcony styles and shapes overlooking the decks and pools below. NCL considers “obstructed” views if the view straight off the balcony is obstructed, not if there is something in every direction. That would make any rooms near the bridge obstructed, any rooms on indented parts of ships obstructed, etc. No one complains about those. The slides don’t run through the balconies, they run next to them. People mention they run “through” the balconies because they feel that part ~should~ be part of their large balcony, but it’s not, and never was meant to be. No one other than those that have stayed in the rooms are aware of any noise/vibration those dry slides may give off, and we all know they will only be open certain times of the day, just like all other amenities on the ship. There is only one clear section on The Drop, so no one can see you on your balcony from the slides. If anything, it seems people would be more bothered by the angles the balconies face or how they’re exposed to all of deck 8 if privacy and view is the concern, but not many are complaining about that, nor have they really complained about that on other angled balconies or other lines’ balconies much. Many people seem to prefer the “traditional” flat-square, side of the ship-facing balcony where you can see in every direction, and if that’s the case, you can easily continue to sail the Sun, Jewel, etc. Also, y’all keep complaining about NCL’s CS but continue to sail with them. I don’t see what would motivate them to change, as people continue to return again and again. You have to understand that the CC community is only a very small portion of cruisers as a whole, and many are first-time and maybe only-time cruisers, who really don’t know any better. They’re just happy to be on a cruise and will likely enjoy their trip regardless. These are the people who will continue to bring money to NCL…not a bunch of CC fanatics who are stuck in their ways and resistant to progression and innovation. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Hey, all! Quick question...I was wondering if anyone familiar with MSC's casino program could fill me in on how it works. We occasionally play in the casino on cruises for fun, but have never tried to actually get anything out of it. I heard MSC's program is pretty good and getting discounted cruises, etc, so...if anyone has any info, I would appreciate it! Thanks in advance!

Most lines can alter the itinerary to avoid the storms. I have cruised in hurricane season several times (live in Miami), and have another planned in October. Prices are cheaper, and have always (for the most part) had good luck! Only one was completely cancelled. We were to sail out of San Juan right when Maria hit the island. They made the decision to cancel 3-4 days before sailing, but we were able to book a new cruise 2 days before our departure out of Miami to the opposite end of the Caribbean. Had blue skies and a perfect cruise. Another out of Miami was scheduled for Eastern Caribbean. Several days before with a storm approaching, we were notified that we would now be sailing the Western Caribbean instead. Last minute, the storm turned, and upon embarkation at the pier, we received paper printouts stating that we were returning to our original Eastern itinerary. Again, blue skies and a perfect cruise. Ships are so easily able to change course to avoid the storms (for the most part), so as long as the origin isn't affected, you should typically be fine. If you want to avoid altogether, try an ABC itinerary (although I know MSC doesn't seem to sail there). Those islands are too far south to (typically) ever be affected.

We have 16015 as of now, so I guess we'll see!

So there is hope 😆 This past May, correct? That's after the beverage package change, so it's nice to hear that they were still allowing that, even though it wasn't technically included! Our first YC, we had the unlimited package where everything was included, and we and some other YC guests drank the ship out of Veuve lol was so disappointed that with that change, NF is the best included (although it's still pretty good).

Is this a thing? I've only sailed YC, so I guess I didn't realize they leave things out of the planner? Will have to look into this for our upcoming sailing. Oh, man. Happy to hear about the chef as you mentioned, but I hope things improve before our sailing 10/22. We've only sailed once on MSC, which was YC on the Mera, and we were blown away...and that was only a 4-day. The YC sommelier completely made our trip that time. We're really looking forward to spending an entire week in YC... May I ask what room or deck you're on? Wondering if we'll have the pleasure to experience the wonderful Ana Lisa soon! (although, tbh, I'm not sure how exactly they're assigned)

It just seems like the author wanted it to be exactly like every other cruise line. The article starts off by acknowledging that MSC is different than others being a European line, but then goes on to say “well on RCCL, it was like this” and “on NCL, it’s always like this,” etc. That’s a little hypocritical. I also like that it mentions the only things on the buffet were burgers, fries, pizza, deli meats, and Mexican…then states it’s unlike Carnival where they have Guy’s Burgers, a pizzeria, a Mexican joint, and a deli. I get they’re “speciality” and included, but…that’s the same food 🙃 She wanted a family vacation for cheap, and that’s what she got. She literally laid out the prices, and then was shocked when it wasn’t the same product. I don’t get it 🤷🏼‍♂️